Pat Spillane uses famous quote from Queen Elizabeth II to describe the SFC 2024

GAA legend and former pundit Pat Spillane used a phrase made famous by the late Queen Elizabeth II to describe the senior football team's recent season.

Gaelic football has once again come under fire for its slow tactics and lack of action. This was particularly evident in last month's All-Ireland final. Armagh beat Galway in a game that many criticised as substandard and, on the day, boring.

Monaghan great Conor McManus said on the Square Ball podcast last week: “It was slow, laborious and difficult to watch. It's not just about Armagh and Galway. That's football.”

“The All-Ireland final will be a highlight. Something has to change in the rules of Gaelic football. From a spectator's perspective, it's becoming increasingly difficult to watch.”

Kerry Great Spillane, another GAA figure who is not afraid to voice her opinion on all matters relating to Gaelic football, offered a similar view to McManus, using a famous saying from the last Queen of England to sum up the state of the game.

“I doubt Queen Elizabeth II had any interest in Gaelic football but this morning, to describe the 2024 All-Ireland Football Championship, I make no apology for using a statement made by the Queen in 1992 to describe that special year,” he said in his Sunday World article.

“To quote her: '1992 is not a year I shall look back on with unqualified joy. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an annus horribilis.'”

Dublin, Ireland, July 28, 2024: Armagh's Conor Turbitt in action against Galway's John Maher (left) and Johnny Heaney during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship final between Armagh and Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. (Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

“I believe this is the first time I have quoted Her Majesty in one of my GAA columns. But her statement could be used word for word to describe this year's championship – it was indeed a terrible year and one that will quickly be forgotten.”

To combat the decline of Gaelic football, there were attempts to change the game and restore its excitement. Several rule changes were tried out by Jim Gavin's Football Review Committee.

Proposed changes include the 40-metre goal line, where a goal scored outside that line would be worth two points, goal kicks that must go beyond the 45-metre line, and rules requiring teams to keep a certain number of players in the opposition's half.

Spillane goes on to explain why the game has changed for the worse, believing that the GAA is aware of the problem and that changes will come as a result.

“It's become stale, boring, sterilized, too safe and too rehearsed and scripted. It's not a show that gets watched much anymore. It needs competition and a good kick in the butt because it's not good enough,” he added.

“The championship format was also low, with the lengthy method of getting to the round of 16.

“That's good news. I think the GAA will take another look at it and maybe change the format. At least they have recognised there is a problem.

“This format hasn't worked. It hasn't captured the interest of GAA supporters. There's no excitement in most games, no all-or-nothing element, not even the usual stamina of a proper championship.”