The Dublin club championship at Parnell Park this weekend turned out to be a magnet for controversy. Saturday's football championship saw Na Fianna use an illegal number of substitutes in their quarter-final win over Raheny, and that was followed in yesterday's hurling final replay with several violent clashes between O'Tooles and Craobh Chiarain. Ian O'Riordan reports

Na Fianna, the reigning Dublin football champions, are now facing forfeiture of the game, thus losing out on their place in this Saturday's semi-final. Incredibly, the Glasnevin club was guilty of a similar offence in the Leinster championship less than a year ago.

Two late goals from former Dublin captain Dessie Farrell looked to have given Na Fianna victory. But during the game they had made five regular substitutions in addition to using a sixth player - Gerry Gray - as a blood replacement for Stephen McGlinchey during the second half.

GAA rules clearly state that a team is limited to a maximum of 20 players (including blood substitutes) in any game. Though the Dublin County Board will await the report of match referee Gerry Grehan before making any decision on the matter, Na Fianna's use of 21 players appears clear-cut.

Last November, Na Fianna committed a similar offence of using six substitutes during their Leinster club championship victory over Sarsfields. On that occasion the Leinster Council awarded the game to the Kildare club, who then agreed to a replay - which Na Fianna won.

It is understood that Raheny have no intention of offering a replay in this situation - partly because the semi-final against UCD is set for this Saturday. With the final scheduled for Sunday week, any further delay to the Dublin championship would almost certainly mean the winning club would miss out on their date in the Leinster championship.

Dublin county chairman John Bailey said last night that the content of the referee's report would have to be examined before any decision would be made. "We would expect to know the details of that report by Tuesday," he said, "but the rules are clear in that the penalty for using more than 20 players is forfeiture of the game."

Last July's Munster football final replay between winners Cork and Tipperary was hit by a similar controversy, with Cork extending their number of substitutes to six through the use of a blood replacement. Cork, surprisingly, escaped any punishment when the Munster Council said that they found no penalty specified under rule for inadvertently breaching the blood substitute rule.

The GAA's Games Administration Committee were, however, quick to state that they wouldn't necessarily interpret the rule in the same way - which was a polite way of saying the rule should not be broken again.

Rules of a different sort were broken in yesterday's hurling final when, at one stage, all but one of the 30 players on the field were involved in an major brawl at Parnell Park.

The Dublin County Board would again await the details of the referee's report before deciding on any action, but the chairman did make it clear that such indiscipline is unacceptable. "We have never tolerated that sort of indiscipline," said Bailey. "The report will be forwarded to our GAC who will decide what measures need to be taken."