by Orla Bannon

Niall Moyna has claimed the colleges' participation in the pre-season inter-county competitions must continue in order to protect players from their county managers.

The DCU manager has hit back at managers such as Rory Gallagher, Kieran McGeeney and Niall Carew who've questioned the colleges' participation in the January competitions.

"The reason I like the colleges being in those competitions is that we can control the work-load and look after players," Moyna said.

"If they're not with us they're with the counties, and the counties are absolutely running them into the ground.

"Most of my inter-county players I actually rest them when they come to me. It's a huge problem."

The conflict over access to students peaks at this time of year and have lined up voice their concerns, much to Moyna's disgust.

"Inter-county managers need to take a really hard look at themselves and stop blaming everyone else, it's always everyone else's fault.

"I mean they get total access to their players once the national league starts. What are they giving out about - this is the pre-season.

"I have no sympathy at all.

"I may have sympathy, yes, for managers from counties with very very small picks. I can totally understand the conundrum they're in.

"But when I hear of some of the managers who are complaining and they're playing in Division One and Division Two, I have absolutely no sympathy for them.

"And people should stop blaming Croke Park - the people to blame are the county board chairmen who are allowing these managers to rule the roost. It has to stop."

Moyna, who hopes to steer DCU into a third Sigerson Cup final in a row next month, claims it's the college teams who keep players fresh at this chaotic time of the season.

"They come to the colleges and 95 per cent of the college teams do no physical conditioning, because we barely get our players.

"It's all tactics and game-based work and I think the fact that we have them for that week or two, at least they're being looked after.

"Being a physiologist, nine or ten years ago I took my whole squad to the lab and tested them. They were all in the top 10 per cent for their age and thought 'what am I doing any conditioning for?'

"These guys in the condition of their life.

"It's not like 10, 15, 20 years ago where you had an off-season and they put on weight and they had a good time. Players are never more than five per cent away from maximum fitness anymore.

"So for me, I'm delighted to have that opportunity to have them for the 10 days (in January) and rest them."

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