‘O’Leary has no case to answer’

CORK selector John Corcoran was adamant last night that defender Noel O’Leary has no case to answer over the incident which left Graham Geraghty prostrate in the opening 11 minutes of yesterday’s match.

Referee Brian Crowe was on the far side of the pitch defusing a heated situation after a foul on Meath’s Peadar Byrne when O’Leary and Geraghty began to push and shove one another underneath the Hogan Stand.

Geraghty subsequently fell to the ground in what initially seemed to be a theatrical manner, but TV replays showed clearly that the Cork defender apparently connected with a fist to the face, for which he was subsequently booked.