Clare hurling was back in the news for the wrong reasons yesterday with the announcement that senior selector Tony Considine has been handed a lengthy ban from the Games Administration Committee (GAC) for his repeated incursions onto the sideline during this summer's championship.
Considine had received a warning from the GAC before Clare's All-Ireland quarter-final replay with Galway, one which was apparently ignored, and this week the GAC decided on not only an initial three-month sideline ban, but also a ban for Clare's next two championship matches.
Depending on Clare's fortunes in the coming seasons, that could, in effect, rule him out for two years.
Considine was unable to attend the GAC meeting this week and instead made a written submission. The Clare county executive committee will meet next Tuesday to decide if they will appeal the ban.
On the brighter side, however, there was encouraging news that their Under-21 corner forward Brian McMahon is expected to make a full recovery from the serious eye injury suffered late in the first half of the Munster final against Tipperary on Tuesday evening.
After all the negative publicity surrounding the ugly conclusion to the match, it was comforting for Clare to hear the positive diagnosis on McMahon. He had spent two days in hospital in Limerick and underwent an operation for the laceration of his eye on Wednesday morning. The cut required 18 stitches, 14 above the eye and 4 below, and there was also damage around the eye tissue.
However, McMahon was well enough to be released from hospital yesterday morning and the damaged eye is expected to heal completely. The damage occurred five minutes before the end of the first half with a late strike to McMahon's head (who wasn't wearing a helmet) from Tipperary corner back Tom Costelloe, who later described it as a "pure accident".
The injury does mean that McMahon, who is a first cousin both of Clare half back Sean McMahon and of Alan Markham, will be unable to line out with Kilmaley for their important county championship opening match with Cratloe on Saturday. Kilmaley will also be missing their centre forward Conor Clancy, who suffered a shoulder injury in Clare's All-Ireland semi-final loss to Kilkenny, making it all the more difficult for them to proceed.
Tipperary's Under-21 side now play Galway in the first of the All-Ireland Under-21 semi-finals at Tullamore tomorrow, and they have named one change in personnel from the side that beat Clare, as John Ferncombe comes into the attack. They also make a number of positional switches.
The Munster Council has promised a full investigation into the final whistle brawl between the substitutes and officials of both sides, following an examination of the referee's report. That will take another couple of days at least, so that any sanctions on the Tipperary substitutes involved which may arise won't effect this game.
Elsewhere, Tubbercurry are back in the Sligo county football championship after their expulsion by the activities committee of the county board was overturned. But the county board ruled on Wednesday that the £2,000 fine would remain but that the club would be allowed to compete in the championship.
The compromise follows the club's failure to turn up for their championship match against Shamrock Gaels at Markievicz Park last Friday night. The club had pleaded for a postponement on the basis that 11 of their players were involved in the hurling final against Craobh Rua the following Sunday.
TIPPERARY (U-21H v Galway): D Young; D Fahey, T Costelloe, W Hickey; M Ryan, J Carroll, P Maher; W Maher, R Flannery; P O'Brien, E O'Neill, P Kelly; J Ferncombe, D Browne, M Kennedy.
GALWAY (U-21H v Tipperary): N Murray; S Morgan, D Cloonan, S McClearn; E Linnane, R Gantley, D O'Shaughnessy; E Tannion, E Donohue; D Tierney, A Poniard, D Loughrey; AN Other, E Cloonan, D Donohue. Subs; T Grogan, S Donohue, D Donnelly, C O'Reilly, M Kerins, R Cullinane, David Huban, Damian Huban, J Cummins, S Lawless.
