Dublin’s Brian Fenton to challenge league final sending-off ahead of Meath clash
Brian Fenton leaves the field after being sent off against Derry in the NFL Division 1 final
Brian Fenton’s challenge to the red card he got in the recent NFL Division 1 final will be heard tonight.
Fenton is facing a proposed one-game suspension for a Category 3 offence that will, if it stands, keep him out of Dublin’s first championship game of 2024 against Meath in Sunday’s Leinster quarter-final.
Dublin progress will not hinge on Fenton’s availability as he goes before the Central Hearings Committee (CHC) to contest the charge that has arisen from referee Conor Lane’s red card after consultation with linesman David Coldrick. But with an eye to the future Fenton and Dublin are keen to have the charge cleared.
Fenton reacted aggressively towards Derry substitute Eunan Mulholland after Mulholland appeared to tackle him with a closed fist in the closing stages of the league final.
The game against Meath will be Dublin’s first provincial quarter-final in Croke Park in nine years when they hammered Longford there.
The following year they played Laois in Nowlan Park and since then have been to O’Moore Park in Portlaoise five times and Wexford Park twice. Some Leinster counties have home-and-away arrangements for provincial championship games but it snot strictly imposed.
In Dublin and Meath’s case their meetings have all traditionally been played in Croke Park and it is understood there were discussions with Meath before the venue was provisionally fixed there. Pairc Tailteann’s capacity would be around 10,000, not sufficient for the crowd anticipated, even if it would be well below what it was even a few years ago.
O’Moore Park in Portlaoise will host the other three quarter-finals in Leinster over the weekend with Laois and Offaly on Saturday evening followed by a Wicklow/Kildare and Louth/Wexford double-header.
