Alley ’keeper cleared after sending-off shocker

IT HAS been a turbulent period for Wexford G.A.A. on the appeals front.

The controversial refereeing that surrounded the St. Martin’s versus Buffers Alley Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship game did not end on the pitch, as it wound its way through the disciplinary process in the county.

Buffers Alley netminder Darren O’Brien was controversially red-carded in that game, which saw the Alley go down narrowly to the eventual county champions. But the club and player brought their case through the appeals system after O’Brien was handed an automatic one-game ban.

Following the subsequent hearing, the appeals committee rescinded the red card which will make the player available for the opening championship game of 2018.

If he had been unsuccessful he would have missed out on that initial championship outing, as a ban carries forward into the following year should the player have no further championship game in the current campaign.

This latest decision follows on the controversial decision to reduce a 16-week ban on former Wexford inter-county player and selector, David Murphy.

Murphy was handed down the ban following an incident involving referee Dan Crosby. He had his appeal heard on a Saturday morning and, once successful, he became available to assist his club, St. Mary’s (Rosslare), in an Intermediate football championship semi-final later that afternoon.

This is a decision that has caused a lot of unrest and ill-feeling within referees circles, and is by no means gone away.

Meanwhile, Wexford are still awaiting findings from Croke Park regarding the alleged playing of a suspended player in an under-age hurling tournament.

The county has had two hearings in Croke Park, but the only light at the end of the tunnel so far is that the player involved was subsequently cleared, allowing him to play in a county final and help his club to victory.