Dublin and Tyrone agree Croke Park date

NEWS ROUND-UP: THE DUBLIN and Tyrone County Boards have agreed to play their opening fixture in next year's Allianz National Football League under the floodlights at Croke Park - an occasion which will also be used to kick off the 125th anniversary celebrations of the GAA.

Although the complete fixture list for next year's leagues has yet to be announced, the meeting of Dublin and the All-Ireland champions has been fixed for Croke Park, similar to the opening football game of 2007 when the teams met to mark the opening of the new stadium floodlights and attracted a capacity crowd of just over 81,000.

The revised league format, introduced this year, has the football league divided into four divisions, and Dublin's promotion to Division One, where they join the All-Ireland champions, and also Derry, Kerry, Galway, Donegal, Mayo and Westmeath, thus allows the repeat of the 2007 tie, as Dublin also have home advantage.

The continued rivalry between the counties, despite Tyrone's convincing win in this summer's All-Ireland quarter-final, is certain to attract another capacity crowd.

Next year's league is due to begin on the weekend of February 7th/8th, with the Dublin-Tyrone game most likely to be played on the Saturday evening - along with several other floodlit fixtures around the country.

Meanwhile, the Competitions Control Committee of the Tyrone County Board yesterday proposed a heavy series of suspensions following last Sunday's county football final between Dromore and Clonoe. Dromore manager Noel McGinn was hit with the heaviest one of 72 weeks having been seen to headbutt a member of the Clonoe squad during a melee which broke out immediately after the end of normal time.

A statement from the county board stressed that the penalties are proposed punishments, and can be appealed within three days. Both clubs have had €500 fines imposed in the wake of the disturbance that was clearly captured by television cameras, a game which Clonoe eventually won by a point after extra-time.

Two Clonoe players and a selector have also been banned; defender Emmet Teague, who seconds later headbutted McGinn, was suspended for 32 weeks, while Colm Doris received an eight-week ban. Both will miss the newly-crowned county champions' Ulster club championship campaign, which starts this Sunday with a first-round tie against Donegal champions St Eunan's.

Selector Harry McClure, a former Tyrone midfielder, had a 12-week suspension proposed.

Dromore goalkeeper Peter Ward received an eight-week suspension for his part in the disturbance, and Emmet O'Neill of Dromore, who was sent off following an unrelated incident, was also suspended for eight weeks.

It almost certainly leaves Dromore searching for a new manager to replace McGinn, who has been the most successful in the club's history. The former Tyrone senior player was immediately apologetic of his actions: "I was very disappointed with myself," he said. "I know exactly what I did, and I am going to have to take full responsibility for that, but in no way should the club suffer.

"It was a silly thing, and somebody of my experience should have known better, and I want to apologise to the Clonoe club."

For Clonoe, Teague, one of their key defenders, and Doris, their centre forward, will be major losses for Sunday's meeting with the Donegal champions in what is the club's first Ulster championship tie in 17 years.

Finally, Munster football manager Gerard O'Sullivan has been handed a boost for Saturday's interprovincial final against Connacht with the news that Cork forward Michael Cussen will make the trip to Portlaoise, despite also playing with his club side Sarsfields in the Munster club championship on Sunday afternoon.

Kerry's Pádraig Reidy will also play with the Munster team despite a similar double-booking as he is due to play with his club, Scartaglen, earlier on Saturday, before making the trip to Portlaoise for the 7.45pm throw-in.