Kildare midfielder Kevin Feely has called on the GAA to abolish its pre-season competition, allowing players more of a break.
The Lilywhites are back in action for their 2020 campaign on Saturday week when they take on Longford in the O’Byrne Cup and Feely says it’s too early of a return to “competitive” action.
"They (the GAA) didn't shorten the calendar at all by bringing the All-Ireland final back a month. They just moved the pre-season tournaments back a month. No-one likes it," he told the Irish Independent.
"It means you have to go back training earlier. Teams who make semi-finals and finals of club championship are getting a week, two weeks, of no football and then back into it. That's not right. The lads would like more of a break.
"A lot of managers would be very understanding of letting lads have a bit longer, but players themselves would feel uncomfortable with that, that everyone else is back. It's too early to be going back playing competitive matches.
"It will just lead to teams not treating them as competitive matches, because it is too early, and teams not entering in. They would be better without them and, from a player welfare point of view, it is probably not ideal."
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