Whelan to miss two vital ties

Dublin will be without the service of midfielder Ciaran Whelan for their next two National Football League outings following yesterday's announcement of the GAA's Games Administration Committee disciplinary decisions.

Whelan was given a four-week suspension as a result of his straight red card in the league game against Roscommon last Saturday week.

That rules the Raheny player out of Sunday's game against Donegal in Ballyshannon as well as the refixed tie with Kerry in Killarney the following Sunday, games of particular importance in Dublin's quest to avoid relegation from Division 1A.

Roscommon's Frankie Dolan got an eight-week ban arising out of his red card in the same game. While Whelan was involved in a tripping incident with Frankie Grehan during the run of play, Dolan's suspension came from an off-the-ball strike on Martin Cahill. Dolan will now miss Roscommon's game against Kerry on Sunday.

The GAC were also due to decide the case of Dublin's Jason Sherlock on Wednesday night, but he was unable to attend the hearing because of business commitments abroad.

Sherlock was also given a straight red card by Fermanagh referee Gerry Lynch after a swing of the boot at Clifford McDonald, and that is likely to carry an even longer suspension.

At the request of county secretary John Costello, the GAC will now hear his case in two weeks time. Should he get the expected three months, Sherlock would be excluded from all of Dublin's remaining league fixtures.

Also learning of their suspensions yesterday were Leitrim footballers Jimmy Guckien and Fergal Reynolds. Guckien was given four weeks for his red card in the last league game against Wicklow, while Reynolds received eight weeks for verbal abuse of an official after the game.

Derry's Emmet McKeever received a four-week ban after being sent off in the hurling league game against Waterford on February 4th, as did London's Mark O'Reilly for last Sunday's red card in the hurling league tie against Roscommon.

The case of Nemo Ranger's captain Larry Kavanagh, who was sent off in last Sunday's All-Ireland club football semi-final against O'Hanrahan's, will also be heard at the next GAC meeting but it is almost certain that he will miss the final on St Patrick's Day.

Meanwhile, Carlow referees will be back in action for the commencement of the county's club championship campaign with next weekend's first round of under-21 football.

The referees have lifted their boycott of local club games following the decision of the county board not to appoint outside match officials.

The stand-off between both parties had continued for a number of weeks after the county board's decision to appoint Wexford referee Dickie Murphy to officiate at last year's county senior hurling championship semi-finals and final.

But at the most recent meeting of the county board, chairman Eddie Byrne announced the lifting of the boycott by match officials as a result of the county board decision to use all Carlow referees for club championship games.

Byrne also stressed that they will be holding seminars with referees to familiarise them with the rules, following which there will be a written test and physical test. Following upon this all referees in the county will be graded.