Jerry Kiernan has a shot at GAA players/fitness levels

[armaghniac]

This is the old gripe. The GAA has money because people are interested in it. Some other activities have less money as less people are interested in them. Many involved in these activities reckon the government should take taxpayers money and give it them rather than the things the taxpayers are typically interested in.

[JHume]

The train collectively once a week during the league, perhaps rising to twice during the summer, and twice at weekends when they have no matches. Double sessions on a Saturday are commonplace.

Thanks, didn't realise this. Interesting, so they don't do much on the weekday nights collectively?

Last summer, during the championship, they usually trained twice a week (sometimes only once). Maybe a double session on Saturday, and again a session on a Sunday. They weren't playing much club football! There was at least three 'training camps' too where they went away to 3-5 days.

They did work on personal gym programmes too, usually in groups of 4 and 5. Lot of work done on so-called prehabilitation too (i.e. exercises aimed at minimising exposure to injuries).

Quality above quantity was the name of the game.

[Eamonnca1]

Comparing the fitness and training regime of a Gaelic footballer to that of a long distance runner is like comparing a rally car to an F1 car.  They're different horses for very different courses.

There's also the matter of the economic benefits of Gaelic games, albeit the same effect as the service industry in that it doesn't bring much money into the economy from outside but it helps to move it around.  The main point of supporting Gaelic games is that the GAA is the country's biggest generator of social capital (according to the ESRI) because of the huge volunteer effort that goes into keeping it going at grassroots level.

I can understand someone wanting to see his own sport better funded and better promoted, but disparaging other sports (while freely admitting that you know damn all about them) is not a clever way to go about it.

[cadence]

with rising levels of obesity a smarter position would be to promote more funding for all sports rather than fall into the whole they get more than us point of view.

+ it can't be a bad thing that an amateur sport that has so many participants gets a wee bit of funding to maintain some players at the top end. the gaa does a huge amount for public health in ireland. a few shillings in return here and there from the government could never repay the amount of positive public health outcomes that are a result of the gaa.     

[Ard-Rí]

Nobody has time for or interest in long distance running. Runner not happy about that. Sin more or less é.

[tyssam5]

The train collectively once a week during the league, perhaps rising to twice during the summer, and twice at weekends when they have no matches. Double sessions on a Saturday are commonplace.

Thanks, didn't realise this. Interesting, so they don't do much on the weekday nights collectively?

Last summer, during the championship, they usually trained twice a week (sometimes only once). Maybe a double session on Saturday, and again a session on a Sunday. They weren't playing much club football! There was at least three 'training camps' too where they went away to 3-5 days.

They did work on personal gym programmes too, usually in groups of 4 and 5. Lot of work done on so-called prehabilitation too (i.e. exercises aimed at minimising exposure to injuries).

Quality above quantity was the name of the game.

And there was me thinking they'd changed their ways! 

[Farrandeelin]

I stopped reading when he said 'I don't particularly like the GAA'.

[Itchy]

Who is jerry kiernan? Never heard of him, his opinion means about as much to me as the drunkard who lives up the street from me.

[ballinaman]

I watch some of the games occasionally but I don't particularly like the GAA. I don't like football in particular. I don't think there's much to it
From a runner?

Fúck away off!

Favourite post of the year so far!!  Brilliant. (Not being sarcastic by the way!)

[Syferus]

It's probably been pointed out before but I absolutely love the deliciousness of the irony of someone know for jogging slowly saying there's 'not much to football'.

EDIT: feckin' hardstation. You'll get your comeuppance when the Rossie bandwagon pulls up for its first Paddy's weekend stop. 

[rrhf]

I agree about the grants issue. I think that 900k should go to gaa clubs not individuals. I hate the self centred non drinking elements to athletics.  3 or 4 medals in 40 years is a disgrace. More talent not more money is the answer.

[rodney trotter]

Whatever about his comments (Which I wouldn't agree with) He is an awful pundit, Probaly the most boring Sports Pundit RTE had during the Olympics last summer.

[ballinaman]

It's probably been pointed out before but I absolutely love the deliciousness of the irony of someone know for jogging slowly saying there's 'not much to football'.

EDIT: feckin' hardstation. You'll get your comeuppance when the Rossie bandwagon pulls up for its first Paddy's weekend stop. 

Who is known for jogging slowly can I ask? Kiernan you say?

[Catch and Kick]

Jerry has always courted controversy and a bit of limelight. Having a chip on both his shoulders probably prevented him achieving his full potential as a runner.  I always  enjoy his rants. He can be very articulate and insightful.
However when it comes to GAA he hasn't a clue.
There are different types of fitness. I can't think of one top class runner who would survive 70 minutes of Championship football and be fit to play again or prepared to play again after all the knocks, hots, tackles and bruises. I'd wager they would struggle to stay with the intensity of play in most Championship games.
Comparing footballers and runners is like comparing chalk and cheese.
And he knows that too.

[Milltown Row2]

He has a point!!





Do the Kilkenny footballers get the same grant?