Kilkenny will be without Brian McEvoy for the remaining rounds of the Allianz Hurling League. The Leinster Council last night imposed a 12-week suspension on McEvoy for an incident in the Walsh Cup early last month.
The All Star midfielder appeared before the Council's Games Administration Committee (GAC) in Portlaoise last night along with members of the Kilkenny county board to explain his case in an effort to avoid such a lengthy suspension.
The GAC, however, imposed the 12-week penalty after the referee's report had deemed the player guilty of striking with the hurley.
McEvoy received his red card early in the second half of the Walsh Cup semi-final against Meath in Navan back on February 3rd - a game that Kilkenny comfortably won, despite fielding a largely second-string team.
McEvoy was, as it happens, one of the few regular players in the line-up that day.
The 28-year-old already missed Kilkenny's opening game against Waterford last Sunday week - and was also absent for Sunday's Walsh Cup final (which Kilkenny lost) - and he will continue to be sidelined until April 27th. The only chance he has of seeing any league action now will be if Kilkenny manage to make the National League final on May 5th.
Kilkenny were arguing that the incident be deemed as dangerous play - which carries a four-week ban - and not a strike. However, Westmeath referee James McGrath had clearly reported the incident as a strike.
This news comes at the latest setback to Kilkenny manager Brian Cody. Already without John Power and DJ Carey for the coming months, his selection options have been further depleted.
McEvoy won his All Star in 1999 and though best known as a midfielder he has been equally prominent playing at wing forward.
Power has yet to return to training this season and is now unlikely to feature in the league while Carey's back injury has shown little sign of improvement in recent weeks and he too is likely to sit out the rest of the league.
The Kilkenny team for Sunday's eagerly-awaited game against Galway at Ballinasloe - a repeat of their All-Ireland semi-final showdown - shows two newcomers to senior competitive action.
Midfielder Pat Tennyson and corner-forward Paul Sheehan are both called up. Both were under-21s last year and Sheehan proved a particularly useful scorer in last Sunday's Walsh Cup final, scoring 1-8. Tennyson played at wing back last Sunday.
In total there are just three changes in personnel from the side that beat Waterford in the opening game with Michael Kavanagh returning to corner back. Losing out in defence is Dermot Grogan, along with Kevin Power at midfield and Brian Dowling in the attack.
Limerick, meanwhile, have a couple of injury worries ahead of their meeting with Tipperary in Thurles. Wing back and captain Mark Foley picked up a hand injury in the opening game against Cork, while full forward Brian Begley is still troubled with a back injury.
KILKENNY (SH v Galway): J McGarry; M Kavanagh, N Hickey, JJ Delaney; P Cahill, A Cummins, P Barry; R Mullally, P Tennyson; H Shefflin, D Lyng, J Hoyne; E Brennan, M Comerford, P Sheehan.
LAOIS (SH v Wicklow): J Lyons; R Delaney, R McEvoy, M McEvoy; B Ferns, P Drennan, L McGrath; D Cuddy, D Rooney; M Dunphy, P Cuddy, C Cuddy; F Keenan, D Culleton, J Coogan.
MEATH (v Waterford): M Gannon; R Dorran, B Perry, P Gannon; T Reilly, P Donnelly, A O'Neill; D Murray, D Callaghan; C Sheridan, D Dorran, N Horan; N Reilly, F McMahon, M Cole.
