Larkin fury at Down turn

FORMER Down footballer James McCartan will not be disciplined by the GAA arising out of the challenge game a year ago in which Westmeath’s Kenny Larkin suffered a broken jaw in an off-the-ball incident.

While the Games Administration Committee had planned to hold a fresh investigation into the incident, an appeal to the Management Committee by the Down County Board proved successful at the weekend.

According to a statement issued yesterday from Croke Park, the appeal was upheld on the basis that Rule 152 (which deals with investigation procedures) was 'misapplied'. The news has been met with disbelief in Westmeath with county chairman Seamus Whelan describing it as "extremely disappointing".

Larkin, who missed Westmeath's championship campaign last year because of the injury, has taken a civil action against McCartan.

The case was heard recently in a Dublin court and has been adjourned until later in the year.

"I thought he (McCartan) would get some sort of a suspension. But it really looks as if the GAA never wanted to deal with this case," Larkin said yesterday.

The stand-in captain of the county's U21s (captain Finian Newman, ironically, was also sidelined with a broken jaw) feels that justice hasn't been done.

"It seems ridiculous when you think that something this serious has been thrown out on a technicality."

The criminal case against McCartan will be pursued despite yesterday's developments, says Larkin.

"That's still going ahead. There's been a lot of calls to my phone today, most have been calls of sympathy or calls from the press. But it's far from finished. I just hope it will soon end because it's frustrating. I don't want to keep thinking about it, when I do I just get annoyed."

Seamus Whelan is also annoyed by the decision. He believes that the Association may suffer as a result of the announcement.

"The bottom line is a player received a broken jaw and because of procedural difficulties no suspension will be served. The GAC were dealing with a point of principle. The GAA needs to reconsider these rules and regulations as a matter of extreme urgency. People were angry on the streets of Mullingar yesterday and who could blame them? An incorrect message is being sent out to the parents of young people playing the games of football and hurling.

"We learned about the appeal by James McCartan against a procedural decision of the GAC to the management committee second-hand.

"It was absolutely in procedure, and James McCartan was successful in proving that the GAC didn't observe the correct procedures," said Whelan.

"I am very disappointed that a player who suffered a serious injury in playing a Gaelic football match has had to endure further discomfort through the failure of the GAA disciplinary procedures to work properly.

"The key link in matters of discipline is the referee's report. I was very disappointed that this report took a considerable period of time to arrive at the office at Croke Park.

"I am aware the referee is alleged to have sent his report and that it went missing in the post and it had to be looked for a second time.

"However, in this era of technological advancement and electronic communication, I'd have to express my disappointment at the failure that much-earlier communication between the referee and Croke Park failed to materialise.

"I am also disappointed that correct procedures weren't followed. I have huge difficulty when stopped by the person in the street in explaining the procedural difficulties in this case.

"We will eventually get the minutes of the meeting, but I certainty haven't been appraised as to what section of Rule 152 was misapplied," said Whelan.

In an unrelated development, the GAA's management committee has forwarded a recommendation to Saturday's Central Council meeting that a team management representative be allowed on the opposite sideline for the purpose of conveying instructions to players. This recommendation envisages that this person will be in radio contact with the manager.

Yesterday, Kilkenny manger Brian Cody said while he would welcome any move that would aid communications, he didn't believe the proposed measure would be of much assistance.

"With the noise levels in Croke Park, you can be shouting at a player for ages before he may hear you.

"It's a major problem trying to make contact,'' he said.

Another matter to be debated at the Central Council meeting relates to the type of sliotars to be used in the championship.

Hurling ball manufacturers have been advised that they will have to conform to a regulation core once that's adopted.

Meanwhile, GAA chiefs and sponsors Guinness will formally launch the 2004 hurling championship in Croke Park on Thursday the 10th, and possibly final, year of the sponsorship.

The current agreement is in place until the All-Ireland final and while there is little likelihood of an announcement this week about renewing the sponsorship, the expectation is that it will run for another year at least.

Allstar sponsors Vodafone are considered a likely replacement.