Murphy faces three-month ban

The consequences of Ollie Murphy's late dismissal during Meath's fiery National Football League match against Derry on Sunday are unlikely to be revealed until later in the week, but right now it appears that the Meathman is facing a three-month suspension.

Murphy's alleged head-butting incident with Sean Martin Lockhart occurred just minutes before the final whistle at Celtic Park in Derry and moments after he scored a crucial goal to put Meath briefly in front. It brought an immediate red card from Armagh referee Brendan O'Gorman and may well put Murphy out of competitive football until the start of the championship in June.

After the game, which ended in a draw, Meath manager Sean Boylan wasted no time in airing his disapproval of the referee's decision and, in a rare outburst of anger, claimed that the off-the-ball incident had been misinterpreted and involved no head-butting whatsoever.

Yesterday Boylan repeated his view and maintained that he would be supporting Murphy's claims of innocence. "I hate to see someone being sent off for something that they did not do," he said. "And I'd like to see Sean Martin Lockhart come clean on this because a great injustice has been done."

Section three of the GAA's rule 137 states that striking with the hurley or head, or a kicking or stamping offence, carries the minimum of a three-month suspension. The nature of Murphy's suspension will now depend on the exact content of referee O'Gorman's report, which is expected in Croke Park tomorrow morning. The Meath County Board will then be notified about the contents of this report and the exact charges that will be pursued at the next Games Administration Committee meeting, which is not scheduled until March 22nd.

There are, on the one hand, a number of eye-witness reports which seem to suggest that Murphy does have a case in his defence. A spokesperson for Meath said that it wasn't a head-butt, but rather that Murphy grabbed the ears of Lockhart and did nothing more than stare at him face to face. "But he certainly didn't kiss him," added Derry PRO Gerry Donnelly when asked for his views on the incident.

On the other hand, it has been indicated that video evidence has recorded an actual head-butting offence. Whether either player was provoked also remains unclear although the referee did consult with the umpire before making his decision. Either way, the whole incident was fortunate not to spill over in something worse as a number of players were dragged into the affair amidst Meath's protests.

Derry stay on top of Division 1B despite the result but neither Lockhart nor manager Eamonn Coleman were prepared to comment on the incident yesterday. Even if Murphy, an All Star last year, receives the full suspension he will still be able to return to action just in time for Meath's first defence of their All-Ireland title. That takes place against Offaly on June 4th and the ban, if it is enforced, will end on May 28th.

Nonetheless, Murphy probably won't have to worry about much more league action anyway as the result against Derry appears to reduce to a minimum Meath's chances of reaching the play-off stages since they remain with just one win from their five games.

While Kerry continue to hold prime position in Division IA, manager Paidi O Se has a few injury concerns to add to the Kerry forwards' wayward shooting in the two-point win over Roscommon in Killarney.

Both full back Barry O'Shea and centre forward Noel Kennelly were forced to retire early through injury and while Kennelly only suffered leg bruising, O'Shea awaits further diagnosis before deciding his participation in Kerry's remaining fixtures against Donegal and Galway.

Meanwhile, there were further indications yesterday that advertising logos are set to appear on referees' jerseys ahead of this summer's football and hurling championships. The GAA's Management Committee is preparing to advance the issue in the coming weeks but the national referee's association has confirmed that particular interest has been expressed by a well-known Irish company and that the deal is expected to be completed in the near future.

Ciaran Carey has been ruled out of Limerick's National Hurling League game against Offaly at the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday by injury. Carey could miss the remainder of the league campaign.