Meath pinning appeal hopes on technicality

TEAM NEWSThe five Meath footballers handed eight-week suspensions arising from last month's Parnell Park melee will tonight have their appeals heard by the GAA's Central Appeals Committee (CAC).

Under those suspensions, part of the 16 handed out to both Meath and Dublin players after their infamous league meeting last month, the five players — Shane McAnarney, Séamus Kenny, Niall McKeigue, Nigel Crawford and Brendan Murphy - will all miss Sunday's Leinster championship opener against Carlow at Croke Park, and also, if Meath progress, the following match against Wexford in two weeks' time.

While the GAA's Central Hearings Committee have already upheld the suspensions originally imposed by the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC), the Meath County Board have given the backing to the appeals on the basis of a perceived technical difficulty with that original decision. Meath have pointed out that a Wexford official who sat on the CCCC investigating committee could be viewed as having a vested interest in the case. In other words, the suspensions imposed fall within the timeframe of a potential game against Wexford.

The relevant GAA rule 144 (u) states that "a member of the CCC or CHC who is a member of any unit or has a role in relation to any member, team or unit, involved in the proceedings shall stand down if prosecuting or adjudicating the case".

It may appear a tenuous hope for Meath, but it remains to be seen exactly how the CAC interpret the rule. The CAC is also due to hear the appeal against the eight-week suspension imposed on Dublin's Bernard Brogan, which would also rule him out of Dublin's opening game against Louth on June 8th.

The three other Meath players — Darren Fay, Caoimhín King and Peadar Byrne — each got four-week suspensions, but these will expire just in time for Sunday

There was some good news for Meath this weekend when forward Brian Farrell made his first start of the season after recovering from a long-term hamstring injury to play in a challenge against Mayo, which Meath won 2-17 to 0-16.

Meath, however, will be without Anthony Moyles and Shane O'Rourke for the Carlow game; Moyles is still recovering from a groin operation, and O'Rourke has a hamstring injury.

Elsewhere, Cork defender Anthony Lynch has played down the doubts over his availability for the Munster football semi-final against Tipperary or Limerick on June 15th despite limping out of a challenge game against Laois last Saturday.

Lynch will undergo tests on a groin injury that has troubled him in recent weeks, but is optimistic he could return to full training as early as next week.

"Hopefully it's nothing serious, though I'll get some physio done on it and I should be all right in a week."

There was further good news for Cork as midfielder Nicholas Murphy was moving yesterday without the aid of crutches following Saturday's one-point victory against Laois.

Murphy also hobbled off during the second half with a hip injury, but the injury is not as bad as first feared, and both Lynch and Murphy should make their first championship date, which is still five weeks away.