National Football League: Galway football manager John O'Mahony believes Kevin Brady's one-year suspension should be commuted by the GAA's reinstatements committee.
The 48-week ban was imposed by the Games Administration Committee on Wednesday night after the Galway dual player had been found to have played illegally in Britain without proper transfer.
"Kevin admitted the transgression and as far as I'm concerned he was an innocent party in this," said O'Mahony on being told of the suspension. "Once he was made aware of the full implications of his actions he fully co-operated and stood down from playing.
"I hope that the mercy (reinstatements) committee would look at it at congress given that Kevin by then will have missed nearly a whole league campaign."
Brady, who was on the Galway team that won the 2002 All-Ireland under-21 title and has also played in the hurling equivalent, had just broken through on to the senior side in last year's championship. As a member of a junior club, Kilconly, the player apparently believed he could play senior championship in Britain, where he resided for a number of weeks at the end of last year.
"It's fair to say he would be naive of rules and regulations," according to O'Mahony.
The reinstatements committee meets four times a year and its next scheduled meeting is just before next month's congress. It may mitigate suspensions provided: a) they aren't in respect of on-field offences (including those against match officials), b) strict application of rule has resulted in hardship and c) the case for leniency has been recommended by the committee that imposed the suspension.
It isn't yet known if the GAC intends to make such a recommendation. Also decided at Wednesday's GAC meeting was a 12-week suspension for Louth's Simon Gerrard in respect of an incident in the league match with Wicklow in Ardee last month.
O'Mahony has made one change to the side to face table-toppers Limerick in Ballinasloe this weekend, Clive Monaghan replacing Diarmuid Blake in defence. Darren Mullahy is still out with an knee injury and the Caltra players are concentrating on the All-Ireland club final on St Patrick's Day.
Kerry bring back Paul Galvin in place of Liam Hassett in the only change to the side that beat Dublin in the last league outing three weeks ago. Galvin was injured in an off-the-ball incident in the Kerry-Cork fixture the week before.
Laois have deferred naming a side for the visit of Meath until this evening. Back into the attack after injury will be Beano McDonald, Ian Fitzgerald and Ross Munnelly. Pádraig Clancy may miss out because of a thumb injury. Last night's session was postponed so Mick O'Dwyer and county representatives could travel to Benburb for the wake of Tyrone's Cormac McAnallen.
Wexford have left two vacancies for their match with Sligo at Wexford Park. Wing back Darragh Breen is struggling with a hamstring injury while Paddy Colfer will take a fitness test on an injured heel before throw-in.
Sligo's Paul Taylor is almost certain to be ruled out with a dislocated finger. Eamonn O'Hara and Kieran Quinn came on as substitutes against Longford last weekend and are expected to be named on the starting 15.
Midfielder Killian Brennan will play for the first time in the league campaign when he returns to the Kildare team to play Wicklow. Dermot Earley is shifted to the half-forward line with full forward Terry Rossiter losing out in a reorganised attack.
Derek McCormack starts at full forward instead of left half forward and a vacancy has been left at corner back because of injury to Andrew McLoughlin while Brian Lacey has recovered to line out in the opposite corner.
Meanwhile, women's football is considering introducing a sin bin, similar to that operating in rugby. That is one of the proposals down for debate at this weekend's annual congress of Cumann Peil Gael na mBan, which begins tomorrow at 10 a.m in Menlo Park Hotel in Galway.
GALWAY (SF v Limerick): B Donoghue; B Dooney, K Fitzgerald, C Monaghan; M Comer, D Burke, S de Paor; K Walsh, J Bergin; M Clancy, P Joyce, M Donnellan; D Savage, N Joyce, T Joyce.
KERRY (SF v Fermanagh): D Murphy; B Guiney, M McCarthy, A O'Mahony; S Moynihan, E Fitzmaurice, T Griffin; W Kirby, D Daly; P Galvin, D O'Sullivan, E Brosnan; D Quill, R O'Connor, MF Russell.
WEXFORD (SF v Sligo): J Cooper, C Morris, P Wallace, N Murphy, A N Other, D Murphy, G Sunderland, K Kennedy, R Hassey, D Fogarty, A N Other, J Hudson, S Doran, G O'Grady, M Forde.
KILDARE (v Wicklow): E Murphy; B Lacey, D Hendy, AN Other; E Callaghan, G Ryan, K Ennis; K Brennan, A Barry; Morgan O'Sullivan, John Doyle, D Earley; P Brennan, D McCormack, T Fennin.
TIPPERARY (SF v Louth): P Fitzgerald; B Hahessy, D Byrne, L Cronin; C Maher, R Costigan, N Fitzgerald; E Hanrahan, K Mulryan; M Webster, A Fitzgerald, L England; G Burke, D Browne, D O'Brien.
