The shifting attitudes towards Rule 42 will come under the spotlight again tomorrow night when further motions to open Croke Park to other sports come before the Longford annual convention. Two clubs are calling for a relaxing of the rules, but recent events suggest that support for such motions has rapidly dwindled.

Longford chairman Brendan Gilmore admitted yesterday that it's now more difficult to gauge the level of support for changing the rule. Last year a motion by the Legan Sarsfields club calling for central council to have the power to open Croke Park was unanimously supported by the county, but Gilmore is fearful a similar motion by the same club tomorrow may not be so successful.

"To be honest it's just hard to know just how much attitudes have changed," said Gilmore. "There was overwhelming support last year, but we saw in Roscommon last week that for whatever reason they decided to defer a similar motion.

"I would still like to see Central Council being given the control for opening Croke Park to other sports."

The other club, Grattan ╙g, are to submit a motion allowing for the opening of all grounds to other sports.

The problem with the Kilmore motion in Roscommon - which also gives central council the power to open Croke Park on certain occasions - was the clearest sign so far that attitudes are changing. With a number of officers of the board opposed, and speakers from the floor arguing against it, the motion was facing defeat but instead was deferred and the convention adjourned until February.

The issue continues to gain attention at annual conventions around the country. Tipperary secretary Michael O'Brien defends the course of the debate in his report to be delivered at Sunday's Thurles convention.

"The GAA came in for much media criticism. The delegates at Congress who debated Rule 42 were depicted as being elderly, conservative and incapable of making progressive decisions.

"As one who attended Congress, I didn't consider those who voted against the motion any older looking than those who voted for, nor were they any more silver-haired than those who sat at the journalists' table," he said.