Having seen Ireland's 2 immense performance on the world stage there over the past few weeks it led me to think about the whole "Drinking and the GAA" issue. I'm sure it's no secret that a lot of the Irish Rugby team hit the town bigstyle just over a week before their 2 big games. Don't get me wrong I'm not begrudging it to them becasue they've obviously done a lot of work and deserve a night off but it has to beg the question do we in the GAA go completely overboard when it comes to drinking bans?
The year Monaghan won Division 2 they had been off the beer since November and were only allowed one night of celebration after their division 2 success. I myself have been involved in 3 month drink bans as well. It amazes me that these Professional International Athletes can perform to such a high level on 2 occasions withink 2 weeks of having been drinking and Intercounty and CLub players are expected to be dry for months and most of the time still come up short.
Are we taking ourselves too seriously? Should there be more realistic drink bans in place? Does anyone think that the culture in the GAA of going on massive drinking bans means more people are willing to flout it?
I'm just interested in hearing some opinions on it. My own opinion is that GAA teams, both club and county are getting much too carried away with themselves and that drink bans of one month before a game are more than sufficient coming up to championship and that you shouldn't drink the night before training or a normal match. I also believe it should be a two way thing and that if players are given this kind of respect they should not be out drinkinng 15 Aftershock and 10 vodka and red bulll.
If a more common sense approach was used I think drinking would become much less of an issue within the GAA than it is at present.
Rant over ;)
IMO these sports are completely different.
Gaelic games , the players have to be supremely fit to run like greyhounds over 60 mins with barely a break.
Rugby players play in short bursts with more emphasis on physical holding and tackling - therefore the speed/stamina and athleticism required is - well I was going to say 'less' but thats incorrect, it is different.
but to answer your question, to play the actual games, then the benedictine vow of abstinence is possibly a bit ott.
Then again too many players dont know when they should and when they should not go on the rip
Having spcoken with several players in the Tyrone camp, Mickey Harte doesn't put any drink ban in place per se. He does however expect the lads to behave responsibly and look after themselves but if they'd like a pint then it's OK. At the Club Tyrone dinner last year a fair few of the boys were having pints 2 days before a McKenna Cup game.
Although the stance taken by M Harte is a good one I think it would be extremely difficult to do this at club level. Lads simply wouldnt know when to stop and couldnt have a few pints
Quote from: lynchbhoy on November 20, 2006, 01:26:22 PM
IMO these sports are completely different.
Gaelic games , the players have to be supremely fit to run like greyhounds over 60 mins with barely a break.
Rugby players play in short bursts with more emphasis on physical holding and tackling - therefore the speed/stamina and athleticism required is - well I was going to say 'less' but thats incorrect, it is different.
but to answer your question, to play the actual games, then the benedictine vow of abstinence is possibly a bit ott.
Then again too many players dont know when they should and when they should not go on the rip
It appears average fitness scores for top Rugby players are now equalling and surpassing their GAA counterparts,probably on the basis of professionalism.As long as the Rugby lads have all week to recuperate ,and can avail of professional advice re the effects of alcohol on performance,then Alcohol is less likely to have a derimental effect on them ,compared to the amateur GAA player.But despite the gael's protestations to the contrary,alcohol consumption in the GAA is not a black and white issue ,in my opinion.
I think Mickey Harte has the right idea. Managers shouldn't necessarily slap an outright ban on players drinking, they should explain to them what's expected of them and highlight the rewards of giving committment to a team. Likewise, players who have any ambition whatsoever have to make up their minds what sort of sacrifice they personally are prepared to make to achieve those ambitions. If they feel the can do so and have a few drinks now and again, then that's fair enough. The zero tolerance approach, i believe, only leads to more resentment and filters through to supporters who go absolutely ape when they see one their county stars in a pub have a drink the week before a game.
At county level because of the even standard of players on a squad, they cannot get away with messing around as much as a club team. Also there generally is a good bit more maturity on a county sqaud and therefore less of a need for drink bans. At club level because of the different age groups involved then there is a greater spread of maturity in general terms. It is harder to ask a young buck who has been a minor star not to go out on the lash with his mates of his own free will than it is to say to a seasoned player. But lets face it it is only an amatuer game and players have lives outside of the game. I am lucky that my wife has always respected my desire to be successful and therefore has made social sacrifices with me but not all girlfriends are the same. A bit of respect and a bit of give and take between the players and management can go a very long way.
i would refrain from drinking about 10 days or so before a big game......
But ive known lads who have serious sessions up in college the Thursday before a weekend game and will then go out and play the field...
It really depends on the person,It takes me 3/4 days to recover from a good days drinking,some people dont need that much time.
Jasus BallyhaiseMan whats a good days drinking? 12 or 14 pints? or more.
The season is long, when you're on the drinks ban.
Moderation is the key.
I think long term total drink bans will eventually wear people down.
Less drinking does have some health advantages and may be good for some short term 'circle the wagons' campaigns with the all for one mentality, etc.
Then again by far my best performances in college soccer were on Saturday mornings after some serious drinking the night before. Not a formula for long term success, obviously.
I think self imposed drink bans are a good thing to do once or twice in your life (especially in the 19-24 age bracket). Its a bit of a Lough Dearg thing....to be able to at least say you did it...once :). After that to me it is over the top to IMPOSE drink bans. Anyway I always found my appetite for large amounts of alcohol dissappeared whenever I was training hard....anyone else ever get that??
TheGael must have a day off! ;)
Alcohol tastes alot better after winning......
sheskin
a serious all day session for me would be
about 15 pints...
some Tequilla..Vodka and Red Bull.
Its one of those events though,that if you're serious about winning championships...has to be a very rare occurance from March to October.
I think alcohol bans are imposed by managers who are trying to get commitment from the lads. THe thinking is that if the lads have been off the stuff, they will see themselves as being very committed.
If such a player was asked what commitment was like, you can be sure that the firs thing he would say would be 'well, we're all off the drink anyway'.
Total bans are not the answer IMO. Remember reading an article by an inter county player in one of the northern rags - the Sunday Life or Sunday World - who said that players were getting more and more pissed (not a pun) off with long term drink bans. From what I remember he argued that going off the drink for long periods only made players more uptight and that as long as all players agreed on the lenght of the ban and stuck then there was no problem with having a few drinks when there was ban. Infact at the right time it helped players.
This is a 'refreshing' and honest debate without zealots like the gael.I think Mickey Harte's call is right and most county managers follow this line.I think that a total ban before big games can act as a bonding exercise where adults make a commitment and hold each other to it. In Down, I expect Ross and DJ to follow this line as they knew how to prepare but they also knew the value of building a team.
I have always thought that the thinking behind drink bans is to give a team that pyschological edge, you know the auld "we're not off the drink since last Dec just for these shower of townie bastards to beat us now"....., physiologically, i'm quite sure there is very little impact on a players performance, presuming that he doesn't be stupid about it.
Does anybody see a connection between drinking and injuries?
I've had trouble with my hamstrings over the last 2 to 3 years. I feel most pulls and strains have occurred on the Tuesday night's training following a weekend in which I'd a bit too much of the blackstuff.
Depends how much you train and play an lark - if you play alot of football with no rest and have no off season then this is more likely the result of your hamstring pulls and strains.