Fermanagh manager Ryan McMenamin expects the National League start dates to be pushed back with current restrictions looking set to be extended and he has called on the GAA to give clarity on the situation.

The GAA had initially planned for the league to commence on the last weekend of February with inter-county squads returning to training on January 15.

However, with the rise in infection rates of Covid 19 and the increased risk of community transmission, the GAA took the decision early in January that there will be no collective training permitted for inter-county teams for at least the remainder of the month of January and said they would review the situation on January 29.

McMenamin’s view is that given the current situation the leagues won’t commence until the end of March or start of April.

“The GAA are to look at it again at the end of the month but we would just like to have clarity on it as soon as possible and I think everyone is in the same boat.

“With the high numbers we have to be realistic about it, and we have to look after the well being of all the players.

“I can’t see us starting at the end of February, in all honesty it is going to well into March or the start of April before the league starts, if they start at all.

“Both governments, both north and south, have said that restrictions are going to continue but you would hope that maybe by the start of March we might be able to get back training,” he said.

READ MORE: Fermanagh manager McMenamin confirms quartet have opted out

McMenamin feels that if a call is made now then they could tell their players to take a couple of weeks away from their personal programmes and allow them to return fresh with a new start date in mind.

“You are trying to plan ahead so you would like a decision before the end of the month but Croke Park are probably looking for as much time to get as much information as possible.

“From the players point of view, they have been training away by themselves but if we knew the league wasn’t starting until late March at the earliest we could give the players a couple of weeks off from their personal programmes and tell them to get the bodies right and just take a break from training by themselves which is hard and does take a lot of motivation,” said the Fermanagh manager.

He is hopeful though that the league, which will have a shorter, regionalised format this year, will go ahead if it is safe to do so.

“There are more important things than football and the next four to six weeks are going to be tough but hopefully we can get through it and then see some light.

“It would be good if they all went ahead, to get any football going would be great, the boys want to be playing and people are missing it as it takes the mind off more pressing matters.

“I was chatting a few people recently who said they were even missing the McKenna Cup, they just wanted some football,” he added.

McMenamin also acknowledges that there is the option for the GAA to make changes to the make up of the season by possibly playing the championship again at the tail end of the year.

“They could maybe flip it and start club in July and then flip back to inter-county or stretch the inter-county into August, they do have those options. Look, it is a difficult situation to be in and everybody knows that.”

For now though the squad are continuing to train away on their own in preparation for the season when it does get started.

“Players are just working away on their own programmes, they have their programmes individualised so different boys are working away on different things and it is a credit to them and they just have to keep the head down and keep going at it,” concluded McMenamin.