Dónal Óg Cusack: GAA's job to tackle counter-productive media blackout as hurling semi-finalists silent this week

With a media blackout preceding this weekend's All-Ireland hurling semi-finals, Donal Óg Cusack has said it is the GAA's responsibility to create an environment where players and managers are encouraged to engage with the media.

Clare face Kilkenny on Sunday after Galway meet defending champions Limerick on Saturday in Croke Park, however none of the teams involved have organised any press events or conducted media interviews ahead of the games.

Cusack, speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, agrees this is counter-productive for promotion of the game and the Gaelic Players Association president has no problem with players being paid for appearances.

The current reluctance from the game's leading lights doesn't help in terms of helping to promote football and hurling, says the former Cork goalkeeper and All-Ireland winner, who has long bemoaned the fact that the games, hurling in particular, are being short changed in terms of coverage.

"Both sports are constantly battling and it is a battle," he said on RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland.

And while he feels the GAA have a big part to play in ensuring that the players are not always silent, he can understand the reluctance to speak ahead of big games.

"You have many factors feeding into it. For the players their number one priority is to play and compete and they don't want any other distractions at this time of year. Energy is a priority for them and if they can avoid giving energy to anything else they will.

"Feeding into that, they are obviously amateurs and the journalists are professionals, so there is an imbalance there immediately. We see right across society misquoting, taking words out of context, spinning in a different way is commonplace in sport. Things get passed along in