*Rory Hayes. Photograph: Burren Eye Photography
CLARE HURLERS Peter Duggan and Rory Hayes have been cleared to play in Saturday’s All-Ireland SHC quarter-final.
Both Duggan and Hayes appeared before the Central Hearings Committee on Wednesday after the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) proposed the duo receive one match bans following the Munster SHC final defeat to Limerick.
Availability of the duo will come as a major relief to Brian Lohan and his management ahead of a stern test against Darragh Egan’s Wexford on Saturday.
Galway have successful appealed the retrospective two-match suspension of Cianan Fahy. He has been cleared to play Cork this weekend.
All three hearings took place in Dublin on Wednesday evening with separate appeals heard at 8:30pm and 9:00pm.
The Clare Echo understands that the three players were cleared based on a technicality which was flagged by Galway GAA which was that the meeting which proposed the suspensions was held online which does not constitute a meeting of the CCCC or any GAA sub-committee.
Officials on the Clare County Board were informed of the proposed suspensions on Friday afternoon. Chairman of Clare GAA, Kieran Keating declined to comment on the suspensions when contacted by The Clare Echo.
When a referee does not act against a player, the CCCC have the authority to implement a suspension for potential red card offences. Both incidents were highlighted in detail on The Sunday Game with no other collisions flagged during the segment compiled on the RTÉ show which featured Limerick’s Shane Dowling and Brendan Cummins of Tipperary as the pundits on the night of the Munster final.
The CCCC last took such action against Clare players in 2007 following Semplegate. Andrew Quinn, Barry Nugent, Colin Lynch and Alan Markham all received bans following the intervention of the CCCC after a tunnel incident involving the Clare and Cork hurlers prior to their 2007 provincial clash. Eight four-week bans were proposed by the CCCC with Sean Óg Ó hÁilipín, Diarmuid O’Sullivan and Donal Óg Cusack all sidelined as a result, John Gardiner was given a reprieve from the CHC.
