GAELIC GAMES:A GROUND-BREAKING ruling by the GAA's Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA) in relation to a controversial club under-21 championship tie in Galway looks set to have serious implications for hurling and football fixtures throughout the country.
In a decision which was conveyed to the Galway County Board, the DRA ruled the Hurling Board “did not have the power” to make extra-time mandatory if the first playing of a championship game ended in a draw.
Under the GAA’s own rules, teams may only play extra-time by consent, and therefore the DRA found that the Hurling Board’s insistence that the 2008 Co Galway under-21 A quarter-final between Gort and Craughwell had to go to extra-time was “unlawful”.
This decision is set to lead to a serious re-evaluation of GAA fixtures throughout the country – some club football championships and the under-21 intercounty championships in football and hurling operate on the basis of extra-time, rather than replays, in the event of games ending level.
The quarter-final, played on Saturday, February 14th this year, first attracted controversy when Gort brought on substitute Sylvie Óg Linnane in extra-time, even though he was serving a one-month suspension. Gort argued that extra-time was effectively a new game and that Linnane had served his suspension at the end of normal time.
The sides finished level again after 20 minutes of extra-time, but Galway’s Competition Control Committee (CCC) awarded the game to Craughwell because of Linnane’s introduction – a decision which was upheld by the Connacht Council.
As a result, Gort Hurling Club brought an appeal to the DRA, the highest level of the GAA.
Gort club secretary Gerry Sheehan disputed the Galway CCC’s entitlement to justify having extra-time on the day, quoting Rule 3.4 of the GAA’s official rules. He said that the match referee had also failed to record an objection by Gort to the playing of extra-time in his report of the game on February 14th.
Sheehan argued that the GAA’s precise rules regarding extra-time were not clear and argued that a club can put out a complete new team and three extra subs in extra- time. The club had informed Linnane that he was cleared to play in extra-time.
A second suspension of 24 weeks, handed out to Linnane for playing on February 14th, has already been overturned by the Galway CCC – as the DRA found that the extra-time was not played in accordance with the GAA’s official rules.
“This tribunal has no power to set aside the suspension imposed on Sylvie Óg Linnane, but this tribunal does point out that the suspension received was for playing while under suspension in a game which this tribunal finds has not been played in accordance with Treoir Oifigiúil,” added the DRA in their final decision.
The tribunal rejected Gort’s assertion that extra-time was a “new game”, but found that in the case of this particular game the extra-time was “unlawful” and rejected the Galway CCC’s decision to award the quarter-final to Craughwell. As a result, Gort have been allowed back into last year’s under-21 championship and the game will have to be played again.
With the 2009 under-21 championship already up and running, the decision is expected to cause chaos to an already congested fixtures list in Galway, with Gort due to be reinstated to the delayed 2008 competition thanks to a decision which has been welcomed by the hurling club.
“We do feel that we have been vindicated and we are only going by the GAA’s own rules,” said Gort hurling club secretary Gerry Sheehan. “We had our doubts about having extra-time on the same day and all we had requested was that the game be put back by 24 hours.”
The wider implications of the DRA ruling are being examined by county boards throughout the country, as it may lead to a radical overhaul of fixture schedules in order to accommodate more replays.
