McKaigue has doubts over inter-county return

DERRY’S Chrissy McKaigue has said any inter-county return isn’t automatically going to happen just because the GAA, Government and players want it to. The talented dual player (pictured) pointed to the practical realities of it all and the problems currently being experienced in the scheduling of club championships due to Covid-19. With collective inter-county training allowed from September 14 ahead of a return to competitive league action from October 17, he told BBC’s Sportsound Extra Time: ‘You have to have a sense of realism when you are talking about sport at the minute. ‘There is certainly no guarantee that the club championship will finish off, never mind the prospect of an inter-county. ‘The club championship at the minute is tricky. We don’t have access to changing rooms, we are probably coming into worse weather and the training demands are a little different in terms of the restrictions. ‘As great as it is to have sport back and as important as it is, it is certainly a far-from-perfect template that we have. ‘So I am not 100 percent sure that the inter-county is going to happen, like everyone else, and I am not totally convinced as yet that it is the right thing to do either. ‘I think when you go back into an inter-county environment, you don’t have access to changing facilities, the weather in October and November time, and extended on if you are still in the championship, the weather is not going to be any kinder. ‘I am just not 100 percent sure how that is going to look in terms of player welfare or even preparation from a player or manager standpoint. ‘It’s a very, very tricky one. ‘Hopefully we can continue on and finish the club championships off.’