Brilliant Brolly in Gaelic Life

[Hound]

Hound, I'm not sure how you can know that Brolly is castigating the GPA "purely for spiteful personal reasons". What's my motivation, then?

Obviously its my opinion of why Brolly wrote what he did, based on eveything I've seen and heard about him. "Purely" might be OTT but I do firmly believe that a lot of what he writes about the GPA is for spiteful and personal reasons and that only through a clash of personalities he'd still be a prominent supporter of the GPA.  One day he's a supporter, the next day he's fundamentally against them, and by a mad coincidence in between he had a falling out.

I guess you're motivation (seeing as you ask!) is that you are afraid that somehow the GPA will manage to convince the GAA at large to vote-in professional contracts for inter-county players.

My opinion is that it is absolutely bizarre that anyone could think the GAA could agree to professionalism, and that everything else the GPA have sought after has been worthy and should be given to the players, so therefore I support the GPA in the knowledge that professionalism will not come in for at least a generation, and probably a lot longer. But even if the GPA die, the professionalism topic certainly never will.

[Mayo4Sam]

Brolly is a BOLLOX.

Its ensightful debate like this that makes this board worth coming to.
How exactly does a comment like that further a debate?
If you can't put together a good argument you should head over to hogan stand

[Estimator]

Brolly has a point although the fact that he, or somebody in the Gaelic Life,  cannot spell Sean Cavanagh's name properley (spelt with a K throughourt the article - also had Colm Cooper as Colin Cooper) smacks of poor journalism.

Throughout his "journalism career" Brolly has spelt Cavanagh's name with a K! It's more to do with winding people up than poor journalism

[Hound]

Throughout his "journalism career" Brolly has spelt Cavanagh's name with a K! It's more to do with winding people up than poor journalism

And nobody who knows anything about Brolly would be surprised at that.

Most of what he writes or says should be listened to or read in the context of figuring out who it is he's trying to wind up. The substance of what he's saying is largely irrelevant. Brolly is for entertainment not for insights.

[phpearse]

Heard recently that a row was avoided in the Tyrone camp with a lot of players not best pleased about the statement being released alledgedly coming from the Tyrone team. A lot of players were not consulted about the statement. Apparently a former Tyrone player had a lot of input into the issuing of the statement. The general feeling in the Tyrone camp is that most of the players couldn't give a toss about the GPA, feel the county board look after them very well and just want to play football.

[Hardy]

My opinion is that it is absolutely bizarre that anyone could think the GAA could agree to professionalism, and that everything else the GPA have sought after has been worthy and should be given to the players, so therefore I support the GPA in the knowledge that professionalism will not come in for at least a generation, and probably a lot longer. But even if the GPA die, the professionalism topic certainly never will.

Reasonable points, Hound. However, I disagree completely that the GPA people are ultimately a benign influence because they can never achieve professionalism and everything else they do is worthy.

I fundamentally disagree with the basic proposition of the GPA that some players are more worthy of ... lets call it "compensation" than others. I firmly believe in the wedge theory. The tax relief idea is a wedge. Agree to that and we have conceded the principle that SOME players deserve separate MONETARY treatment. How can we then resist the full-tilt professionalism campaign that will follow? Certainly not on principle.

OK then – we can't afford it. End of argument. But no. Dessie and the boys have found a way that we can afford it! Sponsorship! Hooray! Problem is, sponsors are only interested in the big payloads. Goodbye Leitrim and Longford and the game as we know it. Hello Arnotts' Dublin Mets, Quinn Insurance Munster Monsters and about three other teams that the pro game could sustain, while the remaining units of the GAA become feeder teams for the pros, selling their ticket allocations to survive, coach youngsters, etc. Hello floodlit leagues. Great. But with changed rules, of course, to make it more exciting for television. Wider goals, maybe. 13-a-side to reduce wage costs – the full-time players will be fitter anyway. Transfers. You know yourself. It'll probably be great entertainment and compete very effectively with the other sport-entertainment businesses. But I won't be watching it.

I'll take the accusations of paranoia, etc. as read. In response, I give you .... ta daaaa – pro rugby! And for good measure ... wait for it - Eircom League soccer!

[zoyler]

As ever Hardy has covered all the bases - well said!

[tyroneman]

If Brolly could roll back the years and be in Sean Cavanaghs position now - young, talented and high profile I just wonder how much griping he;d be doing about the GPA or would be be first in the queue for endorsements and looking pay-for-play.

