News round-up: The Gaelic Players Association (GPA) has denied any irregularities in their strike ballot procedures. It was alleged at the weekend that some players had received multiple ballots but according to GPA chief executive Dessie Farrell the association has received no evidence of this.

"There have been no hiccups in the voting as far as we can gather," he said, "and any claims that there have are spurious. As far as we know, no players have received more than one ballot - no members have been in contact and a number of spot checks didn't turn up any evidence of this problem. The papers were printed and pre-packed and sent to us for checking before being distributed.

"The whole process is being supervised by independent auditors, KMR Accountants based in Dundalk."

A story alleging that a player had received four ballots appeared in Ireland on Sunday newspaper but according to Farrell the charge is without foundation and possibly the result of confusion over mail-shots.

"We used an external marketing agency to distribute documentation and this is where confusion might have arisen because we were contacted by members, who told us that they had received more than one of the documents circulated in this way.

"The ballots went out through a digital system that operates on weight and if it picks up an envelope that's heavier than it's meant to be, the process stops.

"We are very satisfied with the integrity of the process. We were in contact with the newspaper but they produced no evidence and told us that the story was based on the word of a player and they weren't willing to identify the player in question."

Contacted yesterday the journalist who wrote the story, John Fogarty, was standing by the published details. "I'm standing by it fully," he told this newspaper, "and have had it confirmed twice by the player in question that he received four ballots. It was suggested that maybe he had been sent three confirmation letters but he's adamant that he received four ballot papers."

The decision to proceed with the strike ballot was announced last week and has come about because of player dissatisfaction over the issue of Government grants to intercounty footballers and hurlers, which the GPA has been pursuing for a number of years and which has stalled in spite of a Government statement that €5,000,000 would be made available to pay the grants.

The strike ballot comes as both sides attempt to persuade new Sports Minister Séamus Brennan to find a way of disbursing the grants that is acceptable to the Government and the GAA.

Although a number of bilateral meetings have already taken place it's acknowledged that all three parties need to be present for meaningful talks to take place. "We're hoping to hear something soon," according to Farrell. "The Department is to get back to everyone but we're raring to go at a moment's notice."

The result of the vote on the proposed strike - in which the GPA is recommending a 'yes' vote for the withdrawal of players from intercounty activity during 2008 - is expected to be known by the beginning of November.

In a further development yesterday the GPA released a statement criticising the decision by Munster Council to scrap the open draw in the provincial football championship.

The decision has already triggered a protest from Limerick's footballers, none of whom were willing to join the province's panel for the recent interprovincial semi-final. But the chair of the council, Jimmy O'Gorman from Waterford, has said that the decision represented democracy in action and that the decision could be overturned next year if that is the will of the counties.

"Following a series of complaints from footballers in Munster," runs the GPA statement, "the Gaelic Players Association has condemned the recent decision taken by the Munster Council to seed Cork and Kerry in the provincial football championship. We believe this decision to be extremely detrimental to the Munster SFC, making it especially difficult for teams outside the big two to prevail. This decision will also do little to promote football in traditional hurling strongholds.

"The financial and political considerations behind this decision reveal misplaced priorities and many players have articulated their dismay to the GPA. Most worrying of all is the despondent attitude to next year's championship. If games development is as important to the GAA as we are constantly led to believe, how can the Munster Council justify this decision? The football squads affected fear they may now lose several valuable players as a result."