Meath County Board members are currently considering their position having received a copy of referee Brendan Gorman's report detailing precisely why All-star forward Ollie Murphy was dismissed last Sunday against Derry. Although there has been much speculation that Murphy has, as Meath feared, been reported for head-butting opponent Sean Martin Lockhart, there has been no confirmation of that.
"We will certainly not be making that information available to anyone other than the Meath County Board," said Sean O Laoire, secretary of the Games Administration Committee.
He was unable to predict when the player's case would be dealt with as the central authorities now await a response from Meath, who have three days from receipt of the referee's report to adopt a final stance. Meath PRO Brendan Cummins yesterday said that there had been no public reaction from the Meath County Board in relation to the referee's report.
As Murphy was dismissed, he will certainly be ineligible for the final two league games against Mayo and Down. If he has, however, been reported for illegal use of the head, he faces a three-month suspension, leaving him in limbo until just a week before their All-Ireland title defence.
Although Meath officials have this week maintained a silence on the issue, the post-match reaction of manager Sean Boylan, who was visibly upset by what he perceived to be the wrongful dismissal of his player, suggests that they will defend his case when the hearing eventually takes place. While video footage recording the incident has been deemed to be inconclusive by many observers, it is understood that the Meath officials have a different video of the same incident, although it is not certain if they will refer to this.
The Laois County Executive met last night to finalise who would assume temporary control of the embattled hurling team in the wake of Padraig Horan's resignation.
Horan's departure, following a hammering by Kilkenny, came as little surprise and now Laois have to try and regroup for Sunday's match against All-Ireland champions Cork.
"A team consisting of a hurling executive member and county board representatives are taking control for this game. Obviously it would have been impossible to decide upon a new manager in such a short space of time. This is hardly the type of game we would wish to face given the circumstances but we just have to get on with it and try and put this behind us," said Laois PRO Eveyln Dunne-Lynch.
Offaly manager Pat Fleury yesterday finalised his team to face Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday. Hubert Rigney, All-Ireland winning captain in 1998, comes back into the side at full back, with Kevin Kinahan succumbing to the injury which had threatened his availability all week. Kevin Martin also returns to fulfil his customary wing back role.
Colm Cassidy, a regular in the side since Fleury took over, is once again named at corner-back. A regular performer up to the closing stages of the successful 1998 campaign, Cassidy was absent last year due to commitments abroad but the Rynagh's man looks a good bet to hold down a place this summer.
Brendan Murphy gets his start at the expense of Gary Hannify while Fleury has mixed an interesting looking full forward mix, with John Troy at full forward flanked by Michael Duignan and Conor Gath, who has shown hot hands of late.
The third change to the team that eased past Antrim last time out is midfielder Paudie Mulhare, who replaces Darragh Kealey.
OFFALY (SH v Limerick): S Byrne; M O'Hara, H Rigney, C Cassidy; A Mannion, K Martin, D Kelly; J Dooley, P Mulhare; A Hanrahan, J Ryan, B Murphy; C Gath, J Troy, M Duignan.
