Rory Kavanagh says the demands being placed on modern inter-county players is forcing them to retire at a younger age.

In an interview on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta's Barrscealta programme this morning, the Donegal All-Ireland winning midfielder said that the pressure on older players and a lack of recovery time, were important factors in his decision to retire from inter-county football, and suggested managers needed to adopt a different approach for younger and older players to address these issues.

"Teams will do anything to win the championship," he explained. 

"The good teams are out training in December.  The managers will do whatever they can to get the results.  I don't agree with it, but it's the way things are going for teams up and down the country.  The big thing for me is that players don't get any recovery time, they have no time to rest. 

"The game is getting too professional.  Dublin, Mayo, Kerry, Donegal, the standards are going up every year, to a professional level, yet we're still amateur players."

The 32-year-old St. Eunan's clubman stopped short of saying that the level of preparation is taking away from the pleasure of playing.

"I have really enjoyed playing for my county, and I think the other players are the same.  But this issue very important for the older players in their thirties.  It's a game for young men - the younger players who aren't married, don't have family ties, but it puts huge pressure on the older players."

Asked what he thought the solution was, he suggested managers tailor their approach based on different needs of the players.

"I think that managers need to look at their panels, and have a different approach for the younger and older players.  The older players need more recovery time.  It will drive people away from the game eventually if they don't address this problem.  I know it's something the GPA is looking at, and we need to get input from players," he added.

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