Murphy is cleared of charge

Ollie Murphy yesterday received notification of a minimum four-week suspension for his controversial sending-off during Meath's National Football League game with Derry earlier this month but there was more drastic news for Kildare's Anthony Rainbow.

Rainbow has been handed a 12-week ban for his dismissal during Kildare's league meeting with Fermanagh on February 13th. The Games Administration Committee (GAC) heard both cases in Croke Park on Wednesday night and yesterday revealed that Murphy had been deemed not guilty of the alleged head-butting incident with Derry's Sean Martin Lockhart.

The key to that decision was new video evidence produced by the Meath county board. According to county secretary Liam Creavin, it showed the incident from a different angle which revealed that Lockhart had in fact made the first physical contact with Murphy by elbowing him from behind. Murphy responded by grabbing the ears of Lockhart but no head contact was made. The incident had been cited in the referee's report as head-butting but this new evidence was enough to clear Murphy.

Rainbow also appeared before the GAC for the hearing into his challenge on Fermanagh's centre forward Rory Gallagher. That incident brought an immediate red card from Kerry referee Aidan Mangan and resulted in Rainbow being cited for a stamping offence, which carries the minimum of a 12-week suspension.

Kildare manager Mick O'Dwyer was, however, quick to express his disappointment. "It's a scandalous decision and I just can't understand it," he said. "I saw the whole incident and how it could be deemed as stamping I just don't know. Anthony is certainly not a dirty player by any standard."

Gallagher himself wrote to the GAC informing them that Rainbow was in fact not guilty of a stamping offence on him. Despite this evidence, however, the referee's report, in this case, was final. It means that the regular corner back will be out of action until May 8th.

While Murphy's four-week ban means that he will miss tomorrow's league tie with Mayo, he can return in time for Meath's remaining scheduled league fixture, ironically with Kildare, on April 9th.

Wexford's Michael Kavanagh and Derek Conroy of Laois both received four-week bans for their red cards during the Laois-Wexford league tie of March 5th. There was also a 12-week ban for Tommy McLoughlin of Leitrim for his sending-off in the league game with Sligo on February 27th.

And there was further bad news for the Kildare camp yesterday. Regular midfielder Niall Buckley has returned to Chicago to take up a job and all the indications are that he will miss the remainder of the season - including Kildare's football championship opener against Louth on June 11th.

Meanwhile, there are a couple of late changes to the cluster of Church and General National Football and Hurling League fixtures this weekend. In hurling, Kerry's meeting in Tralee with Galway in Division 1A will now take place tomorrow instead of Sunday (3.0).

In football, Limerick's meeting with London, originally down for 3.30 p.m. in the Gaelic Grounds tomorrow, is also set to be rescheduled. London don't arrive in Shannon until 4.20 p.m. and they were negotiating with Limerick last night to decide a later start. Finally, Ard San Aer Beo returns to TG4 on Sunday and will feature live coverage of Clare and Limerick's National Hurling League tie from Milltown Malbay. That game has a 3.30 p.m. start.