Gilroy fears for stars amid gruelling Sigerson schedule

DUBLIN boss Pat Gilroy has expressed concern for the welfare of his players who could be forced to play three games in as many days in next week’s Sigerson Cup.

The two college teams who reach Saturday’s final in UCD will have played over 180 minutes from Thursday’s quarter-finals and Gilroy rates it as a major burnout issue.

“I just don’t know how they’re going to do it,” he said. “It’s not as if they play those games and they’re not intense. They’re as close to inter-county level as you get. I don’t know what state they’ll be in by the Sunday. You worry about it as an inter-county manager with so many fellas involved. Clearly we won’t be doing anything with them next week but three games in that space of time, is very difficult.”

Gilroy has also criticised the lack of coordination between the Higher Education committee and the other competition bodies. He cites the example of James McCarthy who will have played six games in 14 days by Thursday between club, county and college.

“You have a situation where you have an U21 body dealing with its fixtures, the colleges group dealing with their fixtures and a central group dealing with the National League fixtures. There doesn’t appear to be a central coordination to say, ‘Hold on a second, we’re going to play an U21 game, a National League game and three Sigerson games, in what, 10 days? No professional would be asked to do that in any sport.”

Dublin wing-forward Paul Flynn, who will line out for Sigerson champions DCU next Thursday, labelled the consecutive three-day format as “absolutely outrageous”.

“There’s no way the same 15 lads are going to start the three games, it is absolutely outrageous to play three games in three days. Last year in the final I was absolutely wrecked and came off after 50 minutes.”