Cork GAA officials are expected to bring an incident before last Sunday’s provincial hurling final to the attention of the Munster Council in the coming days, writes Michael Moynihan.
During the national anthem before last Sunday’s Munster SHC final, stewards in Semple Stadium informed Cork officials that a bag of sliotars in the Rebel goalmouth had been taken by an individual dressed in a Clare tracksuit and thrown into the crowd.
Cork officials had to replace the sliotars for goalkeeper Anthony Nash’s puck-outs before the game began and are expected to seek an explanation for the incursion into the playing area by the individual concerned.
If the Munster Council decides to proceed with a sanction, then, based on the experience of former Clare manager Davy Fitzgerald, who now manages Wexford, the individual may face up to eight weeks on the sideline.
Fitzgerald was charged earlier this year after the Wexford-Tipperary league semi-final under the rules governing ‘misconduct at games by team officials’ when he entered the playing area and clashed with Tipperary player Jason Forde.
He received an eight-week ban, which forced him to watch Wexford’s Leinster SHC clash against Kilkenny from a specially constructed booth in Wexford Park.
This article first appeared in the Irish Examiner.
