Referee Christy Helebert has praised Croke Park for the role increasing the suspensions on the three players who he claims assaulted him after the county semi-final.

The Galway whistle-blower was at the centre of controversy at the end of last year's county SHC semi-final which eventually culminated in three Mullagh players being handed 48-week bans.

He feels vindicated that the CCCC stepped in to restore the hefty bans after they had been previously reduced to just 12 weeks by the Galway Hearings Committee:

"I believe it's a very important decision made by Croke Park. Justice has prevailed at long last. We're going to stand up and be counted from here.

"It was terrible. I'll never forget the day. I'm a tough individual myself and that kind of scenario doesn't bother me.

"I have a nine-year-old daughter who was in the car with me on the way to the game that day. Just by chance we were passing the grandparents' home and I said 'maybe we will leave her here'. Now imagine if I had her brought to that game.

"I'm a blocklayer by trade and I didn't work for up to five weeks after that.

"I felt belittled by the decision [to reduce the suspensions]. We could have gone on strike if we wanted to. A few of the referees wouldn't hear of it, so I said I would go my own road. I rang Croke Park and they took the case on from there.

"Justice was all I wanted. At the end of the day that's why I chased it. If I didn't, what would it have been like again next year?" Tweet

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