Does the GAA's amateur status work against working class players?

[Orchard park]

I don't think there ever was a time (in my lifetime anyway) when you could realistically expect to live the life of a junior doctor in a hospital for example, and for that to be compatible with playing intercounty games. There may have been exceptions, but in general there were always jobs that were fairly incompatible with the type of commitment required - the key thing however was that this didn't apply to the ordinary working man.

Last Doctor I can think of that played for Armagh was Colin Hanratty in the late 80s. I remember him citing work commitments in his early retirement  (tho he did have a bad leg break).

Great post btw.

Niall McInerney is a fifth year medical student. It's not that rare, Jack Mc is a year ahead of him in UCD. Tough, but not impossible.

The key word there is medical student. Neither of them are doing 24 hour shifts at the Mater or UCHG. And as was pointed out, these are two young lads with no other life commitments.

Neither would have any intention of retiring from football in 8 or 20 months time I'm sure. Training to be a doctor is only marginally less time consuming than actually being one.

Armagh women do this sort of thing routinely
http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/ladies-football/is-this-the-busiest-woman-in-irish-sport-armagh-dual-star-and-flying-doctor-caroline-ohanlon-31380116.html

Noelle Health is probably the most high profile working doctor playing..... bug there is no way I can see a junior hospital doctor able to combine elite sport with career

[AZOffaly]

Tipp football corner back and international rules player, Ciaran MacDonald is a doctor.

[StGallsGAA]

Should the title of the thread perhaps be "Does the GAA's amateur status work against players who have to put their job first?"   

[T Fearon]

My late brother was a Doctor.He was in final year medical student at Queens in 1982/83,and opted out of defending his Sigerson medal in that year as he feared picking up a hand or arm injury that would jeopardise his final exams.

Was on and off the Armagh Senior Panel in his Junior Doctor years,and won an Ulster Junior Medal in 1985,but even 30 years ago it was practically impossible.

[The Subbie]

Is the age of the farmer in GAA dying out? the 80s,90s use to have loads of tough farmers on their county teams and every second advert on TV before a game was somewhat related to farming.

Darren Hughes the Monaghan midfielder is a farmer .

[Kuwabatake Sanjuro]

There are less small farmers around these days and the big ones would be more likely to be playing rugby if they have the time to be playing sports at all. Might be a bit different out west.

[T Fearon]

Is there any what might be termed working class players playing inter county football anyway these days? In 1977 All Ireland Final team Armagh had factory workers,and Cork's Teddy Mc Carthy was a forklift driver.Are there any players today in those types of professions?

[shark]

There are less small farmers around these days and the big ones would be more likely to be playing rugby if they have the time to be playing sports at all. Might be a bit different out west.

John Heslin has become the young face of farming. Teageasc had him front and centre at the ploughing, features regularly in farmers journal, and has a farming column in the Westmeath Examiner. Think he has (or is completing) a PhD in agriculture.

[ONeill]

Ricey McMenamin's a doctor of something.

[Hardy]

That's nuttin'. Noel O'Leary is a tree surgeon.

[giveballaghback]

When you refer to working class are you referring to Leo"s lads that get up early in the morning or Paul Murphys lads that stay in bed or the pub all day?

[Wildweasel74]

Age of the farmer, f**k try the age of the joiner and bricklayer like Benny Coulter, Enda Muldoon, Greg McCartan, Watched Mark Lynch on a building site every day  beside me at work about 2yrs ago, never off his feet, though it a brutal day outing putting in that shift then away to football training 60 mile away same evening, with likely no dinner. that's the crap none of us see when we giving out about players on a sunday in a game

[Walter Cronc]

Kevin Johnson (Derry) is a junior doctor and has played very little recently.

Is the GAA not a middle class game nowadays anyway? Sure most of those Dublin lads went to private schools. There are elements in the GAA not an asses roar of the rugby click for snobbery.

[shark]

Kevin Johnson (Derry) is a junior doctor and has played very little recently.

Is the GAA not a middle class game nowadays anyway? Sure most of those Dublin lads went to private schools. There are elements in the GAA not an asses roar of the rugby click for snobbery.

Most? Hardly.

[Kuwabatake Sanjuro]

Kevin Johnson (Derry) is a junior doctor and has played very little recently.

Is the GAA not a middle class game nowadays anyway? Sure most of those Dublin lads went to private schools. There are elements in the GAA not an asses roar of the rugby click for snobbery.

The player profiles in the Kildare county final yesterday was interesting enough. Celbridge's squad was extremely white collar whereas Moorefield (traditionally Newbridge's working class club) had quite a few tradesmen and members of the defence forces on their panel. They also had a lot more heart but it is hard to know if the 2 are linked.