Tullamore GAA to seek hearings regarding proposed suspension of club members 

MULTIPLE SUSPENSIONS: Another club member is facing a 48-week penalty for purportedly attempting to trip a linesman and verbally abusing the match official also after the conclusion of the fixture. Pic: Sportsfile

Tullamore GAA club are to seek hearings into the proposed suspensions for a non-playing panel member and official arising from last month’s Leinster SFC preliminary round game.

A 96-week ban has been recommended for the individual who pushed referee Barry Tiernan to the ground following the end of the game won by Summerhill in O’Connor Park.

Another club member is facing a 48-week penalty for purportedly attempting to trip a linesman and verbally abusing the match official also after the conclusion of the fixture.

Although Tullamore could accept the €2,500 fine imposed by the province’s competitions control committee following the unruly scenes after the final whistle, they are in the process of preparing their cases for meetings with the Leinster Council’s hearings committee later this month.

Tullamore had taken exception to Tiernan’s late call to reverse a penalty he had awarded them and offer a free instead after he had spoken to a linesman.

In the case of the non-playing panel member, it is understood there may be mitigating circumstances cited in an attempt to prove that the proposed punishment is unduly harsh.

Tullamore have until Thursday, three days after they received notice of the penalties, to submit a request for a meeting with the hearings committee.

Meanwhile, it will be 2025 at the earliest before a Galway club enters the Leinster senior hurling championship.

After Galway’s minors were brought into Leinster earlier this year, it had been anticipated there would be movement on the Galway senior champions entering the eastern province. 

However, neither county nor province appear to be in a rush for Galway’s best to be incorporated into Leinster.

Speaking to this newspaper last February, Galway chairman Paul Bellew remarked: “I would also add we are 100% fully open to our club hurling championships being integrated into the provincial championships as well. We want to be equal across the board – senior, U20, minor and club. No barriers.” 

Galway champions St Thomas’ will face the Munster champions in an All-Ireland semi-final on December 16 or 17. That same weekend, the Connacht winners will also face the Munster victors in the last four of the All-Ireland intermediate and junior championships.

A proposal to bring the All-Ireland club football semi-finals to December from early January as a means of creating space between the end of the Allianz Football League and start of the provincial championships was rejected by Central Council on Saturday.