Ireland v Australia, Rules Test 1, Breffni Park, Saturday 19 October 2013

[rodney trotter]

Not when its clashes with the International Rules which was decided months ago too, that it was known it would be played on the 19th and 26th. Play the Championship earlier and finish a week or two earlier, instead of the needless clash next weekend.


They don't know months ago if they will have anyone involved nevermind if their club will be still in championship.

I'm talking about County boards, of course they would have had a fair idea some of their Co players might have been involved, Michael Murphy  has been a been a regular with the International Rules.
Neil McGee has played before too, etc. Other counties similar.

[tommysmith]

Not when its clashes with the International Rules which was decided months ago too, that it was known it would be played on the 19th and 26th. Play the Championship earlier and finish a week or two earlier, instead of the needless clash next weekend.


They don't know months ago if they will have anyone involved nevermind if their club will be still in championship.

I'm talking about County boards, of course they would have had a fair idea some of their Co players might have been involved, Michael Murphy  has been a been a regular with the International Rules.
Neil McGee has played before too, etc. Other counties similar.

So county boards should plan around something that mite not happen.

[rodney trotter]

No, its common sense to think ahead. Glenswilly won the County title in 2011 and are back in the final this Sunday, Not rocket science to think of the possibility that they could be involved in this years final.

[ha ha derry]

Not when its clashes with the International Rules which was decided months ago too, that it was known it would be played on the 19th and 26th. Play the Championship earlier and finish a week or two earlier, instead of the needless clash next weekend.


They don't know months ago if they will have anyone involved nevermind if their club will be still in championship.

I'm talking about County boards, of course they would have had a fair idea some of their Co players might have been involved, Michael Murphy  has been a been a regular with the International Rules.
Neil McGee has played before too, etc. Other counties similar.

So county boards should plan around something that mite not happen.

you,ll need to consult with jim mc guinness first !!

[tommysmith]

No, its common sense to think ahead. Glenswilly won the County title in 2011 and are back in the final this Sunday, Not rocket science to think of the possibility that they could be involved in this years final.

I don't think co boards should be worrying about this but then I think it's rubbish you obviously think different.

[bigfrank]

I could be way off and believe me it happens but I think Ireland at 10/11 to win sat nights game looks superb value,ok we are havin our selection problems and lack of trainin maybe for some but the ball is still round and we are light years ahead there and aussies I hope are lookin free holiday,players that have other commitments wont be a problem as no player plays the whole game anyway usually and the freedom of subs gives the management great flexibility...Ireland to win by 10

[rodney trotter]

No, its common sense to think ahead. Glenswilly won the County title in 2011 and are back in the final this Sunday, Not rocket science to think of the possibility that they could be involved in this years final.

I don't think co boards should be worrying about this but then I think it's rubbish you obviously think different.

Each to their own Tommy. You will probably watch it Saturday night since you're not heading 

[DennistheMenace]

Ironically the who club v country debate is giving this series more exposure than it usually would. I'm looking forward to it.

[fearglasmor]

No don't scrap it. But disconnect it. Doesn't bother me now as I am past playing, but when I was I would much rather have played meaningful games through the summer without our one inter county player rather than be playing stupid tournaments and 7 a sides. But the clubs with 3, 4 or 5 county players would never wear that.

Nothing to do with victims, its just reality that the county scene dominates everything as it generates the finance and pr. Except for Paddys day of course when the club is the most important unit of the GAA. And an honourable mention for TG4's great coverage.

It's called democracy muppet. How many club players are there, and how many county players? The tail definitely wags the dog in the GAA, because the money and exposure linked to the county game is so much more than the club game.

Most proposals for restructuring the inter county games seem to centre on having more games, be that champions league type groups or whatever. The obvious implication there is that the club fixtures would have to, again, adapt and accomodate these extra games.

2% of GAA players are county Players

You are right. Scrap the county stuff.

[rodney trotter]

Cavan's Nicholas WalshThe Irish have been warned to expect a fast and skillful Australian opposition in Saturday's opening International Rules test in Breffni Park.

Former Cavan footballer Nicholas Walsh is a member of Paul Earley's backroom team and, as a current High Performance Coach with the GSW Giants, has the inside track on the tactics that will be deployed by the travelling party.

"It's going to be a very competitive fast moving game," Walsh said to the Irish Daily Mirror.

"Traditionally the indigenous players in the AFL are very quick and very skillful - and it's going to be very interesting in the first test to see how quick and elusive they are.

"Some of them will be less physical but then they have some 6'5" 100kg or 16 stone fellas that they will bring along, like Lance Franklin who has just moved from Hawthorn to Sydney Swans.

"He is going to be one of their stand out players - but also he is a mover. They have a number of players in the same category."

He continued: "The GAA players now have come a long, long way. But AFL is two hours, it's four half hour quarters and that's why the physical demands are greater.

"You need to be fitter, you need to be stronger.

"In the AFL gam now the average running capacity is something like 16km on average per teams.

"Gaelic football would be somewhere around eight or nine. There is a big difference, so you have to train your body to play like that."

[cavanmaniac]

So county boards should plan around something that mite not happen.

The art of planning around things that may or may not happen has a name my good man, it's called contingency. Most organisational bodies - those that are organised at any rate - will  indulge themselves in a little of this to prevent potential snarl-ups.

Even without the IR looming on the horizon, it should still be incumbent on county boards to outline a fixtures plan at the start of the year and adhere to a rule that states how club league action and/or SFC games must take place any time there is longer than a two-week gap between inter-county games.

I'm not banging the drum for IR here, with or without it county boards should be instructed to get their ducks in a row for once and  for all and use the ample time at their disposal to run their competitions in a rigorous, systematic manner. But again, the club players have the real power here, it's just that they do not wield it and surrender it to self-serving managers like McGuinness and the county board officials in thrall to them.

To get back on topic a little, whatever your personal opinion on the IR, if a player genuinely wants to play in it but can't because his county board have been dilly-dallying all the summer long, then I think it's a real shame and utterly avoidable.

[rrhf]

Yes it starts with simple efforts to reduce the county season. It takes 4 weeks to play the first round of the ulster championship it could take 1

[Rossfan]

Yes it starts with simple efforts to reduce the county season.

For 8 teams it's over at the end of June, 8 more by mid July and 12 more by first weekend in August.
Then it takes 7 weeks to play the last 3 games as the GAA seeks to maximise publicity etc by only having one big game per week between football and shticks.
Club stalwarts would probably like to see the Inter County season all over, AI Final and all, by the end of June and leave them 4 months to fart around with postponements etc as they see fit.

Surely it's possible to devise a system that can have both Club and County Championships advancing through May/June and July so that all are at the Quarter Final stage by early August. And have all finished by the 30th September if the will was there.
It took from 19th May till 21st July to play FIVE knock out games in the Connacht Championship this year. They could have played it on a League basis in all that time FFS !!
A bit of direction from HQ ( probably need a vote in Congress before the Prentyfia would comply) could ensure that the Club championships could be slotted in while all that was going on and make Co team managers comply as well.

[Keyser soze]

Why is the government so completely incompetent?

Because all the people who are good at running the country are too busy cutting hair and driving taxis.

Its a bit like that on here.

[Rossfan]

Why is the government so completely incompetent?

Because all the people who are good at running the country are too busy cutting hair and driving taxis.

Its a bit like that on here.