Waterford consider de Burca ban appeal

Waterford are "keeping their options open" over a possible appeal against Tadhg de Burca's red card against Wexford.

Deise sweeper de Burca was shown a red card by referee Fergal Horgan towards the end of Waterford's 1-23 to 1-19 All-Ireland SHC quarter-final win over Wexford on Sunday, following an off-the-ball incident with Harry Kehoe.

The minimum penalty for such category III (iv) infraction is a one-match suspension, which would leaving de Burca ineligible for Waterford's All-Ireland semi-final against Cork on 13 August.

Horgan, who made the decision in consultation with his linesman, John Keenan, mentioned the incident in his report, meaning an appeal is highly unlikely to succeed.

Waterford could take his case to the GAA's Central Hearings Committee [CHC], and then the Central Appeals Committee [CAC] and independent Disputes Resolution Authority [DRA] if the CHC uphold the ban.

"It came as a bit of a shock. The ball was gone elsewhere, the next thing the ref stopped the game and before we knew it, Tadhg was red carded and coming off," Waterford selector Eoin Murphy told WLR.

"It was a blow for Tadhg and the team. I just saw it for the first time on "The Sunday Game" and it looked innocuous enough, to be honest.

"The linesman was close to it and he made the call on it. In fairness to Tadhg, we all know there's not a dirty stroke in him, he's a pure out and out hurler. I think he was just trying to shake him [Kehoe] off, whatever little bit of a tangle they were in.

"There was no malice in it whatsoever from what I could see. 

"We're keeping our options open at the moment. At this moment in time, we have to plan without Tadhg because he got a red card, which means a one-match suspension."

Image Inpho/ James Crombie

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