Croke Park switch for Dublin

GAELIC GAMES:THE LEINSTER hurling championship quarter-final between Dublin and Offaly on May 29th will be switched from Parnell Park to Croke Park to accommodate the surge in demand for tickets in the wake of Dublin's National League triumph last Sunday.

The Leinster Council meet this evening to rubber-stamp the venue switch as 30,000 spectators are expected to descend on GAA headquarters, with more expected once the occasion is turned into a double-header.

Two fixtures are being considered for the curtain-raiser. The other Leinster quarter-final between Antrim and the winners of Laois versus Wexford is an option but the Leinster football championship preliminary-round game between Offaly and Wexford seems the more logical choice.

This match is currently set for O’Connor Park in Tullamore at 7pm on Saturday, May 28th, but the change to Croke Park would immediately increase Offaly’s demand for tickets.

However, should Dublin beat Offaly, the option of hosting Galway in Croke Park for the Leinster hurling semi-final is not an option as three Take That concerts take place from June 17th-19th and that semi-final is down for the 18th.

“It is 99 per cent certain Dublin and Offaly will be switched as Croke Park is available,” confirmed Leinster Council chairman Michael Delaney yesterday.

“We’ve never had a problem with the (10,000) capacity of Parnell Park for Dublin hurling games but after last Sunday it is a whole new ball game.”

Meanwhile, the Kilkenny County Board has yet to receive any word from the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) regarding the actions of two, possibly three, of their players in last Sunday’s league final defeat to Dublin. Eoin Larkin was sent off by referee Michael Wadding, after consultation with his linesman, on 24 minutes following an incident with Dublin’s Conor McCormack.

Wadding was in close proximity so his referee’s report to the CCCC will have a large bearing on whether Larkin receives more than the minimum four-week suspension. This would not preclude him from featuring in his county’s Leinster championship semi-final on Saturday, June 11th.

Kilkenny manager Brian Cody made a staunch defence of the former hurler of the year in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s 12-point defeat. “It’s frustrating because he’s one of the cleanest players I’ve ever, ever, ever been associated with,” said Cody. “So, I’d have complaints. I didn’t think it was a sending off, absolutely not. He turned, he reacted like that. There was no strike involved in that. That’s a pushing motion. Certainly I would have a problem with that.”

The situation with John Dalton is less clear cut. Dalton’s entanglement with McCormack, again, came after the Dublin forward had a goal disallowed as Wadding had blown his whistle for half-time. McCormack initiated contact but the Kilkenny corner back’s aggressive reaction leaves him open to several charges of indiscipline.

The clarity of the television replays and considering Wadding took no action at the time doesn’t bode well for his defence if the CCCC does impose a suspension.

The punishment for a category-three offence (striking with force or kicking) starts at eight weeks, which would leave Dalton unavailable until the Leinster hurling final on July 3rd.

Cody didn’t see this incident but was critical of Wadding for disallowing the Dublin goal. “To blow the half-time whistle in a situation where a team is attacking is a very strange thing to do . . . they certainly would have got a goal there.”

There may also be a case for Richie Hogan to answer following a collision with Dublin’s Joey Boland.

Speaking yesterday, Kilkenny County Board secretary Ned Quinn stated there had been no correspondence from the CCCC. The Bank holiday Monday could be a factor in this.

Quinn, however, confirmed all but two of Kilkenny’s long list of wounded will be back for their championship opener. John Tennyson’s cruciate ligament injury has not responded to rehabilitation as hoped, while Aidan Fogarty’s double leg fracture leaves him out of contention until, at the very earliest, July.

Tommy Walsh, Richie Power, Michael Fennelly and Henry Shefflin can all expect to see game time in the upcoming two rounds of local club championship.

Quinn was also highly complimentary of the progress shown by Dublin so far this year.