Andy Moran has labelled the condensed inter-county schedule an 'absolute joke'.

Moran's Leitrim side were edged out for promotion from Division 4 by neighbours Sligo yesterday, but as disappointing as that was, it means they won't have to play an Allianz League final six days before facing New York in the first round of the Connacht SFC on Saturday week.

"What I would say is that the scheduling is an absolute joke. It actually helps us that we didn't win, in terms of scheduling for New York," he told Off The Ball.

"We really wanted to win because we were prioritising the League, maybe a bit more so than the New York trip.

"You look at those Sligo boys, they've to go up to Croke Park next week and then have to jump on a plane over to London on Thursday or Friday to play a championship match on the Saturday. It leaves them wide open.

"I'm not talking for (Sligo manager) Tony McEntee, but if we were in the same situation we would have been jumping on the plane to New York.

"It's not fair on players in terms of trying to prep. Michael Duignan came out last week and said about the amount of injuries. When I was in college back in the noughties, all the studies were about burnout and what we were going to do."

The former Footballer of the Year added: "Now we just absolutely flog our young and elite players with games upon games upon games. When this is all over, they have to go back to their clubs and play again.

"Someone just has to shout 'stop'." 

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