DONEGAL SWEAT OVER MCGEE SCAN RESULTS
DONEGAL are nervously waiting the results today of crucial MRI scans on AllIreland winning defender Neil McGee. The Gweedore man suffered a dislocated kneecap during last weekend’s Allianz League defeat to Mayo. He has since been cleared of any bone break but was scheduled for MRI scans yesterday to determine the extent of ligament damage. McGee appears certain to miss their final Division 1 game against Dublin on Sunday week. More importantly for manager Jim McGuinness is the availability of McGee for their Ulster SFC opener with Tyrone on May 26, which will be played in Ballybofey, it was confirmed last night. Meanwhile, Gaelic Players Association spokesman Seán Potts has revealed that the majority of inter-county football players favoured the sin bin over the black card — and could push for its implementation as early as 2015. Around 90 per cent of players polled recently by the GPA confirmed they were against the introduction of the black card. Potts said he believes that players were, and are, ‘fearful of the black card’s application’ by referees. He said they also fear that the punishment for blackcard offences — dismissal from the field, with replacement — may lead to simulation, whereby players dive or feign injury to get a key player dismissed. ‘The fear among players is that if referees make a mistake, or if they are tricked or conned into making a mistake, then they are gone from the play on a black card,’ said Potts. ‘At least with the sin bin it was harsh, being removed for a period of the game, but the black card is the ultimate sanction where you’re totally gone. With the sin bin, the player is still going to get back in to play. ‘Our stance would be that we will monitor the roll-out of it and if it is flawed then we would continue our advocacy of the sin bin.’