On Sunday, May 28th when this issue arose at the end of the Offaly/Kildare game I and my colleagues in The Sunday Game had less than three hours to put sense and understanding on what eventually emerged to be quite a complex dilemma.

In last week's Sunday Tribune Gerry McDermott took serious issue with me and The Sunday Game on this controversy. So let's just recall the facts on the day. At the end of the game between Kildare and Offaly in Croke Park there was total confusion amongst the officials, journalists and fans about the number of substitutes Offaly used.

An assistant to the fourth official gave an explanation regarding the blood substitution rule and confirmed that everything was in accordance with the rule book.

However within an hour a top GAA official informed me that "some people within the GAA had a different view and clearly there was some confusion about the rule".

At 8.47pm that night the Leinster Council issued a statement acknowledging the uncertainty that existed and that they would be considering the matter in the coming days. This was almost 45 minutes before The Sunday Game went on air.

Meanwhile, I contacted various reliable sources within the GAA and people's opinions differed. These included top ranking officials at national and county board level, highly respected referees that had officiated at at least two all Ireland finals and unequivocally there were conflicting viewpoints. . I didn't ring Gerry but he rang me on Monday morning and as you can understand that was a bit late for The Sunday Game!

Meanwhile, back in Donnybrook it was decided that I would go into studio and explain briefly the present situation and why the confusion existed. With television, time is at a premium and the GAA Rule Book is quite complex.

Graphics are always used where possible to enhance and explain and we did display Rule 1.5(b) regarding blood substitution. It wasn't possible to show all sections of the Rule as there would have been too many to explain and highlight.

However, I did verbalise the other sections and explained where the confusion lay and that the rule was open to different interpretations.

I am not an expert or claim to be one but I am a reporter and I tell the facts as accurately and as honestly as I can.

A week later Gerry wrote "that the confusion began on The Sunday Game and some national newspapers. It arose because the Rule was not fully quoted."

As explained above, this is unfair. The truth is the confusion began when the last Offaly substitute was introduced.

The Sunday Game and some national newspapers only reflected the confusion and the different viewpoints that existed at that time and still remained up to last Thursday (three weeks later) when the DRA met.

He also highlighted the fact that he failed to get a credit on the TV programme whenever someone phoned him.

Such acknowledgement on a TV programme is the responsibility of the editor and the producer of the programme, not mine and is no doubt given when appropriate or when asked for.

All of us on The Sunday Game pride ourselves on our high quality production values, incisive editorial input and a journalism standard that incorporates quality, accuracy and fairness.

I'm sure Gerry had the correct call on the Offaly substitution saga from the beginning but he didn't share that personal wisdom with me till he rang on the following Monday morning.

To write that the confusion began on The Sunday Game and in some national newspapers was wrong.

"Facts, Facts, Facts" Mr Gradgrind said in the opening of Charles Dicken's Hard Times. The fact is that the Leinster Council acknowledged there was confusion at 8.47pm on that night May 28th.

f forty three minutes before The Sunday Gamewent on air!