It's easy to think of the asthetic side of the GAa when yr past yr baest and strolling around Div 3 / 2 in Antrim

[drumanee]

If Brolly could roll back the years and be in Sean Cavanaghs position now - young, talented and high profile I just wonder how much griping he;d be doing about the GPA or would be be first in the queue for endorsements and looking pay-for-play.

It's easy to think of the asthetic side of the GAa when yr past yr baest and strolling around Div 3 / 2 in Antrim

typical response from a tyrone man,brolly had and still has a high profile both on and off the field and could demand high sums of money for after dinner speechs as micky harte did at our recent gala dinner(£600) but joe will not except a penny for helping out clubs trying to raise a pound or two,and don't go throwing crap about him having a high paying job.joe is a genuine gaa man and was as committed to his club as he was to the county and although alot of his comments are tongue and cheek and are said to raise a few eyebrows and cause a bit of controversy at the bottom of it all he can see through the gpa and what there are really after.also if sean cavanagh really wants to get better finacial gain from sport why did he not go to austriala

[nrico2006]

Drumanee said

also if sean cavanagh really wants to get better finacial gain from sport why did he not go to austriala

Why?  Because he loves playing Gaelic for Tyrone and the Moy.  Australian Rules is a different game.

[tieroan]

Tyroneman, as a fellow Tyronie i assure you Brolly is not attacking Tyrone in the Artical. He does say that if he was in his early twenties and was offered money to play he indeed would jump at the chance but in hindsight he in turn says that it would have been wrong. He seems to be highlighting that the players are not the only members of the GAA who offer their services. His point about Glenullins new changing rooms was excellent. Cost @ £250 000 grand yet the labour fee was nil. One of those who gave up his Saturdays to labour was Paddy bradley. In Tyrone Carrickmore are errecting a third stand, this time the old Nally stand, and i could bet my bottom dollar that the labor fee will be nil as well. Augher's too had labour done by players alike. The spirit displayed on wet Saturday morning would be great, the craic would be ninety as they say. To me that is what the GAA is about, not alienating our best players from their clubs, stunting the growth in rural areas.

[ONeill]

I thought it was a fine article. Brolly has made it known he despised the GPA but he calmly reasons why in the article. I think he's being honest when he states

' if someone had offered me the money to play when I was 20, I would've said "yes please". Young men find it hard to see the bigger picture. This is the dilemma. The players in a way are the pigs in the middle and many of them are uneasy about what is happening'

A rare form of humility is displayed when he states he contributed 'very little' to Derry GAA.

What's this about him once being a member of GPA?

[muppet]

brolly had and still has a high profile both on and off the field and could demand high sums of money for after dinner speechs as micky harte did at our recent gala dinner(£600) but joe will not except a penny for helping out clubs trying to raise a pound or two,and don't go throwing crap about him having a high paying job.

Would that be the high paying RTE job he has on the strength of being a Gaa star? Would it be the job he accepts serious money for while giving about about todays' stars looking for a €127 tax cradit?

The man is the worst type of hypocrite. He does exactly what preaches not to do. I expect him to run for election next, as an anti-election candidate.

Hardy's argument about what would happen if the Gaa went professional is probably accurate. That is why it can never happen and why the GPA realised sometime ago that pay for play was a non-runner.

  On the other hand we have posters here arguing to keep Croker closed as it raises the profile of Rugby/Soccer as competitors for the hearts and minds of future young players, at the same time they will tell those young players Gaa heroes to shove it if they think they are anything but eternally grateful for the priviledge of serving us.

[drumanee]

Why?  Because he loves playing Gaelic for Tyrone and the Moy.  Australian Rules is a different game.
[/quote

my point exactly,he loves football and he is playing because he wants to,nobody makes him play so just play get the rewards and dry his eyes

[drumanee]

brolly had and still has a high profile both on and off the field and could demand high sums of money for after dinner speechs as micky harte did at our recent gala dinner(£600) but joe will not except a penny for helping out clubs trying to raise a pound or two,and don't go throwing crap about him having a high paying job.

Would that be the high paying RTE job he has on the strength of being a Gaa star? Would it be the job he accepts serious money for while giving about about todays' stars looking for a €127 tax cradit?

no it would not,it is his day job as a barrister which will make what he gets from rte pennies.