Brendan Cummins says Austin Gleeson can take hope from the Adrian Tuohy helmet incident in his bid to avoid being suspended for the All-Ireland SHC final.

Gleeson is expected to be cited for pulling the helmet off Cork opponent Luke Meade's head, but Cummins believes there may be a 'ray of hope' for the Waterford star after Adrian Tuohy escaped sanction for a similar offence involving Patrick 'Bonner' Maher in Galway's All-Ireland SHC semi-final win over Tipperary eight days ago.

The former Tipperary goalkeeper said on The Sunday Game last night: "We were sat here last week, saying 'players, just don't touch helmets.'

"If you wanted to put something to give Austin Gleeson some ray of hope for all the world, Tuohy got away with this pull on the headguard of 'Bonner' Maher, on the basis that he wasn't looking. That's going to the argument that Austin's going to put in.

"The other point is that I saw Brian O'Meara back in 2001 when he couldn't play in the All-Ireland final, a young man turning up to training in a tracksuit, and no hurley."

Meanwhile, speaking on Morning Ireland on RTE Radio 1, Michael Duignan wasn't as optimistic about Gleeson's chances of playing in the final.

"I think with Austin Gleeson, it depends on what the referee says. If they look back on the incident I think they have no option but to suspend him," the ex-Offaly star said.

"Back in 1998 I pulled a stroke in a semi-final against Clare and I should have been sent off," he recalled.

"The referee took my name, in those days there were no cards, and let me away with a warning. Because of that I was free to play for the rest of the year.

"The relief that I felt because I should have been sent off. I went on to win an All-Ireland that year and my only All Star so I know how the system can work in your favour and how it can work against you."

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