Colm Begley has reportedly been dropped from the Laois starting fifteen for their Leinster first round championship tie against Wicklow on Sunday for disciplinary reasons.
Tomas O’Flaharta and his management team have apparently disciplined the former AFL star after he lined out at centre-back for his Coolock-based club, Parnells, in their first round defeat by 1-07 to 1-05, to Lucan Sarsfields on Wednesday night.
Speaking to the Friday GAA Podcast on Newstalk’s Off The Ball, Jack Nolan, the Laois football correspondent for Midlands Radio, said that while officials are saying Begley is injured, many within the county are alleging that he has been dropped after playing for his club during the week.
Nolan also revealed that it was the second time Begley had been disciplined under O’Flaharta after he was dropped for criticizing former manager Justin McNulty at a media launch earlier in the year.
Begley had been recovering from injury at the time though, and was reinstated to the panel in time to play in Laois’ five final league games, playing the majority of his football from centre-back.
Laois finished fifth in Division 2, but had been in one of the relegation places going into gameweek 7, they Down on the final day to preserve their status. They travel to Aughrim to face a Wicklow side who just missed out on promotion from Division 4.
It is of course the first meeting between the sides in Aughrim since their infamous first round clash in 1986, which has since been dubbed the "Battle of Aughrim".
The game is being broadcast live on Newstalk Sport from 3pm Sunday, with Tomás Quinn and Liam McHale joining Nathan Murphy on commentary, and with Colm Parkinson as the sideline reporter.
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