The eight Cork and Clare hurlers adjudged to have been involved in the brawl before the Munster championship quarter-final on May 26th are expected to contest their proposed four-week suspensions at Thursday's Central Hearings Committee (CHC) meeting.
However, the story took a new twist over the weekend when it became apparent that the Clare County Board had requested a postponement of the personal hearings.
Clare are keen to avoid a trip to Croke Park this week on the grounds that some of the players involved - Colin Lynch, Alan Markham, Andrew Quinn and Barry Nugent - are unavailable due to holidays and work commitments. Also, unlike Cork who play Waterford on June 17th, Clare are not back in action until the Antrim qualifier game on June 30th.
The four Cork players recommended for suspension by the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) are Donal Óg Cusack, Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, Diarmuid O'Sullivan and John Gardiner.
If the suspensions are upheld, all eight players will miss their team's next championship game.
"We would prefer to hold the two hearings together," said CHC chairman John O'Reilly yesterday, "as that is the normal procedure for this type of case but that is not certain either." Would it be unfair to have Cork hearings before Clare? "Yes, I think it would be," replied O'Reilly.
Although no formal request for personal hearings had been received by the CHC yesterday, both the Clare and Cork County Boards have confirmed their intentions to contest the proposed punishment arising from the Thurles incident, which includes €5,000 fines.
Confirmation of hearing dates and whether Clare's request for deferment has been accepted will be confirmed today when GAA staff return after the bank holiday.
"We don't want any hearings this week," said Clare County Board secretary Pat Fitzgerald. "Players are away. Some went on vacation as we don't have a game for a number of weeks.
"It doesn't suit us at this particular time. We are trying to run off our club championship matches. Other players have work commitments. We've indicated all this. Sure, we are not playing again until June 30th."
The CHC is the second mechanism in the GAA's new central disciplinary system. When the CCCC recommends punishment, be it suspensions or fines, a player or the county board can seek a hearing with the CHC. If they are not satisfied with the outcome, the case can be taken to the Central Appeals Committee. A further appeal outlet know as the Disputes Resolution Authority, which is independent from the GAA, is also available to dissuade GAA members from taking disciplinary cases to the law courts.
The CHC is a 10-person committee chaired by O'Reilly with Teresa Rahill (secretary), Pat O'Neill, Gerry Mahon, Bob Honohan, John Heaphey, Pat Dunney, Bernie O'Connor, Paddy Joe Ryan and Joe O'Boyle.
