GAA loophole may prove umpires and Spillane right after controversial Kerry goal

It's very close!

While they lost on the pitch, Dublin were certainly winning the debates online and in the press, as most fans and pundits agreed that they were the ones 'screwed over' with the decisions.

Two of the calls - the penalty for a foul on Joe O'Connor and whether the ball had gone over the line for a second-half Dublin goal - were considered to be up for debate, but Kerry's 'square-ball' goal was seen as a cut-and-dry wrong decision from the umpires.

Ger Brennan also shared this opinion.

Directly after the game, the Sky Blues boss said: "The second goal, it was a square ball.... that's not my opinion, that's just the facts."

Tomás Ó Sé and Paul Flynn argued after the match on RTÉ; the former sympathising with umpires, while the Dublin great lambasted the officials, whom he said 'have one job'.

Most commenters would have agreed with Flynn, as calls for some kind of video assistance/VAR intensified and have never been louder.

Heading into an All-Ireland final, the pride of Kingdom's fans and players would be stung, with such a vocal majority under the impression that your place in Gaelic football's showpiece is quite underserved.

Only a fearless and outspoken pundit could hope to turn the tide.

But cometh the hour, cometh the Spillane.

The Kerry icon came out all guns blasting on the Indo GAA podcast, arguing passionately that all three calls were correct.

Whatever about the penalty and the Dublin goal, it seemed bizarre that he could be in favour of the non-call for the square ball.

However, on further viewing, he may have a point.

Spillane argued: "Now the square-ball incident is an interesting development. And I've looked at it several times.

"Seán O'Brien was in the square before Dylan Geaney kicked it, that's accepted.

"Seán O'Brien was in the square when he touched it.

"But here's the key. Was the ball in the square?

"I'll tell you this now. I've watched, I've stopped it, I've frozen it, I've done everything. And in my humble opinion, Seán O'Brien jumped on the line, he reached out over the line, and flicked the ball back in.

"Not a square ball."

It is an incredible observation by Spillane, as few, if any, were making this point, and it goes completely against Brennan's comments on the incident.

But then the question is: does it matter if the ball is not inside the box, as long as the player is inside?

According to the GAA Official Guide, it does matter, as Spillane pointed out.

Rule 4.9, under 'Technical Fouls', states: "4.9 For an attacking player to enter opponents’
small rectangle:
(a) During Play (excluding Set Play), before the
final play of the ball into the small rectangle.
(b) In Set Play, before the ball enters the small rectangle."

The next question is whether the ball was fully over the line of the small rectangle?

The screenshot below is probably the clearest view from the numerous replays.

And as with the goal-line decision for the Dubs three-pointer that was not awarded, the evidence is inconclusive.

But inconclusiveness is the friend of Spillane and the umpires in this situation.

After all the definitive talk on this particular play, it appears that it is not as black and white as it once seemed.