The Games Administration Committee of the GAA is set to investigate Sunday's bottle-throwing incident in the aftermath of the National Football League final between Meath and Derry. New GAC chairman Padraig Duffy said that he hadn't seen the incident in which referee Mick Curley was attacked but that it was sufficiently serious to be examined further.
"There's no point in me saying what I will or won't do about it when I didn't see the incident but if the referee reports it, we will obviously be looking into it. If it happened, the matter has to be considered."
He also confirmed that despite early suggestions that Saturday week's final replay would go ahead in Clones, the GAC will consider the venue tomorrow night with Croke Park back in contention. The headquarters venue had originally been considered unavailable because of the construction work on the Canal End and the Hogan Stand.
"We were told that Croke Park wouldn't be available until later in the summer but now it seems that there has been a rethink and that it is available for the replay."
Neither Meath nor Derry have expressed strong preferences over the venue. "We'd probably prefer Croke Park," says Meath selector Frank Foley, "but Clones is a good, wide pitch so we wouldn't mind too much."
Derry PRO Gerry Donnelly is similarly unswayed although the cost factor is significant. "We had to stay in Dublin on Saturday night and that is expensive for the county board but really, we have no preference whatsoever."
Both teams report fairly clean bills of health after the match with Derry having more cause for relief given their upcoming championship date with Cavan. As a result they will delay naming the team for that match until Thursday evening.
Meath will be without the suspended Graham Geraghty and centre back Hank Traynor has pulled ankle ligaments but Barry Callaghan, who would have been an obvious replacement on Sunday but for a bout of flu which ruled him out, should be recovered in time.
Meanwhile the National Hurling League finalists have contrasting news on the injury front with Galway due to announce their team tonight but Tipperary in a bit of a quandary over a number of difficulties. According to Galway manager Matt Murphy, all players who were available for the semi-final will again be considered. Padraig Walsh is still injured and Eugene Cloonan suspended.
For Murphy's Tipperary counterpart Nicky English, it's a more complicated story with five players in doubt. Most serious is the predicament of Andy Moloney who got a bang on the eye in the semi-final win over Limerick. He has only just been released from hospital and awaits a prognosis on damage to the lens of one eye.
"It's very unfortunate for Andy," says English. "He's worked so hard this year to get his place. We may be in a position to pick tomorrow but if not, it will be left until Thursday."
Other concerns are Declan Ryan whose toe injury hadn't cleared by the weekend and forced him to miss a club match in which he expected to play some part. Paddy O'Brien (groin) and Paul Ormonde (rib cartilage) have had the additional distraction of exams at UCD whereas Liam Cahill is suffering from a shoulder injury.
Meanwhile the Birr club in Offaly expect to know by the end of the week whether their appeal has been successful. "We'd hope to know before Friday," according to coach Pad Joe Whelahan.
Whelahan, who led Birr to All-Ireland success two years ago and to the current Leinster title, has also taken up a coaching position in Tipperary with current county champions Toomevara whom he has previously taken to a county title - as he also subsequently did with Nenagh Eire Og. He is conscious of a potential conflict of interest
"It could happen, it could happen. Leinster are due to play Munster in next year's semi-finals but we won't worry about that until it happens although I wouldn't mind getting into that position."
Brian Begley and Brian Geary have been included in the Limerick hurling team for Sunday's challenge against Waterford at the Gaelic Grounds (7.0).
LIMERICK (SH v Waterford): T Houlihan; S McDonogh, TJ Ryan, B Geary; J Foley, O Moran, M Foley; C Smith, J Moran; S O'Neill, M O'Brien, M Keane; J Butler, B Begley, B Foley.
TIPPERARY (MH v Limerick, Bruff, tomorrow): N McGrath; D Fitzgerald, M Maher, E Buckley; K Ivers, E Ryan, T Connolly; M Ryan, J Lillis; A Horgan, E Kelly, M Gleeson; J O'Brien, T Doyle, T Minogue.
