NEWS ROUND-UP:LONDON'S FOOTBALL squad have issued a statement condemning the "Seánie Johnston Rule" which threatened to prevent 12 of their players from lining out in this season's Connacht senior football championship.
A motion passed at the recent GAA Congress stipulates that players who make intercounty transfers cannot play for their new county unless they have lined out in that county’s club championship campaign that year, or the preceding year.
The rule came in after the recent move by Johnston from Cavan to Kildare.
Twelve of the current London squad would therefore have been ineligible for the championship – however, to circumvent the rule, the London senior football championship has been brought forward to May.
“London Footballers fiercely oppose the new draconian law, which will come into force on 14th May, and are planning to launch an appeal and hope the GAA use their common sense in having a deviation of the motion for London,” read the players’ statement. “The new rule doesnt promote Gaelic games overseas – one of the main aims of the association – and is therefore intrinsically wrong.
“We’ve been in the gym, training and flying back and forth to Ireland since November 2011 and to be told five weeks before championship that over a dozen of our team-mates, including our captain, aren’t allowed to play is disgraceful.”
Meanwhile, Karl Lacey hopes to make his return to the Donegal colours in a challenge match in Swinford against Mayo tomorrow evening. The All Star defender has been sidelined for several weeks due to a hamstring injury.
The camogie national league Division One final between Cork and Wexford takes place as a curtain-raiser to the men’s decider at Semple Stadium tomorrow.
“It follows on from the launch of the National Hurling Plan earlier in the year in that we’re trying to grow the two together” said chief executive of the Camogie Association, Sinéad O’Connor.
“To have a national showcase on what is one of the biggest days for both camogie and hurling is a huge positive for the association.
“There’s a great buzz around the camp” said Cork’s Jenny O’Leary ahead of the final. “We’re really together this year. We just feel really good about the team and the way things are going.”
In the Division Two decider, Meath – who have made big strides, claiming the Division Three crown last year – are now within reach of Division One. They host Derry tomorrow in Navan.
CORK: A Murray; J Duffy, R Buckley,
J O’Callaghan; B Corkery, E O’Sullivan,
P Mackey; L Dorgan, G O’Connor; O Cotter,
A Geary, K Mackey; J White, R Curtin,
J O’Leary.
WEXFORD: M D'Arcy; N Lambert,
C O’Loughlin, K Atkinson; S Redmond,
M Leacy, D Codd; J Dwyer, L Bolger; K Kelly, B Gordon, F Rochford; K Parrock, U Jacob,
E Quigley.
