Cats keeper Ryan coy on All Star hope

KILKENNY goalkeeper PJ Ryan has played down his chances, and indeed the significance, of winning an All Star award later this year.

Ryan gave a man-of-the-match display in the All-Ireland final, keeping Tipperary at bay with a string of saves and ending up with a clean sheet for his troubles on the day.

“There are three of us nominated and any one of us could win it,” said Ryan yesterday after being named as Vodafone hurler of the month for September.

“I’d have no more of a right to win an All Star than Brendan Cummins or Clinton Hennessy. Whoever gets it, gets it. Whoever doesn’t, what can you do? You go on and hurl away again.”

No Kilkenny goalkeeper has received an All Star since Michael Walsh in 1993 and there was much disappointment in the county that James McGarry never got the nod on at least one occasion.

I was surprised all right,” said Ryan of his predecessor. “I suppose the thing about James was that he made everything look simple and when lads had to make saves James probably had a situation read.

“In Kilkenny we all knew what James was about. I suppose he just didn’t get the individual recognition he should have got.”

Meanwhile Laois hurler James Young has announced his retirement from GAA after a suspension he received following a senior hurling championship game was upheld.

The former All Star nominee was reported for verbally abusing referee John Lalor and was subsequently hit with a four-week ban. At the time he threatened to retire from the game if his suspension was upheld but, following cases with the County Hearing Committee and the Leinster Council, they decided to stick with the ban.

“It’s a final decision (to retire),” he said. “I’m fairly angry over the whole thing. I was charged under the wrong rule, but when we went to the hearing it was brushed under the carpet.

“When we went to the Leinster Council, they agreed I was charged under the wrong rule but it was sent back to the Hearings Committee. It’s a farce of a situation,” he concluded.

When the case came before the CHC, it was revealed that Young was charged under Rule 146 c which charges club officials with abusing a referee, and should have been charged under Rule 146 (b), which pertains to players.

Elsewhere, a supporter has received a maximum 96-week-ban from the association after pushing and verbally abusing a referee in an underage game in Laois.

St Paul’s supporter Billy Hogan was reported by referee Niall Davis following the incident which occurred after an U-12 football final.

The club have not appealed the suspension.