All-Ireland final bans upheld for Fr O’Neill's duo

Fr O’Neill's will consider their options after the GAA’s Central Hearings Committee (CHC) upheld the suspensions which look to have ruled Billy Dunne and Mark O’Keeffe out of Saturday’s AIB All-Ireland Club IHC final against Tullaroan in Croke Park (6pm).

The pair were sent off in the semi-final win over Tooreen of Mayo last Saturday week.

O'Neill's sought a hearing and the players, along with manager Bryan Sweeney and chairman Michael Hegarty, travelled to Dublin on Monday night, hoping to back up with video evidence their assertions that the players deserved yellow cards rather than red ones.

Unfortunately for the Ballymacoda/Ladysbridge side, the CHC backed up the rulings by Dublin referee Chris Mooney at O’Connor Park in Tullamore, with O’Keeffe considered to have behaved in a way which is dangerous to an opponent while Dunne’s offence was striking, or attempting to strike with a hurley, with minimal force.

The pair do have the option of appealing to the Central Appeals Committee (CAC) and, if unsuccessful there, to the Disputes Resolutions Authority (DRA), the final arbiter in such situations.

“The club will regroup and consider the next step,” said chairman Michael Hegarty.