Galvin likely to escape sanction over gesture towards referee in Killarney

KERRY’S FOOTBALLER of the Year Paul Galvin looks likely to escape sanction arising from an incident with match referee Rory Hickey at the end of Sunday’s National Football League opening defeat to Dublin in Killarney. Television footage on TG4 looked to capture Galvin raising his arm towards Hickey, who had just overturned a free in Kerry’s favour, in the first minute of injury-time.

The ball was thrown-up instead, at which point Galvin, standing behind the referee, appeared to make the gesture at Hickey. The referee then raised his finger at Galvin, but didn’t take note of the incident in his book. Unless he does make a reference to it in his match report, or is asked to review it on video evidence, that will likely be the last of it, but it was the sort of incident that Galvin, given his disciplinary problems in the past, could have done without.

Meanwhile, the Dublin County Board will this evening look into why last Saturday’s under-21 club hurling semi-final between Na Fianna and Craobh Chiaráin was abandoned with just three minutes of extra-time remaining due a reported melee between several members of both teams.

The Dublin Competitions Control Committee (CCC) will this evening examine the match referee’s report and determine what action to take.

It may be they will decide to replay the game, or else award the title to Cuala, who have already qualified for the final.

Waterford hurler Eoin Kelly will miss the opening round of the National Hurling League against Dublin on Sunday week – and also the second round against Galway – after receiving a straight red card midway through the second half of Sunday’s win over UCC in the Waterford Crystal Cup. Kelly thus faces a month-long suspension, while Eoin McGrath will also miss the Dublin game through suspension as he was red-carded during the Waterford Crystal Cup semi-final victory over Clare.

Manager Davy Fitzgerald is already without Tony Browne, Ken McGrath, Dan Shanahan, Eoin Murphy, John Mullane and Séamus Prendergast for the opening rounds of the league as they stick to an extended period of off-season training to ready themselves for the championship, while the likes of Shane O’Sullivan, Shane Casey and Stephen Molumphy are still on the injury list.

Elsewhere, in a new venture aimed at promoting and developing hurling at a national level, the Midnight Hurling League, developed by the Lámh Dearg hurling club in Armagh, is proving a success and gaining approval from Croke Park. The first round of games took place last Friday under the floodlights of Keady High School’s Astroturf pitch.

“This is a fantastic idea to promote the game of hurling during the winter months,” says Paudie Butler, national director of hurling.

“With the advent of third generation pitches and floodlit facilities we will now be examining the possibility of taking this model, developed by Keady hurling club, nationwide.

“I have been very impressed with the work and planning that has been put into this concept as well as the early indications about how popular it is proving with young people. All those associated with this new concept and club in general are to be congratulated.”

Using a format of five-a-side, with two rolling subs, each game lasts just four minutes per half, the emphasis being placed on high intensity play, speed and skill. Adapted playing rules include one catch of the sliotar, with puck outs and sidelines taken by either a hand pass or strike to keep the game free flowing.

Only goals count and to encourage a wider promotion of the game, participating teams are allowed two guest players from neighbouring clubs.