Croke Park's review of the Leinster football championship semi-final on Sunday will include a re-examination of the levels of security around the pitch area. A Dublin supporter easily breached the sideline stewards during the game with Offaly and it was a number of minutes before attempts were made to remove him from the pitch.
According to a Croke Park spokesperson yesterday, the incident appeared to catch the stewards off guard, but efforts will be made to ensure they are on full alert in the future.
"All games in Croke Park come up for review and obviously this incident will be part of that review. It was something that we do not welcome and is not in the interest of the fans. We don't want to go back into the business of putting fencing all around the sidelines," said the spokesperson.
Dublin county chairman John Costello made an early effort to remove the intruder but it was a Croke Park official who eventually led him away. Derry manager Eamonn Coleman may find himself in trouble with the GAA's Games Administration Committee following Sunday's Ulster semi-final in Clones. Coleman himself intruded onto the pitch to voice his complaint against the referee Paddy Russell of Tipperary and one of the umpires.
GAC chairman Pauric Duffy said yesterday that the incident is likely to be raised at the next committee meeting, scheduled for tomorrow night. "In any situation like this we will await the referee's report," he said. "We will have that at the meeting on Wednesday and decide if any course of action will be taken."
Coleman landed himself in similar trouble last year over his comments regarding Longford referee John Bannon after the drawn Ulster semi-final with Antrim. The Derry manager was suspended for the Ulster final against Armagh, and then announced his decision to retire from inter-county management afterwards. A few weeks later he reversed that decision.
Elsewhere, the availability of Aughrim to host the All-Ireland qualifier second-round game between Wicklow and Galway was discussed by the Wicklow County Board at their management meeting last night and an announcement is expected within the next couple of days.
The game is one of four second-round ties set for Saturday week but the Wicklow venue was subject to a safety inspection by Croke Park officials. According to county chairman Donal McGillycuddy, part of the problem is the "grey area" surrounding the expected crowd.
"It is difficult to know what kind of crowd would be involved," he said. "Galway are a great side although it's not clear what level of interest their supporters would have in a qualification game like this. They might not have the same interest as they would for the other games."
The Munster Council has also dismissed any possibility of changing the throw-in time for the Munster hurling final, which is set for 4.20 p.m. in Pairc Ui Chaoimh on July 1st. The expected increase of traffic in Cork due to the Irish Golf Open at Fota Island on the same weekend led to suggestions that the game would benefit from an earlier start.
Munster Council secretary Donie Nealon said yesterday that because of television agreements that include a double broadcast with the Connacht football final (set for Hyde Park at 2.30 p.m.), no alterations to the schedule were possible.
The Dublin County Board is set to investigate an incident in the junior hurling championship last Saturday evening, where the referee was struck by a player. Eddie Walker from O'Tooles suffered serious injuries including a broken arm when he received a blow of a hurl from a Crumlin player during their match with Naomh Barrog.
The county board has also announced that St Anne's and Naomh Fionnbarra have been expelled from the Dublin Senior Football Championship for 2001 and 2002.
The decision follows the board's disciplinary committee investigation into the abandonment of their first round replay early last month due an outbreak of violence among a small number of players and supporters.
Both clubs were also fined - £5,000 for Naomh Fionnbarra and £3,000 for St Anne's. Fionnbarra goalkeeper Peter Fitzgerald was also given a 12month suspension and club official Shane McGill got an eight-week suspension.
