Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Brendan off hook but no joy for Dubs
THE spotlight was shone on referee Sean Hurson’s handling of the Dublincarlow game once again yesterday when it emerged that Brendan Murphy had his red card rescinded. The Carlow midfielder was dismissed for two bookable offences though took the matter to the Central Hearings Committee as he felt the first yellow card, for a challenge on Ciaran Kilkenny, was unwarranted. The CHC agreed, meaning Murphy can line out in Carlow’s round 1B qualifier tie with London on Sunday week as he stood to miss that game due to an accumulation of dismissals already this season. Former Carlow goalkeeper John Kearns told KCLR: “It’s a massive boost to the players and to Brendan. “It’s great to see a bit of justice been done. I thought the yellow card was very, very harsh, the first one.” With Diarmuid Connolly’s 12-week ban arising from that game upheld by the CHC the same night, it effectively means Dublin, and not Carlow, ought to have finished the game with 14 players. Hurson, nor his linesmen Ciaran Branagan with whom Connolly was charged with “minor physical interference”, took any action against Connolly at the time but yet the incident was referenced in the referee’s match report, causing the Central Competitions Control Committee to propose the ban. It is as yet unclear whether Dublin will take the matter to the Central Appeals Committee, with county board chairman Sean Shanley unavailable for comment when contacted by Mirror Sport. Given that the CAC only puts procedural matters under the microscope rather than re-trying the case, Connolly’s chances of acquittal there would appear to be slim and, beyond that, the Disputes Resolution Authority would be his last port of call in a bid to play again before late August.