Sigerson Cup: Competitions committee awaiting referee's report following Maynooth-UL incident 

UL won the game after extra time. Pic: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

The GAA’s higher education competitions committee are awaiting the referee’s report following an incident in Wednesday’s Sigerson Cup quarter-final between UL and Maynooth University in Limerick.

Video footage shows an individual on the sideline appearing to contact the eye area of Maynooth and Kerry footballer Luke Crowley after the player had become entangled with UL defender Seán Morahan.

Crowley was incensed by the incident, which occurred in additional time at the end of the second half, and had to be pulled away by team-mate, Meath captain Eoghan Frayne.

UL trailed by three points at the time before a Daithí Hogan goal forced extra-time where they went onto win by eight points.

James Molloy refereed the game but had to retire just over midway through the second half and Chris Maguire was officiating when the flashpoint occurred.

The incident didn’t appear to be dealt with by Maguire at the time and therefore the higher education body could be empowered to investigate and possibly propose a retrospective suspension.

Any probe would first focus on whether the individual was a member of the UL management or backroom team. 

Punishment for a Category V infringement, any physical interference by a team official with an opposing player or team official, is a 96-week suspension with the “offender’s team liable to disqualification where appropriate”.

If the person is not a UL mentor, he is still likely to face a hefty penalty. 

Last November, a Kilcormac-Killoughey man received a 96-week ban for accosting Ballyhale Shamrocks’s Adrian Mullen following the clubs’s Leinster Club SHC quarter-final in UPMC Nowlan Park.

Meanwhile, inter-county football referees will be meeting after this weekend’s second round of National League games to discuss recent issues such as the 50-metre free advancement and the clock/hooter.

National match official authorities will wait until the majority of the inter-county panel have had a game under their belt before reviewing the opening two rounds of the competition.

No advice has been proffered at the moment about the application of the 50m free. 

On Sunday, leading referee Brendan Cawley awarded Roscommon a free after Kerry defender Mike Breen was erroneously adjudged to have breached the dissent rule by not handing over the player to an opponent after Kerry conceded a free.

As for the clock/hooter, timing officials assisting referees in Division 1 and 2 games are also dependent on the match officials issuing clear signals when match-time is to be started and stopped.