Things happen and sometimes people get away with them but I happened to get caught so I had to hit the line.

And the length of the suspension? Well I deemed myself to be quite lucky in a way. I got a month, I could easily have got more. I could easily have gotten three months. But Seanie McMahon decided to give me a month. So things can swing both ways as regarding sendings off and suspensions and in my case, it was probably a bit lenient so I was happy to take that.

But it was tough, missing that All Ireland semi-final. It was the worst feeling in the world. Having put in everything along the way and seeing your county is one game away from the All Ireland final and to have to sit back and watch, it is heartbreaking. It still hurts because you think back to what could have been and what was. If I was playing what might have happened?

But you just have to deal with it. I wasn't there for a reason and that all happened.

The talk of injunctions and the courts came along and it was tempting to take the option of course. Something like 20 grand was put forward for me within the county, from a few people. The money was there but I just felt myself that I didn't want to go down a route that other GAA players are after taking. I was kind of happy that I never did go that way about things because at the end of the day I'm a GAA player and at the end of the day I think you should abide by the rules. Accept rulings from the organisation and keep everything within the organisation. That's the way I believe things should be.

Looking on at the situation at the moment, well what can I say, you don't get sent off for nothing. If you are guilty, then you are guilty. You have to serve your punishment and you should serve your punishment. I don't like to see the carry on at the minute with the whole Dublin and Tyrone situation and I feel it's bringing the GAA into disrepute. I watched that game that day.

The guys who were involved in all that happened out on the field in Omagh should stand up and admit what they did was wrong. They should hold their hands up, accept their punishment and be willing to get on with it.

In a way it's tarnishing the GAA. At the minute there seems to be one rule for one fella and another rule for another fella which I really don't think is right at all. The scene here is that you have two big football powers and they seem to be dictating what goes on within the GAA and that's wrong. It's wrong for the likes of myself who's from Waterford. There could be another fella up in Donegal and another in Sligo who could have been involved in the same thing and they would have been punished.

And if they [Dublin and Tyrone players] took their punishment they wouldn't be missing the heavy schedule of summer. Some of them are only missing four weeks and some of them are only missing eight weeks. That's only a few games in the league and in comparison to what I had to miss and endure, it is very little. I missed out on an All Ireland semi-final. I was one game away from being able to make the biggest day of my career. So these fellas should get on with it, as I said. It's a bit ridiculous the way that it's after turning out.

You are brought up to love the GAA and everything about the GAA. That means playing the game and getting on with it and abiding by the rules of the GAA. Any guy who goes and decides to play hurling or football and enjoy them should abide by the rules. They should know that themselves. That's the right way to do things and that's not happening at the moment.

But these guys are available now and can play. Once they are available the counties will pick their best teams.

That's only natural. But something will have to happen where the GAA comes along and steps in and stamps their authority on the situation.

They need to say this is not going to happen and people are not going to get away with it so take your punishment.

Because if it keeps going on like this, then it's going to give every other person the right to go out every other Sunday with the feeling that they can get away with it as well.