Speaking on Monday, Burns revealed there would be options put forward to delegates. “At the Central Council meeting next Saturday, the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) are bringing forward certain proposals which might offer not a solution because there is no solution to the number of fixtures that we have to get through in the one year, but another compromise.

“All of these are compromises that we have and to try and fit in as many games as possible and satisfy as many as people as possible but dealing with the reality of the number of fixtures that we have to get in a year.” 

Burns added that he would “absolutely love” to see the All-Ireland finals return to September – the games haven’t taken place in the month in a normal year since 2017. Last month, the Armagh man said they could go back to September again if counties streamlined their championship structures.

However, there are national, provincial and county officials and officers who are prepared to rigorously contest an erosion of the split season as it currently stands. They are adamant that the opportunity presented by the pandemic and taken by the GAA to give a credible and certain championship schedule to club players should not be lost.

While a happy medium could be struck with All-Ireland finals in August, they consider September deciders would be going too far. They counter the promotional argument for autumnal finals with the negative impact they have had on club players.

The Gaelic Players Association voted for the split season but have campaigned for the pre-season competitions to be disbanded. Although the playing calendar has put pressure on the games’ leading footballer and hurlers, several members remain in favour of it.

As two of the leading dual counties, Cork and Galway would be vehemently opposed to extending the inter-county season at the expense of their club windows. Burns pointed out that it takes Cork 14 weeks to complete their championships.

Last month, he acknowledged: “If I even move for one second towards moving from the current situation, I would have Kevin O'Donovan (Cork GAA chief executive), Tracey Kennedy (GAA trustee and ex-Cork chairperson) on 'please do not even move by five days because we can just about get our championships in in the space that there is.’” However, Leinster GAA may have offered a solution last year in reducing the timeframe of the provincial club championships and transferring it to the counties to complete their competitions.

Last December, the province’s chairman Derek Kent’s recommendation to tighten the Leinster club schedule by two weeks was backed by counties. “The good thing about it is we have our players playing two weeks longer in the counties,” stated Kent at the time. 

“It’s a matter of us formatting and we do have gap weeks as well to make up for that.”