GAC to rule on Murphy tonight

Meath's Ollie Murphy will tonight learn the extent of his suspension for his late sending-off in a heated conclusion to the National Football League game against Derry earlier this month.

The Games Administration Committee (GAC) will meet in Croke Park this evening and with Murphy's controversial incident one of the main matters on the agenda, it is unlikely to be a straightforward affair. The Meath corner forward is facing a possible three-month suspension for his alleged head-butting of Derry's Sean Martin Lockhart in the final minutes of the drawn league tie in Celtic Park.

That incident, which occurred moments after Murphy had scored a crucial goal for Meath, brought an immediate red card from Armagh referee Brendan Gorman. And under section three of the GAA's rule 137, it will carry the minimum of a three-month suspension if he is deemed guilty of head-butting.

The contents of the referee's report, however, have so far been a closely guarded secret between the Meath County Board and the GAC. According to a spokesperson for the Meath board, the player will make his own case to the GAC supported by members of the team management and the county board.

The Meath manager, Sean Boylan, vigorously defended Murphy immediately after the game, saying that "a great injustice has been done to a great player". There were also a number of conflicting eye-witness reports, with some suggesting that Murphy did nothing more than grab the ears of Lockhart and stare at him in the face.

Video footage released by UTV proved inconclusive while Lockhart himself remained quiet on the matter. Either way, it is expected the GAC will be forced to deliberate for some time on the matter.

Even if Murphy, an All Star last year, receives the full suspension and is forced to miss the remaining two scheduled fixtures of Meath's league campaign, he will still be able to return just in time for the county's first defence of their All-Ireland title. That game takes place against Offaly on June 4th and the ban, if enforced as the minimum of three months, will end on May 28th.