Morgan free to patrol sideline

Billy Morgan will be free to patrol the sideline at tomorrow's NFL Division One A match against Tyrone in Páirc Uí Rinn but only because his appeal to the Central Hearings Committee had to be postponed as he was out of the country this week. Seán Moran reports.

Morgan faces suspension following his being reported by Wexford referee Syl Doyle for remarks made by the Cork manager after the opening-day defeat by Donegal and was offered an eight-week ban by the Central Competitions Control Committee but opted instead to appeal to the CHC.

"I was out of the country for a couple of days," he said yesterday evening, "and only heard about the meeting when I got back. I didn't know anything about it. The letter notifying me arrived at the house when I was gone. As things turned out I was in Dublin today (Thursday) and could have waited around if I'd known. I hope to get a new date for the hearing as soon as possible."

His team's match against the in-form Tyrone is particularly important given Cork's slow start to the season that sees the Munster champions pointless after defeats by Donegal and Kerry. Although Morgan isn't primarily concerned with the NFL he is also aware of the need to finish in the top four if the team is to be in next year's re-structured Division One. "Yeah, I don't like being beaten even if the main purpose is to have them ready for the championship. We certainly don't want to be relegated and unless we start winning that's going to happen."

Cork are still short a number of regulars but hope to have long-term injury absentees Alan Quirke, Graham Canty and Fintan Goold back within a month. David Niblock is also expected back from the US shortly.

In the meantime Morgan is optimistic about the visit of the 2005 All-Ireland champions. "We have a reasonable performance record against them in recent Leagues," he said. "We've been competitive in the past two years and in 2004 got the draw in Omagh."

Meanwhile, Dublin County Board strategic programme manager Kevin O'Shaughnessy has scotched reports that the county hurling development plan is to involve the creation of a so-called Super 12 club system, with all hurlers being directed to those clubs.

"I'd say that's someone being misquoted," he said yesterday. "This year's championship format involves just the 12 top senior clubs plus the introduction of four divisional teams but that's been out in the open for a while - it's not news."

The divisional teams, based on the four local authority areas in the county, will be comprised of the best players in the junior championship, similar to the system used in Cork and Kerry.

"The point of this," according to O'Shaughnessy, "is precisely to avoid a Super 12 situation where players with junior clubs would feel under pressure to gravitate towards the bigger clubs. The divisional sides allow them remain with their clubs but still compete in the senior championship. It was part of the plan to continue the development of hurlers once they get to senior.

"Previously when you had a talented minor playing with a junior club and the county where did he go if he wanted to play at the highest level within the county?"

Finally, the Ulster Council meeting on Wednesday night deferred taking a decision on Tyrone's decision to field college players in last Saturday's McKenna Cup final victory over Donegal. The matter was, however, stated to be "ongoing".

This is the second time during the campaign that Tyrone have got into trouble over this. Mickey Harte's team were stripped of the two points they earned in the defeat of Derry in the McKenna Cup group stages. County teams are not allowed to use players who have been selected by their third-level colleges.

Harte has disputed this by saying the players he used had expressed a preference for their county and that college teams shouldn't be allowed dictate to county sides in what was originally an exclusively inter-county competition.

None the less given that Tyrone were disciplined for breaching this rule previously, it is likely they will be subject to a further sanction for having repeated the offence.

According to an Ulster Council source the concern is that other counties will also start to disregard the rule next year if Tyrone are seen to get away with it.

"There were counties like Derry and Armagh who both had plenty of players tied up with colleges and yet they observed the competition rules. The McKenna Cup isn't a championship or a league. It's a competition that teams can choose to enter but if they do they have to abide by the rules." Any question of possible rule changes won't be considered until next autumn.