THE KILKENNY SENIOR hurling management face an anxious wait as the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) meets later on this week to discuss possible disciplinary action against three of the county’s players.

With the Cats’ Leinster Championship semi-final on June 11 just five weeks away, corner-back John Dalton and forwards Eoin Larkin and Richie Hogan could all be suspended for the game following their involvement in a series of altercations during Sunday’s National Hurling League Division One final against Dublin.

Of the three, Larkin appears to be the least likely to miss the match against Wexford, Laois or Antrim. The James Stephens clubman was dismissed in the 25th minute after he struck Conor McCormack with his hurl directly in front of match referee Michael Wadding.

As the referee took action at the time of the incident, the CCCC are likely to hit him with the mandatory four-week suspension for violent dismissal, leaving him free to play as Brian Cody’s men set out to defend their Leinster crown.

However, Hogan and Dalton were also involved in separate first-half altercations, both of which went unpunished at the time and which will now be reviewed by the GAA’s disciplinary body.

Hogan will be investigated after appearing to strike Joey Boland in the lead-up to the game’s only goal, catching the Dublin defender in the face with his elbow after the pair became tangled in the goalmouth, while TV replays showed Dalton striking Conor McCormack with both his hurl and his boot as the pair left the field at half time.

As no official action was taken at the time, the CCCC are free to assess the severity of the incident themselves and may choose to hit players with an eight-week ban for a category three offence.

If that is the case, both players would miss the Leinster semi-final but would be eligible for the final in Croke Park on June 3.