Kildare junior football manager Tony Kelly has expressed disappointment that championship games involving a number of his players were played last Saturday and Sunday.

Kelly had requested that the games involving his players be played last Friday night to allow them more time to prepare for next Saturday's All-Ireland JFC final against Cork. However, only two games involving the teams with players on the junior panel went ahead on Friday night.

"We beat Lancashire in the semi-final on the Saturday evening and the following day some club managers rightly didn't play the lads in what were meaningless games, but some unnecessarily did. At the end of the day, we have to fight our own corner and in truth it's only a few clubs that are causing trouble," he said in the Leinster Leader.

"Clubs were asked beforehand if they would play their games on the Friday night, but some wouldn't agree to it. I think this is very unfair on the players.

"What clubs and managers need to remember is that these players train four nights a week like the seniors do, but get no expenses, no nothing for it. They do it for pride in the jersey and they deserve respect for that from their club managers." Tweet

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