Na Fianna were under pressure last night at a meeting of Dublin's county committee to drop the club's High Court challenge to its expulsion from the county championship.
A motion backing the county board and calling on Na Fianna to drop its injunction, which threatens to leave Dublin without representatives in this year's All-Ireland club championships, was due for discussion.
This followed a day of turmoil in the High Court, where a full hearing on Na Fianna's injunction against the Dublin semi-final between Raheny and UCD proceeding was adjourned until Thursday. This was on foot of the county board seeking a full hearing in the matter.
Also adjourned in the High Court was a similar action by Donegal club St Eunan's, who are protesting their explusion on the grounds that they played an invalidly registered player, Eddie Brennan.
Na Fianna's removal was the result of their fielding 21 players during the quarter-final match with Raheny. The club contends that the invalid extra player was a blood substitute, and released a statement yesterday regretting "the Dublin County Board's view that a full hearing with witnesses is needed, as we feel this would entail unnecessary delay and lead to disruption of the Leinster championship".
Unless the Dublin championship is completed in time for the winners to take their place in the Leinster championship on Sunday week, the county will not be represented.
It was also speculated that last night's meeting might feature a compromise proposal that the parties would go to internal GAA arbitration, which both the county board and Na Fianna would accept as binding.
Yesterday saw the publication of The Boylan Years: One Man, One Team, Twenty Years. Edited by former Meath captain and Ireland on Sunday editor Liam Hayes, the book looks at the career of Boylan as Meath football manager. It is based on interviews with over 50 former players spanning Boylan's long-running tenure. These were conducted by Sunday Tribune sportswriter Philip Lanigan and freelance sportswriters Paul Keane and Gordon Manning.
Boylan has won more than any other contemporary manager except Mick O'Dwyer. His haul includes four All-Irelands, three NFL and eight Leinster titles. He was named Manager of the Year in 1999.
The book is published by Carr and Hayes, the publishing firm of Liam Hayes and former Dublin captain and manager Tom Carr, and will be available in bookshops from today, priced at €25.99.
It has been a bumper fortnight for GAA books. Also published recently by The O'Brien Press is Munster Hurling Legends by novelist and sportswriter Eamonn Sweeney. This is an account of seven decades of hurling in the game's most celebrated province. It is on sale at €20.
For the Record is a history of the National Leagues from their inception in 1926. It charts the finals in both the NFL and NHL over the years. Written by GAA historian Tom Morrison, it is published by the Collins Press.
Meanwhile, AIB yesterday announced a trebling of their investment in the GAA Club of the Year awards scheme for the coming 12 months. This will bring the annual prize fund to over €100,000.
This is the third year of the scheme, which was originally introduced as a once-off Millennium awards scheme in 2000. Each county winner will now receive €2,000, whereas the four provincial winners will receive €5,000. The overall winner receives a further €10,000. In addition, every club that enters the competition will be entered into a draw to win club kit worth €6,000.
Over 3,000 application forms have already been posted out to clubs all around the country for this year's scheme. The closing date for receipt of application forms is November 30th, judging will take place in December with county winners to be announced in January 2003. Last year's overall winners were Éire Óg from Carlow.
Sean Kelly, president-elect of the GAA, was present at the announcement in AIB's Bankcentre headquarters in Dublin. Late last year the bank extended its other club sponsorship, the GAA All-Ireland club championships, for a further five years.
Finally, the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, yesterday launched a new sponsorship in women's football. For the first time the National League will be branded after a deal was struck with car manufacturers Suzuki. All 32 counties will compete in the competition, with the women of Kilkenny making their debut on the intercounty scene. The Division One final of the league will be shown live and exclusively on TG4.
