Senior rules officials to keep schtum for now

GAELIC GAMES:AS THE Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) prepares to consider Sunday's controversial Ulster championship match between Derry and Monaghan, it has emerged that the advocates of the experimental disciplinary rules, which were trialled during the national leagues, have agreed to refrain from commenting on individual matches as the championship unfolds.

Disciplinary task force chair Liam O’Neill, who, along with Croke Park director of games Pat Daly, has been the foremost proponent of the stricter sanctions which only narrowly failed to secure backing at last month’s annual congress, says it has been decided to wait until the autumn before commenting in any further detail on the association’s continuing disciplinary problems.

“We’d a meeting last week with the president and director general at which we were asked to let things go and see what happens for the rest of the summer,” he said.

The opening weeks of the championship have featured two foul-ridden matches in Ulster, and Sunday’s Tipperary-Limerick Munster football first round contained over 50 frees, as did the previous week’s Fermanagh-Down match. The Derry-Monaghan match two days ago saw 11 yellow cards and one red shown by referee Jim White.

“What happens is that the sanction is taken away,” according to O’Neill, who declined to comment specifically on matches, “and that means that you actually invite people – because the sanction isn’t there – to commit the fouls that we tried to target.

“You end up encouraging the behaviour that you once sought to penalise.

“With pulling down, for instance, players can now see that they’re not being put off for it. It’s only a caution, so, ‘hey, let’s do it and get the yellow card and make sure not to do it again’. When push comes to shove, cynicism will take over.

“We have this thing in Irish society – if a law is brought in Europe, people (there) say ‘that’s fine. That’s the law. We must obey it’. The Irish reaction is, ‘that’s the law, but I know a fella who’ll get around that’.”

Although neither O’Neill nor Daly will comment on specific matches during the summer, the momentum is already building for an updated version of the experimental rules to be drafted and submitted to a future congress.

“Even if we say nothing,” according to O’Neill, “people can draw their own conclusions on what’s happening. We will be keeping whatever happens in the forefront of our minds.”

The CCCC still awaits the referee’s report on Sunday’s match in Celtic Park. A couple of spiteful exchanges were dealt with overly leniently by White and he may be asked to review the incidents on DVD and re-consider.

Among those likely to face further scrutiny are Derry’s Fergal Doherty, who was dismissed for two yellow cards but could consider himself lucky not to have been in trouble earlier after being seen to kick out at Monaghan’s Dick Clerkin and replacement Brian Mullan, and apparently sticking his knee into the groin of Conor McManus.

Several other incidents are also likely to merit review. The CCCC isn’t scheduled to meet until this day week, but members are likely to be in contact with each other in order to consider the situation.

On a related matter, the Ulster Council is set to investigate reports that a Monaghan player was struck by a spectator during the match.

Meanwhile, All-Ireland champions Tyrone have received the good news that Stephen O’Neill and Brian Dooher are in a position to start against Armagh in Sunday’s Ulster SFC fixture at Clones.

The Clann na nGael players came through a weekend training camp at Carton House, and have proved their fitness to manager Mickey Harte.

O’Neill had suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury picked up in the opening league game against Dublin in January, while Dooher has undergone groin surgery and hasn’t played for Tyrone since last September’s All-Ireland final.

“Stephen came through everything at our weekend training camp, and he’s fine. And he had a full week last week, when we had an in-house game. He’s in contention for a starting place,” said Tyrone assistant manager Tony Donnelly.

“Brian came through everything last week and at the weekend as well. We’re hoping that he doesn’t have any reaction and he should be challenging for a place as well.”