Hughes wants calendar addressed

Monaghan's Darren Hughes is in favour of revamping the championship structure in order to address the problems in the calendar.

GAA Director General Paraic Duffy has announced proposed changes to the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship which would see the quarter-finals scrapped in favour of a round robin competition.

The proposals will go before Congress next month and while Hughes is not entirely convinced by Duffy's plans, he believes the GAA must look at the calendar as a matter of priority.

“I’m all for change. I just think the GAA calendar needs [to be] wiped. Start from scratch," Hughes told the Irish Examiner at the lanch of eir Sport's Allianz Leagues coverage.

“I’d definitely be all for change because if the current template was put down in front of anyone, and went to Congress to be passed, it wouldn’t get through a county board meeting because it would just be thrown out straight away.

“The calendar needs to be scrapped and looked at from scratch again. Just thinking off hand, there are two sides to it. You lose one game and you have a second chance, but say if you were in Tipperary’s shoes the last day you win one game and you have to win another one to get to that All-Ireland semi-final so it’s the balancing act of it.

“It’s probably guaranteeing the top four teams will be in the All-Ireland semi-final.

"It’s a Catch 22. There’s pros and cons."

Monaghan's opening Allianz Football League match against Mayo is one of three games that will be broadcast simultaneously by eir Sport but the Farney County's preparations have been hit by the news that Dessie Mone could miss the entire league.

Mone suffered a suspected broken wrist in their McKenna Cup loss to Derry last weekend and is facing between eight and ten weeks on the sidelines.

“There is a bit of swelling on it, we would be hoping for the best case scenario, but it is going to be an eight week job I’d imagine. I think he has another scan, but nothing is confirmed yet,” Hughes explained.

More games than ever before! eir Sport will show 23 live games from the Allianz Leagues, including five triple headers. The eir Sport pack is free to eir residential broadband customers.