Focus on O'Byrne Cup Final: The punishments handed out to Rathnew and Na Fianna as a result of the incidents at the end of their Leinster club final last month were just part of wide-ranging suspensions decided by the Leinster Council at their meeting in Portlaoise on Wednesday night, writes Ian O'Riordan.
Wexford hurler Nicky Lambert and Dublin footballer Dessie Farrell learnt yesterday that they are to miss some of the coming league action because of respective suspensions of 12 and four weeks.
There was also an eight-week suspension for Castletown hurling manager Paddy Kirwan, and a four-week suspension for Wicklow footballer Don Jackman, who were among the long list of suspensions handed down on Wednesday night. Jackman is eligible to play in Sunday's O'Byrne Cup as his suspension doesn't begin until February 1st.
Rathnew, however, will be without Richard Dignam for next month's All-Ireland club football semi-final with Ballinderry as a result of his 12-week suspension. The Wicklow and Leinster champions will take the weekend before deciding whether to appeal the decision. They were also fined €650, along with Na Fianna, as a result of the incidents.
Lambert's punishment of 12 weeks is set to rule him out of the entire group stages of the coming National Hurling League. The Wexford forward was red-carded while playing for Faythe Harriers against Castletown in the Leinster club championship in November.
Under the GAA closed season rule, Lambert has only served a week of that suspension, and the remainder begins on February 1st, thus ruling him out of action until April 21st.
Farrell will be forced out of Dublin's first three games of the National Football League against Offaly, Donegal and Tyrone, although he is currently resting from training because of a knee injury and wasn't expected to figure in any of those games. His suspension came as a result of the red card received against Rathnew in the draw on December 16th.
Croke Park, meanwhile, has announced the selection team that will assist Irish manager John O'Keeffe for the next two International Rules series with Australia,beginning with the Croke Park games this October. The three-main team consists of former players Martin Carney, Peter McGinnity and Matt Connor.
Carney, the former Donegal and Mayo footballer, has already gained managerial experience with the Mayo under-21 side, and McGinnity also has previous managerial experience from his term with the Leitrim footballers at the end of the 1990s. As a player with Fermanagh he was an All-Star winner in 1982, his county's first such award.
As a player, Connor is widely considered as one of the finest forwards known to the game. He was part of Offaly's All-Ireland winning team in 1982 (over a Kerry team that included O'Keeffe), but a serious accident then led to his premature retirement.
Croke Park has also announced that the football and hurling All-Ireland club finals will be played as a double-header in Semple Stadium on March 17th. In addition, they have made an adjustment to the All-Ireland club semi-final schedule. In a change to the original fixtures announced last month, the football semi-final between Charleston and Nemo Rangers has been put back a week and will now take place in Nenagh on Saturday, March 2nd.
ALL-IRELAND CLUB SEMI-FINALS: Hurling (both February 17th) - Clarinbridge (Galway) v Ballygunner (Waterford), Thurles, 2.30 (replay, if necessary, February 23rd); Dunloy (Antrim) v Birr (Offaly), Clones, 2.30 (replay, if necessary, February 23rd); Football - February 24th: Rathnew (Wicklow) v Ballinderry (Derry), Longford, 2.30 (replay, if necessary, March 2nd); March 2nd: Charlestown (Mayo) v Nemo Rangers (Cork), Nenagh, 2.0 (replay, if necessary, March 9th).
OTHER LEINSTER COUNCIL SUSPENSIONS: Leinster JH tournament, Nov. 25th - T Boylan, P Behan (Trinity Gaels) both 12 weeks, E Casey (Oliver Plunketts) four weeks; Leinster JF tournament, Dec. 9th: B Power, E Nolan (An Tocher) both four weeks; R Archibald, R Yates (Inisfails) both four weeks; Leinster club SFC, December 9th: N Campbell (Sarsfields) eight weeks.
