Blow for Limerick as Reidy hit with six-month ban

FORMER Limerick senior football captain, Micheal Reidy has been hit with a six months suspension.

The Dromcollogher/Broadford corner forward was handed the ban by Croke Park’s Central Competitions Control Committee.

Limerick County Board officials were asked to identify the player after receipt of Derek Fahy’s referees report following the Limerick and Sligo National Football League game in Markievicz Park earlier this month.

Reidy, who was an unused substitute, was punished for an alleged push on a linesmen during the defeat.

The category four offence rules Reidy out of club and county action until September.

Also arising out of that game, two-month suspensions were imposed on three members of the Limerick senior football set-up for abuse of the referee — Limerick manager Mickey Ned O’Sullivan, goalkeeper Sean Kiely and water carrier Pat O’Shaughnessy.

The bans rules the trio out of the remaining five game in the league.

The Limerick quartet are to travel to Dublin tonight to make personal appeals to Croke Park chiefs in an effort to have their suspensions reduced or overturned.

Limerick are back in league action on Sunday, when table-toppers Wexford visit the Gaelic Grounds.

Meanwhile, Limerick hurler Brian Geary has returned to light training as he steps up his recovery from cruciate knee ligament damage.

The Monaleen clubman, a 2007 Vodafone Allstar nominee, returned to the county set-up last week and has taken the first tentative steps on the road back by running in straight lines. Geary has targeted the Munster semi-final clash with Clare or Waterford on June 22 for his return to competitive fare.

Manager Richie Bennis confirmed: “He’s hoping to be ready for the championship but there is no guarantee with an injury like this. He’s in great form and he’s been doing all of the weights work in the gym to build up the knee again. It would be a huge boost for us to have Brian back fit and available but Paudie O’Dwyer has been doing very well for us at centre back.”

Meanwhile, versatile Conor Fitzgerald is back running in training after undergoing surgery on his shoulder towards the end of January.

Fitzgerald still has a pin inserted in his shoulder to ensure that there is no recurrence of the serious injury he suffered playing for Adare last October in the county championship.