GAELIC GAMES NEWS:KILKENNY DEFENDER John Dalton has been hit with an eight-week suspension by the GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) following their review of the incident at the end of the first half of Sunday's Allianz Hurling League final against Dublin.

Dalton will thus miss Kilkenny’s Leinster championship semi-final date on June 11th, and the Kilkenny County Board confirmed they would not be appealing the suspension.

Forward Eoin Larkin was also handed the automatic four-week suspension as a result of the straight red card he received in the first half, although he won’t miss any championship action.

Larkin was sent off after 25 minutes for a strike on Dublin’s Conor McCormack – and later Dalton also struck McCormack, first with his hurl, then with his foot, following his shot into the Kilkenny goal just moments after Waterford referee Michael Wadding had called for half-time.

The CCCC were free to rule on the Dalton incident given the referee made no booking at the time, and ruled it a category three offence (striking with force, kicking, etc) – which carries the automatic eight-week suspension.

Another first-half incident, where Kilkenny’s Richie Hogan also appeared to raise an arm on Dublin defender Joey Boland wasn’t pursued by the CCCC.

The Dalton incident was clearly caught by the television cameras and indeed seen by a large section of the attendance, although the referee was already turned towards the tunnel for the half-time break.

The Carrickshock defender was therefore always likely to be singled out by the CCCC as they reviewed all incidents in the game by teleconference call on Tuesday.

Dalton’s absence for the Leinster semi-final on June 11th, where Kilkenny take on the winners from Antrim/Laois/Wexford, is hardly ideal as manager Brian Cody is struggling to get his full squad of players back up to match fitness, namely Tommy Walsh, Richie Power, Michael Fennelly, Aidan Fogarty, and of course last year’s cruciate victims Henry Shefflin and John Tennyson – all of whom missed Sunday’s 12-point defeat to Dublin.

Elsewhere, Galway footballer Pádraic Joyce, 34, has confirmed he will return to training next week after a worrying pre-championship foot injury has turned out to be nothing more than bruising.