Joe Brolly

[From the Bunker]

Money has to be made. Players are disposable. And sure at best you'll get 10 years out of any inter county player. They used to worry about the Aussies stealing players, but they have realised there are plenty of fish in even our small pool. Nothing to worry about there is a new hero around the corner. Many of today's footballers will realise when they get older and are suffering from different chronic injuries just how much they were taken advantage of. Youth is a mad place because you cannot for the life of you envisage being old and being a cripple from sacrifices. 

[Jinxy]

I think it's a bit OTT to be talking about cripples etc. and I don't think the physical implications of the increased level of commitment is what Joe was getting at.
The issue is that whereas in years gone by, your career may develop more slowly because you were a county footballer, now you effectively cannot start your career because you are an inter-county footballer.
There are too many lads going from scholarship to scholarship as Joe says and delaying their entry into the real world.
What are their prospects when they hit 29/30?

[BennyHarp]

I don't usually have a lot of time for Joe's comments but on this issue he is bang on. Often the most simple solutions to problems are the best and this is a very straight forward idea which would be easy to implement. Running the league from January to March and the championship April to July makes perfect sense. Leaving half the year for the clubs is essential if we are to cater for the majority of players who participate in our games. He is also right about players welfare with regards to their careers. This is an area which has been neglected over the years and giving a lad a job as a coach or a scholarship for another degree to play more football is not looking after their best interests. I hope in this instance his comments are taken on board by the powers that be.

[Zulu]

I'd agree with his sentiments but his solution is not in the best interests of the GAA IMO and ignores a lot of realities, like getting hurling folk to agree to playing in January and February, the minor All Ireland can't be played in June (so clubs can't necessarily swing into action in July), family holidays in July/August impacting on club fixtures, getting club championships to all Ireland completion by early December. We've too few games for all players with some playing on far too many teams. I'm not sure Joe's solution addresses that.

[BennyHarp]

I'd agree with his sentiments but his solution is not in the best interests of the GAA IMO and ignores a lot of realities, like getting hurling folk to agree to playing in January and February, the minor All Ireland can't be played in June (so clubs can't necessarily swing into action in July), family holidays in July/August impacting on club fixtures, getting club championships to all Ireland completion by early December. We've too few games for all players with some playing on far too many teams. I'm not sure Joe's solution addresses that.

There's going to be problems whatever way you try to do it but the current situation is not working. The hurling championship only has about 12 or so teams so it should be able to find a way to condense the season on their own without causing a workable solution in football to be found. And if we base the fixtures around people going on holiday then we may as well forget trying to find any solution. If that does become a big issue would there be any merit in running the club championships from January to June and the Inter county from July to the end of October/ mid November?

[Zulu]

Your right Benny there is no problem free solution but I don't think it's as easy as saying IC for 6 months club for 6 months. The problems are more complex than that, for example if you are starting IC in January then training will have to start in November when clubs are coming to the end of their season how do those equations balance out. In saying that, what we have currently is possibly the worst case scenario.

[BennyHarp]

Your right Benny there is no problem free solution but I don't think it's as easy as saying IC for 6 months club for 6 months. The problems are more complex than that, for example if you are starting IC in January then training will have to start in November when clubs are coming to the end of their season how do those equations balance out. In saying that, what we have currently is possibly the worst case scenario.

Yes, I agree that the problems are a bit more complex than just splitting the year but if we are starting from scratch with the fixtures and trying to get all competitions run off in a calander year then getting a defined season for club and county as perhaps the two most important areas to cater for first, may be a good starting point to work from. We can try to manage the other problems around this structure with perhaps a redefined minor championship being part of the solution with an u20 competition replacing minor and u21 running along the senior championship with no players allowed to compete in both.

[Zulu]

Yep, breaking the multi team representation model is vital in my opinion. We do need to get radical about the problem, of that there's no doubt.

[yellowcard]

I think this will be Joe's new crusade over the next few months and if it isn't debated now (and more importantly action taken) it will be forgatten come championship and another year will be lost. Ironically the GPA have done absolutely nothing on this matter to the best of my knowledge and like him or loathe him my money would be on Brolly in producing lively debate and effecting change over the GPA any day of the week. I'm sure there are plenty of people who know county players who loathe the sacrifices and slog that is getting worse every year but who will say nothing because of the pressure put on them by their peers and management to not let their county down.

[JoG2]

The GPA are doing nought. ..a few self servers on an undisclosed wage  paying lip service to some of the countries elite players whilst jet setting around the world.  Those chancers don't  wanna rock the boat I'd imagine

[theskull1]

Joe's ability to carry and argument is standing his position in good stead. A man with lesser skill would be attacked and squashed by those at (in those overly interested in) the revenue generating end of the GAA. We're very lucky to have him.

Id say those people are going to hold their hands to their ears and hope it all blows over. The question is will it? How do we force this issue to get addressed?

[Applesisapples]

I think the time has come for County players to be totally withdrawn from clubs whilst they are in the first 26. This is harsh on clubs granted but it would be easier on the player and he has a choice.

[Bingo]

I think the time has come for County players to be totally withdrawn from clubs whilst they are in the first 26. This is harsh on clubs granted but it would be easier on the player and he has a choice.

This is an extremely dangerous position to go down for a number of reasons. One been that the gap between the successful sides and the cannon fodder will only grow. We already see it in some counties where the best players aren't playing intercounty because they see more benefit in playing with their club i.e. chance of success, no hammerings, half the work etc. This would only happen more.

You'd be faced with a big club and county divide. This mightn't matter in the big urban centres but at grassroot level round the country it would soon become a problem.

There has be a balance somewhere in the middle for everyone.

More and more the GAA at all levels is turning into big business and volunteers will only facilitate this for a time, generally volunteers don't do business.

[bannside]

Joe is 100% here. Not too many of the GAA bigwigs will be queueing up to take him on either. It's a mess as it stands and the game is worse off for it.

The fun is fast going out of the game and so too is the enjoyment of playing or watching it.  Wouldn't fancy being a forward at all in today's game.

And for all the bluster, not one meaningful change was implemented to prevent burnout.

There is still a period in the calendar whereby a talented young player could be under pressure to train, play, or if not, "still come along anyway to show your face" with four different teams. County U 21's and seniors, as well as club and university. Crazy altogether, and in all this by far the biggest lose is the player himself who will be either burned out early, tired all the time, or simply get fed up with all the pressure.

Go on Joe. This time the vast majority of GAA followers are behind you.

[magpie seanie]

I agree with Brolly here. The intercounty game is destroying the GAA and the great bastions of protecting players are to the forefront of the drive to professionalise the game. The GPA are completely unfit for their stated purpose but many of us realised that their stated purpose was only a cover. It always really been about money with them. Intercounty players might have got less gear and money pre-GPA but I guarantee they enjoyed it an awful lot more. The powers that be in Croke Park also stand indicted for allowing this to happen. They're even worse.