Leinster CCC is set to decide

GAELIC GAMES: ROUND-UP:THE LEINSTER Council Competitions Control Committee is expected to communicate its proposed suspensions, if any, to the four Laois and two Kildare players red-carded in last Sunday's fractious O'Byrne Cup match in Portlaoise.

Billy Sheehan, Kevin Meaney and Peter O’Leary from Laois, and Morgan O’Flaherty and John Doyle from Kildare, were sent off on straight red cards for their involvement in the initial fracas. Laois’s Denis Booth followed for a later incident with Kildare’s Dermot Earley during the second half.

A seventh player, Kildare’s Pádraig O’Neill, wasn’t involved in last night’s deliberations because his dismissal was on foot of a second yellow card.

It was expected that evidence would be introduced at last night’s hearing to support the contention that some of the red cards had been the result of mistaken identity. The players and counties concerned can accept any proposed suspensions or opt for a personal hearing and dispute the charges.

Eamonn Fennell’s transfer issue was again in the news with the player taking part in last night’s O’Byrne Cup replay against Meath despite his proposed move to St Vincent’s from O’Toole’s having been shot down by Monday’s county committee meeting, on the casting vote of chair Gerry Harrington after delegates had split 33-33.

The transfer request, Fennell’s third attempt in three years to leave O’Toole’s, had been turned down by the Dublin CCC but after a personal hearing the player was supported by the county’s management committee before that recommendation was declined by the full county committee.

There is no right to appeal decisions on transfer outside of the county so there will be no recourse to the Leinster Council. Fennell’s last remaining resort within the GAA will be to take his case to the Disputes Resolution Authority.