Donal O'Neill in Irish Daily Mail slates GPA

[magpie seanie]

How this joker gets away with such an easy time from the press with his many contradictions just amazes me. An absolute clown.

[quidnunc]

The main reason Dessie gets such an easy time from the press is that he has issued many of them with threats that if they write negative pieces about the GPA he will organise players to boycott all interview attempts by those newspapers and media outlets. Fact.

[AZOffaly]

Is that publicly available quidnunc? Otherwise that's dodgy territory you're getting into.

[cornafean]

This does not explain the easy ride Farrell has always received from Eugene McGee & others who never interview players. Neither does it explain fully the depths to which the journalism of Martin Breheny in particular has descended, almost to the extent of self-parody, to support the GPA and its grants scheme, eg "sign up for grants or else!"

[AZOffaly]

Martin Breheny's journalism has descended into farce.

[orangeman]

I think the reason that Dessie gets such an easy ride from the press is that he provides such good stories and also the press wouldn't mind full time paid professionals - they'd have even more stories to report.

[orangeman]

Breheny used to be a decent journalist - but he seems to lose the plot in the closed season !

[bennydorano]

I love the way Dessie and the GPA are being held to comments made 6 years ago!  Surely any organisation worth it's salt, changes to suit it's members wishes or whatever conditions exist - I know the GAA does(or tries to).

But benny, the fact that 6 years ago he made a comment regarding 'long term plans' means it is still relevant.

Yes, but an embryonic organisation with a novice leader and a mature organisation with an experienced leader are entitled to shifts in direction/emphasis.  The GPA's stated position at the minute regarding amateurism seems pretty clear to me - if people choose to think they are liars that's their choice.

[cornafean]

Yes, but an embryonic organisation with a novice leader and a mature organisation with an experienced leader are entitled to shifts in direction/emphasis.  The GPA's stated position at the minute regarding amateurism seems pretty clear to me - if people choose to think they are liars that's their choice.

Indeed, but when the leader of any organisation publicly states their long-term objective, they can surely expect to have their subsequent actions and policies evaluated in the light of these previously stated objectives.

In the case of the GPA, they are in a particular bind at the moment as the attempts by their current leader (Dessie Farrell), to claim that they have abandoned their previously-stated objective to support professionalism, have been directly contradicted by his predecessor (Donal O'Neill).

[cornafean]

The GAA needs to create, constitutionalise and integrate a players welfare body which operates centrally and controls / limits / increases the welfare situation for all intercounty and club players in the GAA. With the inweviatbvle crushing of pay for play at congress, the GAA nmeeds to have a policy in place to aswiftly replace the GPA and leave Dessie isolated. 

I wonder is Donal O'Neill seeing that particular train coming down the line and positioning himself to drive it, from within the GAA?

[orangeman]

It does stike me that Donal O'Neill sees the bigger picture and that the GPA will not have many friends in the GAA by the time Dessie has finished with it, so has opted to remove himself from it and he may take up the mantle again albeit not attached to the GPA.

[feetofflames]

When you're thumping the tabletop, make sure your keyboard is out of the way
GPA does make ya tarabal angry 
I seriously would let the GPA players go and set up a professional rugby league style set up, in groundsharing with the local soccor and rugby grounds and reinvent the rules say to 12 or 11 a side to cope with the small Pitch
Could ya imagine the names:
Tyrone Tigers V Kerry Kryers
Leitrim ladies V Dublin destroyers
Cork (sorry game off they are on strike)

[Zulu]

This does not explain the easy ride Farrell has always received from Eugene McGee & others who never interview players. Neither does it explain fully the depths to which the journalism of Martin Breheny in particular has descended, almost to the extent of self-parody, to support the GPA and its grants scheme, eg "sign up for grants or else!"

Could the reason be that Eugene McGee and others support the GPA and it is their opinion that the organisation is good for IC players and the GAA in general. Could be as simple as that.

[cornafean]

This does not explain the easy ride Farrell has always received from Eugene McGee & others who never interview players. Neither does it explain fully the depths to which the journalism of Martin Breheny in particular has descended, almost to the extent of self-parody, to support the GPA and its grants scheme, eg "sign up for grants or else!"

Could the reason be that Eugene McGee and others support the GPA and it is their opinion that the organisation is good for IC players and the GAA in general. Could be as simple as that.

That's exactly my point. I could not imagine McGee reacting kindly to threats, either from an editor or elsewhere.

[theskull1]

This does not explain the easy ride Farrell has always received from Eugene McGee & others who never interview players. Neither does it explain fully the depths to which the journalism of Martin Breheny in particular has descended, almost to the extent of self-parody, to support the GPA and its grants scheme, eg "sign up for grants or else!"

Could the reason be that Eugene McGee and others support the GPA and it is their opinion that the organisation is good for IC players and the GAA in general. Could be as simple as that.

National media/journalism lives solely in an intercounty GAA world, so it's clearly in their own interests to support a more professional intercounty game. Did anybody think they have the GAA members interests at heart?

Their opinion is therefore invalidated by this fact