Judge orders GAA player to pay €20k for 'off-the-ball' incident at club challenge match

GAA disciplinary authorities had imposed a 24-week suspension on Tom Molloy

Westmeath GAA player, Tom Molloy (pictured), was handed a two-and-a-half-year sentence, which was suspended after he pleaded guilty at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to Maryland GAA's wing forward Liam Reilly. Picture: IrishPhotoDesk.ie

A GAA player who fractured another footballer's eye socket, leaving him with impaired vision after an "off-the-ball" incident in a club match, avoided jail but must pay €20,000 compensation.

Tom Molloy, 26, who was on the Westmeath county panel at the time, was playing midfield for his club, Shandonagh, against local rivals Maryland during an away challenge match on February 24, 2019.