DOWN are hoping Croke Park’s Mercy Committee will hear the appeals against the lengthy suspensions imposed on Paul Higgins (one year) and Gregory McCartan (six months).
Both were banned for having played illegally in the US.
Peter McGrath said yesterday there was “no doubt” both men had been misled about the legality of playing both in New York and Boston last autumn.
“They are the victims in all this,” insisted McGrath.
There were rumours the Mercy Committee was poised to meet this weekend to discuss the case.
However with GAC secretary Sean O Laoire abroad on holiday, this seems unlikely.
Down are likely to be without talented wing-back Malachy McMurray for their National League section D encounter with Limerick. McMurray sustained an ankle injury in training on Wednesday evening.
Team manager Peter McGrath said yesterday that there are no plans to add any further names to the current 36-strong panel following the return to the squad of Peter Withnell, Ross Carr and Ciaran McCabe.
McGrath’s comments would seem to indicate that the inter-county career of John ‘Shorty’ Treanor is probably at an end.
Gary Mason’s refusal to go back on his pre-Christmas decision to retire mean his inter-county days also appear to be over.
The Down manager is likely to prune back his current panel to around 30 players in the coming fortnight.
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GARY Coleman will play at full-forward for the first time in his inter-county career when Derry face Meath in the National League on Sunday.
Coleman’s move from centre-half-forward is one of several changes to the side which defeated Longford in round five of the campaign. Dungiven defender Kieran McKeever, ‘keeper Owen McCloskey and forward Joe Brolly, all return to the Oak Leaf starting line-up as Derry aim to overtake the Royals in this section B showdown.
Full-forward Seamus Downey (calf) has been ruled out due to injury as have Fergal McCusker (groin strain), Joe Cassidy (cracked ribs), Benny Murray (hamstring) and Sean Martin Lockhart (broken toe). Dermot Dougan, who missed the win over Longford, comes into the side at centre-half-forward.
Owen McCloskey takes over in goal, replacing David Hopkins while the changed full-forward line-up now consists of Joe Brolly, Gary Coleman and Rory Boylan.
Derry (v Meath): O McCloskey, K McKeever, N Farren, P Diamond, J McGurk, H Downey, P McFlynn, A Tohill, D Heaney, G McGill, D Dougan, E Burns, J Brolly, G Coleman, R Boylan.
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JODY Gormley has ruled himself out of the playing in Tyrone’s National League section C game against Dublin in Dungannon.
Gormley, who has failed to recover from a shoulder injury sustained in the recent league win over AllIreland champions Kerry, has been replaced by Gerard Cavlan.
In other changes to the Tyrone side, Adrian Cush moves from full-forward to half-forward with Brian McGuckin moving to full-forward and Ciaran McBride switching from left corner forward to the right.
Seamus McCallan returns to the panel for the first time since last season’s championship.
Tyrone (v Dublin): F McConnell, D Teague, C Lawn, S McLaughlin, Pascal Canavan, C Holmes, T McKenna, G Cavlan, P McLaughlin, A Cush, Peter Canavan, B Dooher, C McBride, E Gormley, B McGuckin.
Subs: S McCarron, F Coyle, P Campbell, D McElroy, V Owens, F Devlin, S McCallan, C Loughran.
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TERRY McCrudden, Jimmy Wilson and Joe Quinn have all been left aside in the selection process of Antrim’s starting 15 for the Casement Park-hosted National League section B clash with league leaders Donegal.
Defender McCrudden broke his wrist during the county’s first National League win of the campaign in London two weeks ago.
Jimmy Wilson, a goalscorer in the win over the Exiles, has been ruled out due to injury and corner-forward Kevin Madden was injured while playing for Jordanstown in the Sigerson Cup this week.
Madden, though, has been named in the Antrim team for Sunday and is to captain the Saffron U21 side in tomorrow’s Ulster Championship game against Tyrone.
Joe Quinn, sent-off in the London game, has been suspended for one month.
Antrim (v Donegal): D Shannon, M Mulholland, E McCorry, L McCurdy, G Adams, P Graffin, A Finnegan, J Murphy, C O’Neill, C McCabe, J Kelly, D Swail, M Boyle, E McAtamney, K Madden.
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FERMANAGH manager Pat King may name his team tonight but could withhold the announcement of his final 15 to the last minute as a number of “niggling injuries” have yet to clear up.
The injured Collie Curran will not be named in King’s panel while Liam McBarron, who played in the defeat by Galway two weeks ago, is on work experience in Holland.
Fermanagh’s NFL game against Kilkenny will be played at Clara with a 1pm throw-in.
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MONAGHAN team manager, Eamon McEnaney has given a vote of confidence to the team that defeated Dublin in the previous round of the NFL, by naming an unchanged side for their attractive home fixture against All-Ireland champions Kerry in Clones on Sunday.
Monaghan go into the game in a very healthy position, being third in the table with seven points from five games. Monaghan have rung the changes, though in the list of substitutes, the number 16 position is left vacant pending a replacement goalkeeper for the injured Glen Murphy and Peter Duffy who missed the last three games is named for this particular match, indicating that he may make an appearance at some stage.
Monaghan (v Kerry): J O’Connor, E Murphy, G McGuirk, N Marron, D Duffy, S Mullen, J Conlon, P McShane, C Ronaghan, D Swift, M Daley, K Hughes, D Smyth, D McKernan, S McGinnity.
Subs: AN Other, C McAree, N Magennis, D Freeman, F Duffy, P McDonald, E Hoey, D McArdle, P Duffy, L Kelly.
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THE Tyrone U21 team to play Antrim in The Irish News Cup Ulster championship at Casement Park tomorrow contains several of last year’s minor side beaten in the All-Ireland final. For centre half forward Kevin Hughes it will be a hectic footballing week.
He started by steering Dungannon to victory over St Ciaran’s Ballygawley in the quarter-final of the Ulster Bank Markey Cup Ulster Vocational Schools game at Coalisland.
Today he will be in action in the semi-final of that competition in Donemana against Donegal champions Rosses.
Twenty four hours later, if injury free, he will be in Casement Park on the U21 side.
Tyrone U21: S McCarron; C Gourley, Vivian Teague, J Eastwood; C McGinley, B Meenan (capt), D McCrossan; C Martin, J Quinn; M Early, K Hughes, B Eccles; C McCullagh, R Thornton, B McGuckin.
Subs: A Gillen, C O’Hagan, C McAnallen, B Donnelly, M Coleman, S Douglas, M Rea, B McElroy, P McGurk
Antrim U21 (v Tyrone): B McCann, A Scullion, A Brennan, K Murray, E McLarnon, T Convery, O Doherty, D Niblock, D Craig, K Brady, K Madden (capt), D McCann, JP Stitt, S Devlin.
