Naas' Harry Carroll faces 12-month ban after dirty low blow

November 24, 2025

Naas hurler Harry Carroll is facing a 12-month ban after being shown a red card for violent conduct against St Martin’s.

Carroll is expected to be slapped with a ban of at least a year in the wake of Sunday’s incident.

Naas were sent out in the semi-final of the Leinster Club Championship by St Martin’s with a 0-21 to 0-11 loss at Wexford Park.

The reigning champions of Kildare fell apart in the second half and Carroll stole headlines for the wrong reasons to make matters even worse.

Carroll was sent for an early bath after butting Barry O’Connor with his hurley when they were embroiled in a scuffle following an O’Connor catch.

Referee Thomas Gleeson spotted the act of cowardice straightaway and responded accordingly, dishing out a deserved red card.

St Martin’s are bidding for provincial hurling glory with numerous inter-county stars in their ranks, knocking out reigning All-Ireland champions Na Fianna in the previous round.

The winners will face Ballyhale Shamrocks at Croke Park on December 6 in what will be the Wexford club’s first ever final.

WATCH: Harry Carroll strikes Barry O’Connor with a low blow

Deserved red card for Harry Carroll pic.twitter.com/8EQk1qRVN6

— Amy Molloy (@AmyMolloyIndo) November 23, 2025

How long could Harry Carroll be banned for?

The GAA’s disciplinary system aims to protect all individuals involved in the games and Carroll is certainly facing a lengthy suspension.

The current maximum ban for serious offences is up to 240 weeks (five years) but he is likely to avoid the highest sanction.

It seems likely Carroll is set for around a 12-month suspension.

Suspensions can range from a single match to longer periods and the Competitions Control Committee will propose a penalty, which is either accepted or rejected.

If an individual or unit doesn’t accept the penalty, a hearing is granted where the Hearings Committee will either impose a penalty or exonerate based on evidence presented.

In the event the defending party is not willing to accept the imposed penalty, an appeal can be lodged to the Appeals Committee.

Longest suspensions in GAA history

Earlier this year a huge fight broke out in the closing stages of the Wicklow SFC quarter-final between Rathnew and Carnew Emmets, which resulted in a fan needing hospital treatment.

Five Rathnew players were slapped with severe punishments, bans ranging from three to five years with at least one receiving the latter sanction.

The Tullamore GAA member who pushed referee Barry Tiernan in the back in 2023 was initially set to receive a 96-week ban before it was reduced to 24 following a meeting of the Leinster Council hearings committee.

In 2007, Sligo players Adrian Marren and John Feeney were suspended for 48 weeks after separate incidents in the county championship quarter-final replay between Curry and St John’s.

A Monaghan player was banned for two years in 2015 after being found to have taken the banned steroid stanozolol, avoiding a four-year ban after a GAA anti-doping hearing ruled that the violation was unintentional.

In 2023, Leinster Council handed out three 48-week suspensions to Wexford club Oulart The Ballagh relating to a controversial provincial intermediate hurling quarter-final against Naomh Barrog.

In 2019, Tyrone assistant manager Gavin Devlin was handed a 24-week suspension for ‘disruptive conduct by a supporter’ during a Tyrone vs Down Under 15s game.