Tyrone-Cork NFL meeting falls victim to weather

THE National Football League game between Tyrone and Cork has been called off due to weather conditions.

Tyrone PRO Brendan Harkin confirmed the postponement of the Division 1A basement battle following a pitch inspection at Healy Park, which was scheduled to host Sunday's tie.

"The decision was taken early to avoid any inconvenience for the Cork team and supporters and for our own Tyrone supporters," he said.

No new date has been set for the game, which was to have been a must-win encounter for both sides, Cork and Tyrone having lost their two opening games in the series.

Meanwhile GAA authorities are to launch an investigation into an All-Ireland Freshers football championship semi-final which was ended prematurely on Wednesday in Galway.

The match between NUI, Galway and DCU was ended approximately 20 seconds before the end of injury-time by referee Pat McGovern after a series of rough challenges, and incessant verbal abuse of the match official by a number of DCU players and mentors.

NUI, Galway were two points up when the referee took the decision to end proceedings. DCU had two players sent off (one in either half).

McGovern - an experienced inter-county referee who is in action in the NFL on Sunday in Killarney - has submitted his match report to Croke Park.

Among those lining out for DCU were Conor Mortimer, Shane Smyth, Ronan Flanagan and Kevin Reilly, all of whom won Sigerson Cup medals with the college last weekend.

Meanwhile St Michael's Enniskillen captain Shane McAloon has lost his appeal against suspension in the latest twist to the MacRory Cup saga.

The decision of the Disputes Resolution Authority means McAloon will miss the MacRory Cup quarter-final second replay with Omagh CBS this afternoon. St Michael's fielded McAloon in the replay even though the Ulster Colleges intended to suspend the player. However, the wrong name was included in the letter detailing the suspension.

On Monday the Ulster Colleges GAA Council passed a motion of no confidence in the organisation's vice-chairman and St Michael's manager Dominic Corrigan. Corrigan's fellow officers on the colleges body are understood to feel that the decision to play captain McAloon in the replay was against the spirit and ethos of the GAA.

Because of the administrative slip by the Ulster Council, McAloon was not officially suspended but the affair nevertheless caused major disquiet.

The Enniskillen school has insisted that McAloon should not have received any suspension arising from the brawl at the original drawn game between the sides. St Michael's last week offered a further replay to Omagh CBS but after the All-Ireland Colleges body refused to overturn McAloon's ban, another appeal was submitted to the GAA's Disputes Resolution Authority.

Former Good Counsel College star Eric Bradley will make his first start for the Wexford footballers when he lines out at midfield on the team to play Down tomorrow. The Adamstown clubman, who has played with New York in the Connacht championship, will be partnered by Rory Stafford, who came off the bench in the games against Laois and Derry.

WEXFORD (SF v Down): J Cooper; C Morris, P Wallace, N Murphy ; D Breen, D Murphy, P Curtis; E Bradley, R Stafford; C Deely, L O'Brien, K Kennedy; J Hegarty , P Colfer, M Forde.

DERRY (SF v Kildare): B Gillis; Francis McEldowney, K McCloy, S M Lockhart; P Cartin, J McBride, L Hinphy; J Diver, Patsy Bradley; J O'Kane, E Muldoon, F Doherty, M Donaghy, Paddy Bradley, E Bradley.