Donaghy hits out at scheduling of International series

AS if preparing a scratch team of amateurs for a hybrid test series against professionals wasn’t difficult enough, Anthony Tohill must also deal with the frustrating complications of the GAA’s convoluted fixtures calendar.

Two of the Irish International Rules manager’s key players, captain Stephen Cluxton and fellow Player of the Year nominee Darran O’Sullivan, are in club action this weekend and it remains to be seen if they will beavailable for the trip to Australia.

Cluxton lines out for Parnells against St Sylvesters while O’Sullivan’s Mid Kerry side features in a Kerry senior semi-final against East Kerry. Should either or both win they will face an unenviable ‘club v country’ conundrum. Of the two, Cluxton’s participation would seem the moreassured down under as it would beunlikely that Tohill would have offered the Dublin goalkeeper the armband if there was any lingering doubt over his availability for the two tests.