Oisín McConville: Ger Brennan should have breached 12-week ban

Three of the eight All-Ireland SFC Round 2 games will not be shown live. GAA+ intends to stream three games and RTÉ are set to broadcast two

Oisín McConville: "If I was Ger Brennan at the weekend, I would have arrived at Croke Park and stood at the sidelines with the blessing of the county board." Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Wicklow manager Oisín McConville says Dublin’s Ger Brennan should have breached his 12-week ban and taken to the sideline for Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC Round 1 game against Louth.

As Brennan serves his suspension and Donegal's Jim McGuinness avoided a ban for pushing Kerry player Diarmuid O’Connor last Saturday week, McConville felt Brennan should have returned to sideline duties as a form of protest at the contrast in how the managers were treated.

"If I was Ger Brennan at the weekend, I would have arrived at Croke Park and stood at the sidelines with the blessing of the county board," he told BBC’s GAA Social. "I would have went to the county board during the week and said it was time to make a stand.

“Dublin made a stand after the game because they didn't talk to any press or any media duties. But I feel strongly enough that I think Ger Brennan should have went and put himself on the line."

Meanwhile, Monaghan’s Bobby McCaul will have his knee scanned in the next 48 hours but there are fears he has ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament for the second time.

The Aughnamullen man scored 1-1 coming off the bench in Clones on Sunday and the manner in which he went down in discomfort was similar to his previous setback sustained in last year’s Ulster U20 championship.

Elsewhere, three of the eight All-Ireland SFC Round 2 games on Saturday and Sunday week will not be shown live.

It is GAA+’s intention to stream three games while RTÉ are set to shown two on Sunday, 1pm and 3.30pm throw-ins. The early games are due to RTÉ’s World Cup coverage of Germany and Netherland games that evening.

GAA+ will again have first call on the plum fixtures providing there are no requests from counties to play on Sunday. Last Saturday week, they chose to show Kerry-Donegal and Cork-Meath, which were the first and second preferences of RTÉ.

Finally, Kerry U20 All-Ireland winning defender Aodhna Ó Beaglaoich has hailed his team-mate Gearóid White as a star in the making.

John Mitchels forward White was excellent in the second half of Saturday’s final win over Tyrone and Ó Beaglaoich said: “Gearóid is special. He will be a big name in years to come, so hopefully he’ll keep going.

“I’m not surprised at all, to be honest. I see it day-in and day-out in training and games, and club matches. I’ve played with him at minor level. That’s the way he is. That’s the player he is. He does it at training. He’s not afraid of anyone.”