Brendan Maher says he was surprised rather than angry after the Club Players Association withdrew from the GAA fixture review committee.

The Tipperary All-Ireland winner joined Joe Molloy on Off The Ball after a memorable year when they beat Kilkenny in August's final.

But the Borris-Ileigh club-man also shared his thoughts on the CPA's decision to withdraw.

"I won't say I'm angry. But I was a bit surprised when I heard the news this morning," he said on Tuesday.

"It is worrying obviously that they've decided to pull out because it tells you that the negotiations were obviously not going any way right in terms of the CPA's point of view. That's a worry.

Borris-Ileigh and Tipperary hurler Brendan Maher is pictured ahead of the AIB GAA Munster Senior Hurling Club Championship Final. They face Ballygunner on Sunday, November 24th at Páirc Uí Rinn. AIB is in its 29th year sponsoring the GAA Club Championship and is delighted to continue to support the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Championships across football, hurling and camogie. For exclusive content and behind the scenes action throughout the AIB GAA & Camogie Club Championships follow AIB GAA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

"People refer to us and people like me as inter-county players. But we're club players first and foremost. That's where it starts and where it finishes.

"For me, from a club point of view, it is very frustrating currently the way the structures are. In Tipperary alone, you play two games maybe in April. Then you don't know when your next game is."

Clarity

With that in mind, Maher is keen for clarity to be at the heart of fixture reform.

"It's not structured enough and there's no clarity there for the club player," he continued.

"So you're training, thinking, 'Oh, we might be playing this time or we might be playing this weekend. So it's quite difficult to keep lads motivated and keep the morale up in clubs.

"I'd love a bit of structure and clarity. Give the inter-county season their time. But give the club their set time and don't interfere with it. And if that's possible, that's what everyone wants. They just want clarity. I want to know when I'm playing my games and when I train for and when I need to peak."

You can watch the full interview with Brendan Maher above via our YouTube channel.

AIB is in its 29th year sponsoring the GAA Club Championship and is delighted to continue to support the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Championships across football, hurling and camogie.

For exclusive content and behind the scenes action throughout the AIB GAA & Camogie Club Championships follow AIB GAA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

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