Leinster semi-final on schedule

GAELIC GAMES:Both the GAA and the Leinster Council are determined Sunday's Leinster club football semi-final will go ahead as scheduled, despite the appeal of Kildare champions Moorefield over the suspensions handed down following their quarter-final.

Moorefield's appeal to the GAA's Central Appeals Committee (CAC) was received only late yesterday, but in the meantime the CAC had been put on standby, and are therefore likely to hear the case this evening. If Moorefield then take their case to the Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA), as they have said they would, the authority are likely to meet tomorrow evening, less than 24 hours before the game against Westmeath champions Tyrrellspass.

All this arises from the all-in brawl in the quarter-final replay against Longford champions Dromard.

In another example of the GAA's protracted appeal process, it still leaves Tyrrellspass somewhat unsure whether the game will go ahead as scheduled, as both the CAC and the DRA could yet force the case to be revisited - therefore bringing about another postponement. The game was originally due to be played last Sunday, so Tyrrellspass have been idle since their quarter-final over Carlow's Eire Óg back on November 11th.

"Of course it's not the best situation," says Tyrrellspass club secretary Declan Feery. "And we're waiting with bated breath. But as far as we're concerned the game is going ahead in Cusack Park on Sunday at 2.0, unless we're told otherwise. Everything is in place for that.

"Obviously whatever appeal process is there has to run its course. But it makes things very difficult for us, absolutely. It's left the team with a very long break, trying to maintain the mental and physical effort at a time of the year when they're already tired, which means players can lose their edge.

"And it's been a long year, a long two years really. We managed to put together back-to-back titles in Westmeath this year, having had a good run last year as well. Actually the county final last year went to a replay and we also had a replay in the Leinster championship, so it has been a long two years, and now we're waiting week to week. It's the same for all three teams left."

GAA press officer Fergal McGill was confident the appeal process would run its course before Sunday: "There was a similar scenario with Cork and Clare in the championship. It's normal for the appeal committees to be on standby in this situation, and it's likely it can be completed before Sunday."

Dublin champions St Vincent's are also dragged into the delay as they await the winners of the semi-final in the Leinster final, set for Sunday week. However, if this Sunday's Moorefield v Tyrrellspass game is put back another week then it's almost certain the final will be deferred until the New Year.

What is certain is that Moorefield are determined to exhaust the appeal process, following last Tuesday's verdict of the Leinster Council, which upheld the proposals of its Competitions Control Committee that: "Two Moorefield players, James Lonergan and Kevin Murnaghan, be suspended for four weeks; Moorefield concede home venue to their opponents in their remaining games in the championship".

Meanwhile, tomorrow's Central Council meeting will take place against the backdrop of the growing opposition, almost exclusively from the Ulster counties, to the proposals for Government Awards for Players. The Central Council are due to rubber-stamp the proposals tomorrow, as agreed earlier in the year.

However, the Ulster Council last night called a special meeting to talk over the issue, and with several other Ulster counties stating their opposition, it has been suggested Central Council may defer final approval until next month's Special Congress.

"That is unlikely," explained McGill, "but of course you just never know in these situations. But there doesn't seem to be much opposition for it in other parts of the country. The fact is agreement was already reached on this, provided the money paid out wasn't GAA money, and the method of paying that out didn't interfere with the amateur status."

On Wednesday, around 300 people met in Tyrone and called to rally grassroots support against the grants and agreed to lobby both the Ulster Council and the GAA's Central Council to defer the deal. The Tyrone and Derry boards have already made clear they will refuse to administer the deal on the basis that it requires the assistance of counties in order for it to function.

Tomorrow's meeting will also hear a special presentation on discipline from the GAA's head of games, Pat Daly, which among other things addresses the issue of yellow cards, and the possible revisiting of the sin-bin.

There will also be the formal approval of the new director general, Paraic Duffy, and other motions for Special Congress.