Tyrone could be without experienced defender Conor Gormley for their All-Ireland football semi-final against Mayo on Sunday week as the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) is set to propose a one-match ban arising from an incident in the county’s quarter-final defeat of Monaghan.
As the teams left the field at half-time there were a couple of altercations with Monaghan’s Dessie Mone, one of which saw Tyrone’s Martin Penrose red-carded immediately on re-arrival on the pitch for the second half: Penrose already receives an automatic one-match ban for that red card.
Gormley, however, was also seen raising his hand to Mone: the CCCC have since been examining video footage, as match referee Cormac Reilly took no action at the time on that particular incident.
Given the ban is only to be proposed, Gormley can take his case to the Central Hearings Committee (CHC) who will decide whether or not to uphold the one-match ban, and even after that Gormley can go to the Central Appeals Committee (CAC).
Given his crucial role and experience within the Tyrone team it appears inevitable he will at least choose the hearing option.
Dublin hurler Ryan O’Dwyer has spoken about his “disbelief” at receiving a yellow card in the opening minutes of last Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Cork – and his intention now to appeal to have the card rescinded “for a little personal satisfaction”.
Dublin were forced to play the last 20 minutes of Sunday’s game with 14 men after Ryan’s dismissal, for a second yellow card, although it was the first booking that haunted him in the days since.
"There was a bit of disbelief, at first, to be brutally honest," O'Dwyer told Newstalk's Off the Ball. "I am passionate player, and will give 100 per cent, and I suppose just got caught up in the moment. I honestly think it was a bit harsh, but the referee is only human as well, and you can't hold it against him. He made a call, saw exactly what happened, and unfortunately for me it was the wrong one.
“I think anyone that knows me, and the way I play, the last thing they’ll say is that I’m a dirty player . . .
O’Dwyer’s second yellow card, on 50 minutes, thus resulted in his dismissal – and with that appeared to swing the momentum in Cork’s favour: “Sure the whole way throughout the game it was tit-for-tat,” added O’Dwyer.
“It was a clean game, there wasn’t any dirty stroke pulled. So for such a clean game, and for someone to be sent off, is very harsh.”
O'Dwyer has called on Anthony Daly to remain on as Dublin manager.
“Like us all he wanted to undo the wrongs of last year, and I can safely speak for all the lads that we’d be devastated if he left. He’s great man, a great character . . .”
Meanwhile following Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final, several members of the Clare team will be back in action the next Saturday as both the All-Ireland U-21 semi-finals will form a double-header at Thurles. Antrim and Wexford will play at 4.0, followed by the clash of defending champions Clare and Galway at 6.0. Both matches will be live on TG4.
