Dublin GAA: "You Wouldn't Do It To A Greyhound" - Jim Gavin
Jim Gavin was happy with parts of Dublin's performance in their 1-16 to 0-7 hammering of Mayo which sent the Boys in Blue to the Allianz Football League, Division One summit.
But the Dublin boss certainly isn't happy with the scheduling of third-level football matches which saw UCD players line out for the Sigerson Cup semi-final and decider on successive days.
Dubs defender Jack McCaffrey lined out for UCD in the games on the 17th and 18th of February before limping off with a calf problem in the league clash with Donegal just eight days later.
"There's so many experts in the science field in the universities but yet we see them then putting players out to play back-to-back games on a Friday and a Saturday", Gavin said in the post-match press conference at Croke Park.
"You wouldn't do it in any other sport. You wouldn't do it to a greyhound probably so to be asking inter-county footballers to play games like that, it's not acceptable really.
"I hope the third-level colleges change it because Paul Mannion suffered from it and Jack nearly did as well so we just said we'd manage his load and take him off the field."Gavin explained that his ire wasn't directed at the colleges, but the people in charge of planning the fixtures.
"It's not UCD's problem. Sure what can they do. They're fulfilling the fixture as it is in the third-level colleges but it's not acceptable.
"I wouldn't do it with the under-nines below at club, play games back-to-back like that so why would we do it at that level where most of those players, they're senior club players at home with their clubs or they're playing inter-county and it's just not good enough.
"And it's the cumulative effect of the load. It's not just on the next day. It's that impact that it has over time so I hope somebody looks at it."