Liam Cahill has raised concerns about player welfare as inter-county and college demands pile up.

Cahill cited Oisín O’Donoghue and Darragh McCarthy as examples of young players who are currently trying to juggle Allianz Hurling League and Fitzgibbon Cup commitments.

“I’ve said it after the Galway and the Offaly games that the month of January and into the second week of February was going to be really difficult to manage when you have five players involved in the Fitzgibbon Cup final on Friday night,” the Tipperary manager told the media after last Saturday night’s defeat to Cork.

“Oisin O’Donoghue and Darragh McCarthy have to play again in the Fitzgibbon final and a few more we left off tonight. It is not simple. It is definitely something that has to be looked at next year. I hear talks of maybe an extra group or extra matches in the Fitzgibbon next year. Something will have to give.

“It is just not feasible to play here in front of the crowds and the level we are playing, when fellas have played equally competitive and aggressive games 48 hours before. We are talking out of both sides of our mouth in the GAA if we continue to allow that to happen in relation to player welfare. It has to work some way better.

“Assign a five- or six-week period for it and just get it played off and Fitzgibbon players be with their colleges only for that period of time.”

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