DUBLIN County board secretary John Costello has questioned the impartiality of The Sunday Gamein the wake of the most recent show, when panellist Tony Davis and Anthony Tohill stated Colin Moran should have been shown a straight red card during last weekend's game at Croke Park.

The Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) asked match referee Pádraig Hughes to review an incident involving Moran and Westmeath's Dermot Bannon from the Leinster football semi-final and as a result imposed a four-week suspension, on a category-two offence (striking or dangerous play).

The former Dublin captain will contest the ban with the Central Hearings Committee (CHC), as it is set to rule him out of the provincial decider against Wexford on July 20th.

Moran conceded a free-kick and received a yellow card from Hughes after colliding with Bannon, while the corner forward was forced off the field moments later with a badly bruised shoulder.

"The Sunday Game highlighted the incident," said Costello. "The panels have been more vocal than on other occasions when they have just called for due process to take its course.

"It appeared to be an innocuous challenge, but there have been selective comments by the panellists, who become more vocal when it is an incident with players from outside their own county."

Dara Ó Cinnéide and Anthony Tohill used the "due process" response when dealing on the programme with recent incidents involving the Kerry captain Paul Galvin and the Derry midfielder Fergal Doherty.

Both Galvin and Doherty were subsequently suspended.

Down manager Ross Carr was also highly critical of The Sunday Game for what he described as "trial by media" in the case of his player Martin Cole - suspended for breaking the nose of Tyrone's Davy Harte - who missed the Ulster football semi-final defeat to Armagh.

In the interest of clarity, here is the transcript of last Sunday evening's discussion between presenter Pat Spillane, Tony Davis and Anthony Tohill:

Pat Spillane (to Tony Davis): "Okay, lads, a lot of emails in asking us to have a second look at an incident with Collie Moran . . . a tackle on Dermot Bannon?"

Tony Davis (looking at incident): "Dermot Bannon, a fine young player, we see the ball in and Dermot winning it and Collie Moran just hitting him. Now, initially when we saw that I didn't think much of it, but when we slow it down . . . coming in, catching him on the side of the head."

PS: "Your call?"

TD: "I think if the referee saw that like we see that here, he would have been sent off."

PS: "A red card?"

TD: "Definitely."

PS: "Anthony (Tohill), you have been accused in the past of sitting on the fence with Paul Galvin and maybe with your fellow countyman (Fergal Doherty)."

AT: "I think you were sitting on the fence yourself that night, Pat."

PS: "What's your call? I ask the questions, Anthony, you're supposed to answer them."

Anthony Tohill: "That's a red card. I have no doubt that Collie Moran, when he saw that situation develop, as Kevin Reilly did a few weeks back, they go in to make an honest hit with their shoulder and the problem is when you have a fella, as Dermot Bannon was, stooped over the ball his head was open . . ."

PS: "But if there was no intent, Anthony?"

AT: "He mistimed his tackle. It doesn't matter if there was intent or not. If you mistime your tackle and hit someone high in the head like that it is a red card."

PS: "Will people out there say you are being harsh on certain counties and certain individuals and not being harsh on certain (other) counties?

TD: "Quite possibly, it could be if there is not consistency across the board, but in this one here I think if the referee had a view of that he would have been sent off."

Under the current disciplinary procedures, the CCCC can ask a referee to review an incident afterwards and upgrade the sanction or impose a new judgement entirely.

The Meath defender Kevin Reilly also received a four-week ban following a collision with Wexford's David Walsh in last month's Leinster quarter-final.

The Dublin camp, already aggrieved by what they perceived as an excessive number of bans meted out to their players in the wake of this year's NFL tie with Meath, intend to contest the suspension through the complete GAA disciplinary process.

Upcoming fixtures

Saturday

All-Ireland SHC Qualifier (Phase II) - Galway v Laois, Pearse Stadium, Galway, 3.30pm; Waterford v Antrim, Walsh Park, Waterford, 2pm.

Leinster MFC Semi-final - Meath v Longford, Navan, 2pm (extra-time if necessary).

Ulster MFC Semi-final - Derry v Monaghan, Healy Park, Omagh, 5.15pm, G Walsh (Antrim).

Christy Ring Cup (Round Two) -

Group Two A: Roscommon v Wicklow, Athleague, 3.30pm, T Ryan (Tipperary); Group Two B: London v Down, Ruislip 3.30pm, O Elliot (Antrim); Group Two C: Mayo v Kerry, Castlebar, 2.30pm, T Carroll (Offaly); Group Two D: Derry v Armagh, Celtic Park, 3.30pm, T McIntyre (Antrim).

Nicky Rackard Cup (Round Two) - Group Three A: Fingal v Longford, Parnell Park, 3.30pm, F Smith

(Meath); Group Three B: Leitrim v Fermanagh, Carrick-on-Shannon, 3.30pm, C Groome (Offaly); Group Three C: Tyrone v Monaghan, Omagh 3.30pm, T Mahon (Fermanagh);

Group Three D: Cavan v Warwickshire, Kingspan Breffni Park, 3.30pm, D O'Donovan (Dublin).

Camogie - All-Ireland Senior Championship: Galway v Wexford, Killimor, 2.30pm, É Mac Suibhne (Dublin); Dublin v Limerick, Dublin

venue to be announced, Ú Kearney (Armagh).

Sunday

Leinster SHC Final - Kilkenny v Wexford, Croke Park, 4pm, B Kelly (Westmeath), Live on TV3.

Leinster MHC Final - Wexford v Kilkenny, Croke Park, 2.15pm.

Munster SFC Final - Kerry v Cork, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 2pm, D Fahy (Longford), Live on RTÉ 2.

Munster MFC Final - Kerry v Tipp, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, noon, M Collins (Cork).

Camogie - All-Ireland Senior Championship: Cork v Tipperary, Ballincollig, 3pm, F McNamara (Clare).

Women's Football - Connacht SC Final: Mayo v Sligo, McHale Park, 3pm. Ulster SC Final: Monaghan v Tyrone, Brewster Park, 7pm.