Rebels face gruelling schedule as they accept CHC decision

Cork won’t appeal forfeiture of home advantage for their Division 1 game against Laois on Saturday week.

That means that of Conor Counihan’s side’s remaining fixtures, they now face three away games, and just two at home, against 2011 All-Ireland finalists Kerry and Dublin.

Their next two games are trips,starting with the long coach ride to Donegal next Sunday and Laois the following Saturday.

It follows Cork’s decision to contest the charge of €5,000 for their players’ involvement in a melee with Armagh earlier this month.

However, Monaghan will go in front of the Central Appeals Committee (CAC) in Dublin tomorrow night to counter the same charge from their Division 2 fixture with Louth on March 11.

They were handed down thepunishment after questioning the fine proposed by the Central Competitions Control Committee arising from their game against Kildare.

Both Kildare and Armagh elected to accept their €5,000 fines.

Following on from the controversy surrounding Derrytresk and Dromid Pearses, Cork and Monaghan have found the CHC intolerant of mass player incidents.

A source close to the committee said they wanted to set “a marker” to address “unedifying” melees seen this year.

Meanwhile, Cork defender Paudie Kissane insists the team must move on from the disappointment of losing home advantage, as well as Michael Shields and Pearse O’Neill’ssuspensions.

“It’s not nice, all of the travelling — you look forward to your home games. Players like the Saturday night in Páirc Uí Rinn.

“We’ve lost that but we can’t change that now so we’ll drive on.”

The Clyda Rovers man didn’t rule out the idea of the Cork panel being motivated by the justice handed out to them. Maybe so, but time will tell. It’s disappointing for Michael Shields and Pearse O’Neill to miss out on games and maybe it will but we’ll knuckle down in training on Tuesday night and look forward to Donegal.”

Kissane knows losing Shields for two games and O’Neill for the Donegal fixture will test Cork’s resources but he draws on the positives.

“It’s going to make it hard but there is talk of us having strength in depth, so it’s going to test that next weekend and we’ll see what happens.

“That’s why it’s so important to get two points against Down at home the last day because it took a bit of the pressure off leading into the Donegal game.”

For Kissane and the other five Cork players who represented Munster that are available next weekend, thejourney to Donegal is yet another trip after recent visits to Tipperary, Dublin and Armagh (twice).

“We’re doing a lot of travelling these days. It’ll be our fifth weekend out of six travelling and there’ll be another one the following weekend (toPortlaoise).

“That’s we train for, though — the big games — and we’ll drive on.”