Limerick to appeal Peter Casey suspension for All-Ireland final

Peter Casey of Limerick looks towards referee John Keenan as he approaches him to show him a straight red card, for an off the ball incident with Conor Gleeson of Waterford. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Limerick GAA have agreed to commence the process to clear Peter Casey for Sunday week’s All-Ireland SHC final against Cork, the Irish Examiner has learned.

Having rejected the ban proposed by the Central Competitions Control Committee upon receipt of referee John Keenan’s report from Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final, the county board executive are to request a meeting with the Central Hearing Committee (CHC) later this week.

It is understood Limerick will look for an in-person convening of the CHC in Croke Park. Similar disciplinary meetings have taken place virtually during the pandemic but Limerick officials and Casey are keen to travel to make the case for the suspension to be overturned.

Casey was shown a red card in the 60th minute of the victory over Waterford following an incident involving Conor Gleeson. After consulting with umpires, Keenan appeared to explain to Casey that he was being dismissed for making a head movement towards the Waterford defender.

Deliberations about contesting the proposed suspension intensified yesterday and the final decision was made last night. Speaking yesterday evening, manager John Kiely said: “We had a few hours of discussion about it at that stage, but we have 48 hours to decide on our approach to it. We have another meeting scheduled for this evening after training, so basically it’s ongoing.

“There’s no definitive decision taken as yet. It all depends on what decision or what route we decide to take. For the moment it’s only Tuesday, so there’s no panic. We said on Sunday we’d take our time and make the right decision for Peter and for the group, and we’ll use the time we have. We have the 48 hours and it’s great to have that time, that we’re not rushed into any particular direction.”

Should the CHC uphold the suspension, Limerick have the option of applying to the Central Appeals Committee. Failing that, they could ask for the independent Disputes Resolution Authority to be convened.