Morgan accepts his fate

GAELIC GAMES/ All-Ireland SFC semi-final:  Cork manager Billy Morgan won't be appealing the sideline ban handed down ahead of Sunday's All-Ireland football semi-final against Kerry - which means he will be watching the game from the stands and won't be able to exert his typically zealous instructions to his players.

Morgan learnt his fate at Wednesday's meeting of the GAA's Central Disciplinary Committee (CDC), and while this could be seen as handing Kerry another unwanted advantage for Sunday, Cork county chairman Mick Dolan gave the distinct impression Morgan wasn't particularly bothered about where he had to watch the game. "He's accepted it at this stage," said Dolan. "He just said he'd take the ban now, because he'd much rather be on the sideline for the final."

According to a spokesman for the GAA, Morgan had been warned of his sideline incursions after the Munster final replay against Kerry in Páirc Uí Chaoimh - which Cork won 1-12 to 0-9. After repeating the offence in the quarter-final win over Donegal, Morgan was called before the CDC and having failed to give a satisfactory explanation for his behaviour left the CDC with little choice but to impose the one-match ban.

It's unclear at this stage exactly who will take over the sidelined duties for Sunday - although selector Gerry O'Sullivan is seen as the number two to Morgan on the sideline and is the most likely candidate: "Nothing has been decided at this stage," added Dolan. "Gerry O'Sullivan is sort of seen as Gerry's right-hand man, but nothing has been discussed yet." Another option is to put former Cork defender and selector Colman Corrigan on the sideline. This year Colman has been acting as statistician and advisor to the team, watching the game from the stands and communicating his advice to Morgan via mobile phone - and that role could be reversed for Sunday.

Morgan is not the first manager to find himself watching from the stands this summer: Offaly's Kevin Kilmurray was banned for the Leinster quarter-final against Kildare (the game that created the long-running substitute controversy) and Laois manager Mick O'Dwyer was also facing a ban going into last Sunday's drawn quarter-final against Mayo before he lodged a successful appeal.

Sunday's game epitomises the changing nature of this year's championship form - with most bookmakers making Kerry 1 to 5 favourites to beat Cork, despite the comprehensive loss in the Munster final replay less than five weeks ago. Cork supporters can get the more rewarding odds of 9 to 2.

Yet the recent All-Ireland semi-final record of both counties offers some explanation for Kerry's status as favourites. Kerry have appeared in nine of the last 10 semi-finals (1999 being the only exception) and two of those - last year and 2002 - were convincing wins over Cork. Cork, in contrast, have only made three other semi-finals in the last decade.

Meanwhile, Séamus Murphy has confirmed his decision to step down as Wexford senior hurling manager after a disappointing two years with the county. Murphy had been given a two-year term, but won't be seeking an extension of that term, as previously hinted, nor will his backroom team of Mick Kinsella, Johnny Murphy and Denis Doyle.

This clears the way for the county board to begin the search for a replacement, hardly the most straightforward of tasks. The Wexford County Board have a meeting scheduled for Monday, August 28th during which initial discussions on the new management will take place. It's likely that George O'Connor, who has been appointed as the first hurling development administrator for the county, will have some influence on the decision.

O'Connor will formally start work next month, and his duties include the implementation of the development plan for hurling in the county which has been drawn up by John Conran, Jim Kilty, Mick Kinsella and John Barron.