Rebels risk losing home comforts by appealing player bans
Cork and Armagh were handed proposed €5,000 fines by the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) for the fracas in their league game earlier this month.
Selector Ger O’Sullivan confirmed they will at least contest the suspension charges on Pearse O’Neill and Michael Shields.
However, in light of Monaghan having their fine for an involvement in a melee replaced by the forfeiture of home advantage for one league game, Cork are in jeopardy of incurring a bigger loss if they seek a meeting with the Central Hearings Committee (CHC).
It’s understood Kildare, who played Monaghan last Sunday week, had their melee case heard by the CHC last night.
Once a player or unit seek to contest their charge with the CHC, they risk an even sterner punishment.
“If they decide not to accept them, then they take their chances,” said CHC chairman Liam Keane. “Whatever is proposed (by the CCCC) is irrelevant.
“The hearings committee doesn’t take cognisance of what the CCCC did. Their proposals are redacted; they’re blocked out.”
GAA president Christy Cooney fully endorsed the CHC’s decisions, but Cork’s O’Sullivan said: “The fine of €5,000 is huge for a county board.
“As for the players, I know Conor [Counihan] has sat down with them this weekend and looked at the DVD with our stats guys.
“We will definitely be appealing the players [bans]. I know Pearse O’Neill [proposed one-match ban] did nothing and I think Michael Shields [two-match] was cited for pushing a fella in the face but I think they were very harsh and likewise with the Armagh ones.”
O’Sullivan believes teams involved in televised games are more exposed to being punished for involvement in melees than counties in lower league divisions where there is little no TV coverage.
“If they treat all the teams the same, and go back and analyse the videos and DVDs and they pick out different things, I think it is going to be very difficult because you have accidental tackles going on.
“You don’t have that as much in Division 3 or 4 games as much so if you are using something, you must treat all players the same.”
Monaghan last night confirmed they will be appealing their forfeiture of home advantage for their next league game to Louth to the CHC.
