Loughnane confined to dug-out for hurling final

Clare Manager Ger Loughnane will be confined to the dug-out for the All-Ireland hurling final. He has been penalised for "unauthorised pitch incursions" during the semi-final between Clare and Kilkenny on August 10th.

The Games Administration Committee (GAC) have also handed the same punishment to Kilkenny's Nicky Brennan and Galway manager Cyril Farrell, effective for their next senior championship match, after the counties' All-Ireland quarter-final last month. In Farrell's case, the punishment won't be served at least until next year and Brennan has just resigned as Kilkenny's manager.

Fines were also levied on each of the three counties and Clare were further fined £120 under Rule 105 (c), for "Failure to furnish a list of players as specified or the inclusion of a player whose name was not supplied to the referee".

Other punishments included the exclusion of Clare's minor hurling mentor Louis Mulqueen from the pitch in the All-Ireland final with Galway whose own mentor, Niall McInerney, is similarly excluded. Tipperary's minor hurling manager, Dinny Cahill, will be confined to the dug-out for his next championship fixture.

In cases of team managers confined to the dug-out, the county affected may nominate another team official to patrol the pitch and make changes.

It was also announced that Dickie Murphy of Wexford will referee his third All-Ireland hurling final when he officiates at next month's meeting of Tipperary and Clare. Murphy is a highly regarded official who can exercise effortless control of potentially combustible occasions.

His track record includes the All-Ireland of two years ago when Clare won their first championship in 81 years and the final of 1992 during which Kilkenny defeated Cork.

The linesmen for the match will be Laois referee Pat Delaney and Tom McIntyre of Antrim. Waterford's Michael Wadding has been appointed for the minor final between Clare and Galway and he will be assisted by Pat Aherne (Carlow) and Gerard Devlin (Armagh).

The GAC has also announced the make-up of next season's National Football League sections. After the weekend's decision to mix up the teams in the four divisions into groups of mixed ability, a draw was made on the basis of two teams from each division (three from nine-county Division Four in Section D), as determined by the rankings at the end of last season with promotion and relegation taken into account.

Kerry and Cavan were seeded into the one group, Section C, to facilitate the league status of their commemorative match in New York on October 18th, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Polo Grounds All-Ireland final in 1947.

The Tyrone senior football championship final, between Errigal Ciaran and Galbally, has been postponed for a week because of a clash with the All-Ireland minor semi-final replay. Both games were due to take place on Sunday week, but now the club decider will be held on Sunday September 14th with an evening throw-in.

Fines - Galway £300, Kilkenny £300 (All-Ireland quarter-final); Clare £1,120, Kilkenny £500 (All-Ireland semi-final); Clare £800, Kilkenny £500 (All-Ireland minor semi-final); Tipperary £300, Galway £300 (All-Ireland minor semi-final).

Fixtures

Saturday

All-Ireland MH B semi-final - Wicklow v Armagh, Drogheda, 5.0, J A Gribben (Down).

National Hurling League Shield final - Wicklow v Tyrone, Drogheda, 6.30, M Wadding (Waterford).

Sunday

All-Ireland Football Semi-Finals

SFC - Mayo v Offaly, Croke Park, 3.30, P Russell (Tipperary). MFC - Mayo v Laois, Croke Park, 2.0, B Crowe (Cavan).