Galway corner back Adrian Tuohy could miss next month's All-Ireland SHC final amid speculation that he will be cited for an incident involving Tipperary's Patrick 'Bonnqr' Maher during yesterday's semi-final.

The incident, which showed Tuohy interfering with Maher's helmet and wasn't picked up by the match officials, was highlighted on RTÉ's 'The Sunday Game' last night, and leaves the defender facing the prospect of being called before the CCCC and being handed a retrospective one-match ban, which would rule him out of the September 3 decider against either Cork or Waterford.

Ironically, Waterford's Tadhg de Búrca received a one-match ban following a similar incident involving Wexford's Harry Kehoe in the recent All-Ireland SHC quarter-final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and is expected to take his case to the DRA in a bid to be free to line out against Cork next Sunday.

In reviewing the footage on 'The Sunday Game', Ger Loughnane and Jackie Tyrrell felt the incident wasn't deliberate, while Brendan Cummins noted how a precedent had been set.

Loughnane said: "The big problem is what happened with Tadhg de Búrca. It must include deliberately pulling or taking hold of a face-guard or helmet. Now is that deliberate?

"I was convinced that Tadhg de Búrca's wasn't deliberate - he was trying to get away from Harry Kehoe. Harry Kehoe made a big scene to the linesman and the linesman calls the referee to get his attention. 'Bonner' didn't make a big scene today even though he had to go off and replace the helmet so I think it's ridiculous.

"Things happen by accident or they just happen in the game. Are they deliberately dangerous? I don't think so."

Tyrrell observed: "Adrian Tuohy is facing away from 'Bonner' Maher, he's facing away from the ball. If he was facing 'Bonner' Maher and you could see where his hands were going you could say 'yeah, that's interfering with the helmet'.

"The fact that he's facing away it's hard to know but it does take a lot of force to remove the helmet. It's not black and white, it's hard to know."

Cummins said: "The precedent has been set. If this stops Adrian Tuohy, no more than it stops Tadhg de Búrca from playing an All-Ireland semi-final or final, it's a real tough one for players who are putting so much into it.

"It's going to be a bit of a sweat for Adrian Tuohy in the coming days, it's as simple as that."

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