Tightness of calender probably influencing lack of media opportunities - McHugh 

Mark McHugh says the claustrophobic nature of the All-Ireland series might be hampering players and managers when it comes to being made available for interviews to the media.  

Out of the four All-Ireland semi-finalists competing this weekend, only Kerry’s Jack O’Connor partook in any kind of exchange and that was over Zoom on Monday. 

Their opponents on Saturday, Armagh, as well as Sunday’s other semi-final participants, Donegal and Galway, didn’t speak to the media in the lead-in to the weekend. 

McHugh was one of four former players rolled out by AIB midweek for their pre-All-Ireland semi-finals press event. 

But the 2012 All-Ireland winner says the tightness of back-to-back games might be influencing the availability of current stars as well as managers. 

“I think the structures have a lot to answer for,” he said. “There are too many games. 24 games to get rid of four teams hasn’t worked. 

“At the start of the year, your ear is glued to every podcast and you’re reading so many good articles. 

“But the truth is, I kinda zoned out there after a while. It took until the quarter-finals again before I started really looking at it. 

The tightness of it too, two weeks is a tight timeframe where managers and players probably have to make every available second together count.”

Pressed on whether players are afraid to ‘slip up’ or give something away to their opponents, McHugh says that’s it’s difficult to answer as every player is different. 

He himself recently had comments taken from a wide-ranging interview on Armagh plucked and pasted in a manner that might have been easily used as motivation fodder in the Orchard changing room.

“I don’t know… there might be that element to it. I genuinely don’t think players mind that too much - speaking to the media. 

“Really, that’s the genuine truth. It’s surprising to hear hardly none of the last four had any media events. 

“I still think we need to market out games a lot better with the primary components accessible. 

“I remember back in 2012, before the Ulster final and all the All-Ireland knockout games we’d media present after training. Like, everyone was available those nights for one-to-ones. 

"It was usually the first night back after a win and it allowed you then a clear run at it. So everyone, management, players and the media were happy. 

“But there were big timeframes between those games so, like I said, maybe that’s part of it”.

He added: “The semi-finals even, they are back to back now the same weekend. They used to be stand-alone with nice separate build-ups to both. They should be let breathe. 

“So all the stakeholders in this probably do need to sit down and look at this going forward. Because you want to hear and read what’s going on ahead of such a big game”.