Dubs to appeal player suspensions

The Dublin County Board has confirmed it will appeal the suspension of four of its players arising from the NFL fixture against…

The Dublin County Board has confirmed it will appeal the suspension of four of its players arising from the NFL fixture against Tyrone in Omagh two weeks ago.

Brian Cullen was suspended for four weeks whereas his team-mates Ciarán Whelan, Kevin Bonner and Alan Brogan were all suspended for eight weeks for their part in brawls with Tyrone players.

It is unclear as of yet whether Tyrone intend appealing the suspension of three players although indications suggest they will.

A Dublin county official confirmed today the board was intending to appeal  to the Central Appeals Committee but that first official notification of the suspensions must arrive from Croke Park.

READ MORE

"We need to hear from Croke Park first before we move forward," a county official said today.  The appeal must be lodged within three days of receiving the official receipt from headquarters.

Another Dublin player, Peadar Andrews, was issued with a severe warning as to his future conduct while the county board itself was fined €10,000.

The charges were brought by a sub-committee of the Central Disciplinary Committee (CDC) who reviewed video evidence of the two-week old game on Saturday evening.

The Dublin players concerned appeared at Saturday’s meeting and were represented by Dublin Central Council delegate and solicitor Gerry Brady.

Tyrone’s Michael McGee was suspended for eight weeks. Owen Mulligan and Kevin Hughes were suspended for four weeks and eight weeks each to run concurrently.

The players requested a personal hearing and appeared at Saturday’s hearing.  They were represented by team manager Mickey Harte.

Ryan McMenamin was cleared of the charge under Rule 140 whereas team doctor Dr Séamus Cassidy was issued with a severe warning as to his future conduct.

The Tyrone county board was also fined €10,000.

Another Dublin player, Mark Vaughan, saw red over the weekend when he was red carded yesterday while playing for his club, Kilmacud Crokes, in the All-Ireland semi-final loss to Salthill-Knocknacarra.

The volatile forward had already been booked when, in the 54th minute, he followed through in the tackle and caught Cian Begley in the face.

Vaughan now faces a minimum four-week suspension but his ban will be confined to club competition only.