Extra stewards for county final

Number of personnel on sideline won’t be reduced

THE Kerry GAA County Board will bring in extra stewards for Sunday’s County SFC Final in Austin Stack Park to try to assure the shameful scenes in last weekend’s semi-final replay are not repeated, but there will be no reduction in the number of people who will be premitted to be in and around the two ‘dug-outs’ during the game.

The Kerryman has been informed that in response to the scenes that marred last Sunday’s semi-final between Dingle and East Kerry that extra stewards will be brought in to marshall the perimeter of the Austin Stack Park pitch, and in particular the area around the dug-outs where the substitutes are supposed to sit and where the respective management teams and medical staff position themselves.

However, there won’t be any move to reduce the number of personnel in that area, which will still be made up of whatever number of players each club wishes to have togged out and listed as substitutes, as well as the 10 personnel each competing club is permitted to have on the sideline.

With Dingle listing 15 substitutes for the semi-final replay last Sunday, and Dr Crokes also listing 15 substitutes for their semi-final the previous week, that means there will be up to 50 people allowed access to the dug-out area for Sunday’s county final.

The Kerryman has also learned that while there will are no plans to place the competing clubs on opposite sides of the pitch on Sunday, there has been an acknowledgement that the location of the substitutes benches in Stack Park are not ideal, and that there may need to be some restructuring work done to place the dug-outs outside the perimeter fence of the pitch to help reduce the number of people who have direct access to the sidelines and playing area.

Meanwhile, The Kerryman has learned that Dingle’s Colm Geaney will be issued with a proposed suspension of eight-weeks arising out of Sunday’s sideline fracas.

Geaney and East Kerry manager Gerry O’Sullivan were sent off and directed outside the pitch area by referee Paul Hayes after the massed fight.

The Kerry GAA CCC reviewed the referee’s report and examined video footage of the incident on Monday night before proposing an eight-week ban for Geaney, who can either accept the proposed suspension of seek a hearing with the Hearings Committee.

The Kerryman also understands that Gerry O’Sullivan will not be the subject of a proposed suspension, and the East Kerry manager has not been charged with any offence.

It’s understood that the Dingle club and East Kerry divisional team will also be issued with fines, which can be appealed.

Players, substitutes and mentors from Dingle and East Kerry involved in a major scuffle during Sunday’s semi-final replay