Roscommon manager John Maughan has criticised the fixtures list which he says is putting some of the county's top under-21 players through a "ridiculous" schedule, and believes poor calendar co-ordination is contributing to player burnout.

"I have been using five under-21s on my senior team in recent weeks, and this Saturday they are being asked to play against Sligo in the Connacht Under-21 championship on Saturday, and then turn around and play against Leitrim in a crucial National League match in Roscommon," said Maughan.

"And if they win on Saturday, they will be asked to do the exact same thing the following weekend - play against either Mayo or Galway in the Connacht final on the Saturday, and then play against Offaly in our last league match on the Sunday.

"That's four huge games in a week, if the results go our way. This is where player burnout starts. It's a ridiculous situation."

Last weekend, Richard Dooner, Cathal Cregg and David Hoey started on the team that beat Longford in the NFL, and David Keenan and Conor Devanney came on. Three more under-21s are on the senior panel.

"We don't have the depth of talent that other counties have, either. This year's league is very important in a number of ways, and I think it is wrong that players are being put under this sort of pressure."