Galway great Tony Keady says the GAA hierarchy must not repeat the mistakes of the past and has called on top officials to overturn Andrew Shore's 48-week ban.

The Wexford defender is currently faced with having to spend the majority of 2015 on the sidelines after being found guilty of playing illegally in the UK last October.

Former 'Hurler of the Year' Keady suffered a similar fate back in 1989 when he broke the rules by playing in the US and he subsequently missed out on the Tribesmen's bid for three All-Irelands in-a-row.

"The GAA haven't learned a thing, that's the truth," Keady blasted when speaking to The Examiner.

"You can't be handing 48-week bans to lads that are just trying to go out and play sport. It's as if the guy has committed a terrible crime. It's just not logical.

"I read recently of a player getting a couple of matches of a suspension for sectarian abuse. Then you have this poor lad in Wexford and they're throwing the book at him, putting him out of the game for a year.

"I know exactly what he's going through and I feel awful sorry for him, for Liam Dunne and for Wexford. When you come up against these GAA committees and they stick their heels in, you're right up against it."

The current Galway U21 hurling selector wouldn't be surprised if Shore decided to pack in hurling.

"It all depends now on what way he takes it. He might just say, 'to hell with this' and hop on a plane to Australia. That's the end of it then. That's what they're risking when they dish out these huge bans."

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