BY ALAN RODGERS

A.RODGERS@GAELICLIFE.COM

A HECTIC schedule of games which saw the Ulster U-21 Championship being completed within a matter of weeks has been slammed this week.

Donegal manager Sean Clerkin has hit out at what he describes was the undue haste with which the competition was run off. Down will play Derry in the final tomorrow (Saturday) at Casement Park.

The Oak Leaf county comfortably defeated Donegal in the semi-final. But Clerkin believes a little more flexibility would have afforded more respect to the efforts of the various counties.

"We had to play three very tough games in the space of about ten days. It's an insult to the players to ask them to do this for such an important competition," he said.

"Our first was against Monaghan and just five days later we were ready to play Armagh. Both games took place on very heavy pitches and the requests for a bit more leeway were turned down.

"When that game was over we then had to prepare for the semi-final against Derry. It just wasn't possible to keep players fresh for all these challenges, especially at this time of year.

"I'm not saying that we would have gone onto to the final, but I just feel that the schedule wasn't fair to everyone. This is at a time when concerns about player burnout are constantly being aired," he added.

The U-21 Championships have recently come under the spotlight amid concerns about burnout. While many believe that they would be scrapped altogether, others maintain that the competition offers an effective bridge between the Minor and senior grades.

While the Ulster Championship is being completed tomorrow, Clerkin says that some of the other provincial councils are less anxious to ensure their championships reach such quick conclusion.

"If Derry end up winning the Ulster Championship, then they'll have done so in the space of about two weeks," he continued. In Leinster they've three more teams and don't seem to be in as big a hurry to finish up.

"It is very taxing on players both from a physical and mental viewpoint and it's in contrast to the situation which is there in the other provinces. The way I see is that the counties who might get a slightly more favourable draw are unfairly advantages in terms of their prospects of reaching the final or winning the title.

"My view is that the effort both players and counties are putting into this competition merits a bit more flexibility. It's very disheartening for us the way things worked out.

"We feel very aggrieved with the Ulster Council about the way all this was done. As a result, I think we'll only get a true picture of what way things are on Saturday," he continued.

The All-Ireland semi-finals in the U-21s are scheduled for April 20, with the final due to take place two weeks later on May 3.That will leave ample time for the winners of tomorrow's game to prepare after what has been a busy programme of games since March 17.