GAELIC GAMES:DUBLIN'S EOGHAN O'Gara has accepted the eight-week suspension proposed by the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC). The punishment arose from the league match against Kerry last Saturday week when O'Gara was deemed on video review to have struck opponent Marc Ó Sé with his head during a scuffle at the end of the match.
The CCCC also proposed a four-week ban for Ó Sé, but the Kerry defender is believed to have exercised his right to a hearing whereas O’Gara hasn’t. The Central Hearings Committee is expected to take that case tomorrow night.
It is a setback for O’Gara, who has been settling in well at full forward for Dublin during the team’s 100 per cent start to the league campaign. The suspension means he will lose valuable game time for the rest of the campaign, as he will be available again only on the weekend of the league final, should Dublin reach that stage.
Waterford hurling manager David Fitzgerald will be keeping his fingers crossed while awaiting the referee’s report from Saturday’s league match against Tipperary. Two of his players, Shane O’Sullivan and goalkeeper Clinton Hennessy, received red cards.
O’Sullivan’s wild pull has been explained as the result of getting dazzled by the lights in Semple Stadium, but Hennessy’s head-high challenge on Patrick Maher was an unambiguous intervention to prevent a score.
On the subject of indiscipline, GAA president Christy Cooney confirmed yesterday that a motion would go to next month’s annual congress proposing the introduction of match-based suspensions rather than the current time-based sanctions.
“There’s a motion coming in for congress from Central Council and let’s see what happens there. As I’ve said to you already, I’m not going to comment on motions that are coming before congress because it wouldn’t be fair of me to prejudge decisions that may be made.
“There’s a view that it’s an area we may need to look at, so we have a motion coming before congress. Now it’s up to counties to make a decision.”
Previous attempts to introduce this reform were unsuccessful, but there is continuing dissatisfaction with the current system in which players can miss four matches or one match for the same offence depending on the timing of fixtures.
The plan would be to introduce the proposal at intercounty level and after two years expand its provisions to cover all grades.
Elsewhere, Offaly hurler Shane Dooley will miss his county’s next match, against Tipperary in Nenagh, at least, after sustaining a serious ear injury in the weekend’s defeat by Dublin in Tullamore.
According to his father, county manager Joe, Dooley is recovering from the blow that hospitalised him on Sunday evening. “He got stitched up that night but he’s out for a couple of weeks and will see a specialist on Friday.”
Injury-plagued Offaly are struggling for a first win after three defeats and in all likelihood are facing a must-win match against Wexford, who are also pointless.
First-team players Joe Brady (hip operation, 12 weeks out), James Rigney (broken arm, eight weeks) and Paul Cleary (Achilles’, 10 weeks) are all out with long-term injury.
Finally, the AIB Coaching and Development Awards, presented in Dublin yesterday, went to Jack Napier of Bray Emmetts in Wicklow and Philip Kerr from the O’Donovan Rossa club in Magherafelt, Derry.
The death has taken place of Tom Loftus, former chairman of Leinster Council from 1972 to 1974, and also former chairman of the Dublin County Board.
