Na Fianna go to High Court as appeal fails

Na Fianna last night lost their appeal to be reinstated in the Dublin club football championship. The Leinster Council upheld the decision made by the Dublin County Board Games Administration Committee (GAC) that the club had broken the substitution rule in their quarter-final win over Raheny.

Earlier in the day, Na Fianna successfully sought and received a High Court injunction against today's scheduled semi-final between Raheny and UCD going ahead.

The match has now been postponed pending the High Court hearing, the last avenue for Na Fianna, seeking a fourth Dublin Senior football title in succession, to overturn the ruling made by the Dublin County Board GAC and upheld by the Leinster Council.

Last night's hearing began at 7.30pm and lasted about an hour and three quarters before the Leinster Council delivered their verdict.

Kilmacud Crokes also lost their appeal because of a technical flaw. UCD, whom they lost to in the championship, had contended that Crokes' appeal should be dismissed as it was technically out of order and that was upheld by the Leinster Council.

It means that Kilmacud has no recourse left in GAA circles and to pursue the matter further, they too would have to go to the High Court. The Kilmacud Crokes/ UCD appeals were heard at the same time and because the UCD appeal was upheld, there was no need to discuss the appeal made by Kilmacud Crokes regarding the eligibility of UCD's John Divilly.

On Tuesday night, the Dublin GAC ruled that Na Fianna had broken the substitution rule in their quarter-final win over Raheny the previous Saturday by using a sixth player as a blood replacement in addition to the five permitted substitutions.

Under GAA rules teams are limited to a maximum of 20 players and therefore the game was awarded to Raheny. The main contention here appears to be the wording of rule 140 and the amendment made by Central Council on August 17th of this year with regard to blood substitutions. This was as an upshot of a breach of rule in the Munster Football Championship final replay between Tipperary and Cork.

Kilmacud Crokes had appealed to the GAC of the Dublin County Board about the non-eligibility - in their view - of UCD forward and former Galway inter-county player John Divilly to play for the college under rule 31 and 32. The case focused on rules that state a player may play with a collegiate side and his home club, thereby playing in two different county championships, but more pertinently the definition of a home club.

Divilly played with St Mary's, Leixlip, and it is believed that Kilmacud Crokes assertion is that this is not his home club, that honour falling to Kilkerrin-Clonbeirne of Galway.

This falls under Rule 31 which defines a home club as: "(a) the club in the player's native parish; (b) the club with which a player legally participated for the first time in officially recognised club competition; or (c) the club (or its successor) of which he was a playing member immediately prior to leaving his home county."

UCD joined the appeals procedure also when they requested the Leinster Council to rule against the decision of the GAC of the Dublin County Board to actually hear the Kilmacud Crokes objection in the first place.