UPDATE: This ban has since been overturned on appeal.
Jim McGuinness began his second reign at the helm of his native county with a victory over Armagh at Healy Park last Wednesday. However, questions were raised in the aftermath over the eligibility of then 17 year-old Finbarr Roarty, whose strong performance had been singled out for praise by his Naomh Conaill clubmate and manager. As reported today by BBC Sport[1], McGuinness was slapped with an eight-week ban for fielding an ineligible player and Roarty has been handed a two-week suspension. On top of this, Donegal will lose the points from their win over Armagh.
The Rule
Rule 6.17 of the GAA Official Guide (Part 1) outlines the age grades for GAA players and states that in order to play at adult inter-county level a player “shall have celebrated his 17th birthday prior to January 1st of the Championship Year”[2]. The Championship Year is deemed to be the calendar year in which a competition commenced.
Application
In Roarty’s case, to have been eligible to play in this year’s McKenna Cup he was required to have turned 18 before January 1st 2024. It is understood that Roarty did not turn 18 until January 4th 2024 and was therefore ineligible. Neither Donegal GAA nor Ulster GAA have commented on the issue yet, and it remains to be seen whether there will be any appeal against the sanctions.
[1] Jim McGuinness: Donegal manager gets eight-week sideline ban for fielding ineligible player – BBC Sport