Monaghan may appeal Connolly drug ban

“He is a good fella and he just made an unintentional mistake and he has paid a big price, unfortunately."

Mon, 22 Jun, 2015 - 12:28

By Kevin Murphy

The two-year ban handed down to Monaghan player Thomas Connolly may be appealed according to Monaghan manager Malachy O’Rourke.

O’Rourke was speaking following his sides convincing victory over Fermanagh which means his side will contest a third Ulster Final in a row.

Monaghan manager Malachy O’Rourke.

The positive test for the use of the banned steroid Stanozal shocked the GAA community and has been a huge talking point over the weekend.

In his first public comment on the issue the Monaghan manager urged the GAA to put more resources into education of players and anti-doping rules.

“I don’t want to talk too much about it because it’s possible there will be an appeal. The one thing we would have been strong on from the start is that Thomas wasn’t educated in any way.

“He is a good fella and he just made an unintentional mistake and he has paid a big price, unfortunately. The GAA at large to learn a big lesson. If the sanctions are so harsh then that’s the way it is.”