‘DISCIPLINARY PROCESS IS TOO SLOW’

ASHLING Thompson’s availability for the All-Ireland semi-final and final has been a contentious issue after the player was issued with a two-match ban after the last group game against Tipperary. She was red carded after the final whistle of Cork’s s defeat for using abusive language towards referee Justin Heffernan.

A protracted appeals process saw that ban overturned, however, on the basis that the referee reported Thompson (left) under the incorrect rule used under the Camogie Association’s guidelines. Technicality or not, manager Matthew Twomey feels the whole process could be handled better and in swifter fashion, voicing his support for a version of the citing officer used in other team sports. Ahead of the semi-final, the process was such that the rest of the squad didn’t know she had been cleared at the 11th hour. ‘It’s disappointing. We had a similar experience last year with Orla Cronin — it was a quarter to 12 the night before an All-Ireland final. It was tough going, very tough going on Orla, but on all of us. We had other players lined up to start and we had to go talking to them on the Sunday morning, that they’re not starting. ‘With rugby, they have a thing where they sit down with the player two or three days maybe after it. ‘Whatever the consequences may be, fine, have everything backed up. ‘But I suppose we knew there was a couple of indiscretions we’ll say in the ruling of it and when we questioned that… like, we brought nothing else forward on the second appeal and it was cleared. That’s the frustrating part of it, it could have been sorted two weeks ago, that we wouldn’t have had to wait until the last minute.’