Tinahely’s Leinster final off due to appeal by Carlow side

THIS weekend’s Leinster LGFA Intermediate Football Championship final between Tinahely and Naomh Ciarán of Offaly has been postponed, pending the hearing of an appeal lodged by Old Leighlin against their expulsion from the Leinster Junior Football Championship.

The finals for the Intermediate and Junior provincial championships were due to be played this Saturday, with Wicklow Senior holders Tinahely taking on their Offaly counterpart Naomh Ciarán, with defending Junior champions Old Leighlin facing Navan O’Mahony’s in the junior decider

However, following an emergency Leinster LGFA Management meeting, held in Aras Laighean on October 16 in response to clarification received from the National Management Committee, the provincial council expelled the Carlow club from the Junior championship.

According to Rule 222 of the LGFA Official Guide: ‘A club which wins the Provincial Junior or Intermediate Championship must move up a grade for the following year’s Provincial Championship.’

Old Leighlin have since appealed this judgement, saying in a statement that they were in ‘total disagreement with the decision made by the Leinster LGFA Management to remove us from the Leinster junior club championship.

‘We have already competed in three rounds of the Leinster junior club championship, fulfilling fixtures set by Leinster LGFA, and have qualified for the final on Saturday, the 26/10/2019, where we have been looking forward to facing Navan O’Mahony’s in Ashbourne,’ the club have said.

Old Leighlin’s appeal against their removal is due to be heard on Friday evening leaving it too late to allow the finals take place on Saturday.