Meath's Graham Geraghty, sent off in the Leinster senior football championship semi-final replay on July 20th, was last night given a one-month suspension by the Leinster Council executive, and will definitely miss the Leinster final against Offaly if Meath reach that far. Ironically, Geraghty would have been eligible for the Leinster final, if Meath qualify by beating Kildare on Sunday, had the provincial decider not been brought back a day to Saturday, August 16th.
Geraghty was suspended under rule 137 (2) which covers an immediate sending off for dangerous play.
Meanwhile, Mick O'Dwyer last night gave a vote of confidence to the Kildare team that started the first replay of the Leinster senior football championship against Meath, for Sunday's second replay at Croke Park.
This news was greeted with relief by supporters throughout the county last evening. It means that team captain Glen Ryan has been passed fit to start despite a thigh injury that has curtailed his training.
It also means that midfielder Willie McCreery, who sustained an ankle injury when scoring a goal in the last game, is also fit. Centre forward Declan Kerrigan, who has been troubled by a toe infection which he carried into the first drawn game, has also been named to start. Ryan, McCreery and Kerrigan have not been participating fully in training sessions over the past couple of weeks. Ryan was confined to light ball play while Kerrigan and McCreery did laps only.
Paul McCormack, Dermot Earley and Brian Fahy, who are among the substitutes, all played a part towards the end of the last match when introduced during extra time for McCreery, Tom Harris and Ken Doyle.
At last night's training session there was a growing belief that Kildare will have 31 counties behind them for Sunday's match.
Statistics will count for little once the match begins but the record is interesting: Kildare are 3-2 up on Meath in the head-to-head involving replay championship matches between the counties.
The list so far is: 1929 (at Drogheda) - Kildare 3-5 Meath 0-9; 1930 (at Croke Park) Kildare 2-6 Meath 1-2; 1931 (at Croke Park) Kildare 1-5 Meath 0-5; 1955 (at Croke Park) Meath 1-9 Kildare 011. 1979 (at Croke Park) Meath 120 Kildare 3-9.
Sunday's second replay in the current campaign will be the seventh between the counties and the last time Meath lost a replay was to Dublin in 1983 (3-9 to 016). Meath have since chalked up an impressive replay victory record, beating Cork in 1988, Dublin to end the marathon of 1991, Wicklow in the same year and Mayo in last year's All-Ireland final.
Kildare have not been so convincing. Since their last replay victory in 1987 (beat Offaly 1-12 to 0-10 in Newbridge) they have lost to Offaly in 1988 and to Dublin in 1994.
Trevor Giles of Meath is the top scorer after the two matches.
