Laois hurling captain Enda Rowland has criticised the decision to shut down sporting affairs in Laois, Kildare, and Offaly.
The Abbeyleix man has also questioned the GAA's stance on the issue, stating his belief that the organisation has refused to speak up on the matter.
On Friday night, Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced a series of new restrictions that would be introduced in Laois, Offaly, and Kildare for the next two weeks.
It comes after 226 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the three counties over the last fortnight.
The new restrictions - which came into force at midnight - will see many businesses forced to close again until August 24th. However, they will also have an adverse effect on sport in the counties too.
Effectively, sport has been brought to a halt due to the clusters of COVID-19 which emerged in the three counties.
After the restrictive measures were announced, matches that were scheduled to take place on Friday evening were immediately postponed at the eleventh hour.
Speaking with Midlands 103, Laois' captain Enda Rowland expressed his frustrations and concerns at the recent measures, especially in terms of how it impacts the championship prospects for Kildare, Laois, and Offaly.
"I don't think it makes sense to anyone, how sport has fallen back because of this? I know there are more important things in life than sport, but for a lot of us, sport is a big part of our lives. I haven't heard of any clusters or cases being spread through any type of sport, let alone GAA. Why should GAA lose out because of something in a meat factory? Or, incompetence from people in a meat factory and in government. It just doesn't make sense," said the Laois captain.
While Rowland insisted that players have been adhering to the previous COVID measures, he now believes that the recent decision has made the players' efforts redundant.
"You're filling in your COVID questionnaire. Realistically, there's no point even filling in that questionnaire, because you're getting nothing out of it. All the fuss is coming from these meat factories. You're doing everything you possibly can, sanitising everything, getting kitted out in your car for a match. It just backfired and I can't understand it. I don't think I ever will understand it because it makes no sense.
"Regardless of GAA, if you own a business or run a restaurant and have done everything right, why should a meat factory be the one to shut you down? It has shut down the GAA, it's absolute madness.
"You have to question the GAA for allowing it to happen too, for not standing up. The GAA hasn't come out and said anything positive in terms of Laois, Offaly, or Kildare."
You can listen to the interview in full here.
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