Current All-Ireland schedule 'exhausting' - Murphy

Michael Murphy captained Donegal to All-Ireland success in 2012

Former Donegal captain and All-Ireland winner Michael Murphy says he would keep the current format but tweak the competition's "exhausting" schedule.

The first round of group stage matches took place on 18 May and the final is scheduled for 28 July.

For Derry, Galway, Roscommon and Louth, who had to go through the extra preliminary quarter-final, that could mean seven matches in the space of 10 weeks if they were to reach the decider.

Armagh, Dublin, Kerry and Donegal had a extra week of rest ahead of the quarter-finals on Saturday and Sunday after winning their respective groups.

"I would give another opportunity to the current system as it is, but we definitely need more breathing space between games," Murphy told BBC Sport NI.

"It's exhausting for fans, they want time to discuss and delve into the matches for a couple of days. That's very quickly taken over by the week-to-week games.

"I can only imagine for players what it is like having to get yourself prepared. There is a lot of travel, logistics, overnight accommodation. Things like that."

Murphy added that giving the current format, which he "doesn't mind", an extra year to showcase its strengths and weaknesses is important to get "a true sample".

"People have mentioned the word jeopardy and there's not enough of it in the group stages," Murphy said.

"But if you look at it, Mayo were leading by a point going into injury-time against Dublin. There was huge jeopardy in that.

"Dublin went up the other end and all of a sudden Mayo don't get that week off and they are out.

"Galway let slip a five-point lead against Armagh in their last game too. Armagh draw, get top spot and now Galway are playing Dublin.

"What is maybe an issue is the timing. The games being played week on week, it's exhausting for everybody."