Ban Irish players for life from the GAA that play Australian Rules

[Tyrone Dreamer]

Lose 20 or 30 minors a year?
There is no chance there is that many quality players in the country who would be able to make the switch.
Fair play to anyone who gets the chance.
It is a life changing switch & you get paid to do something you love - why begrudge anyone

As I said quite a while back there is a big danger of the aussies targeting big enough numbers of the very best players in the country to have a real knock on effect on the quality of intercounty football. I was shot down at the time and told it was only 1 or 2 but the signs in recent months are extremely worrying. With 1 or 2 successes the aussie clubs now seem hell bent on getting the very best players in the country and it appears to be a lot more than 1 or 2 a season theyre after. Its a no lose situation for them. The GAA spend years developing the players and when theyre close to making a berakthrough the aussies can swoop free of charge as far as theyre concerned. The big worry is that a drop in the quality of county games (were quality players are already limited) could make it much harder to attract young players. Its obvious the effect that the likes of Canavan had on the Tyrone youth or McGeeney in Armagh. Theyre just 2 examples of players that inspired the youth in their county. Laois seem to be very badly hit and it is obvious that it is hard to get young boys playing the games when their county teams are crap. This issue alone is a decent arguement for semi professionalism.

[INDIANA]

What the loss of 10 players = semi professionalism- do you honestly think that will make them stay? We would never be able to compete with the salaries on offer in Aussie rules of the top players even if we went professional. The difference now is that the Aussie clubs are only targetting guys they know are going to make it. I don't really see how we can police this. Most young lads do a year in australia anyway and you'll find that's an attraction in itself as anyone who's been there will verify it's  beautiful country with a great standard of living.

[DUBSFORSAM1]

Yeah there is and was a simple solution to the problem - The Compromise Rules where there were limits in place about approaching players......

[INDIANA]

Not really the u17 game there were no limits in approaching players- and that was their recruiting ground. They never had an interest in approaching the senior players.

[tayto]

Dont see a solution either, you cant go banning people FFS. Shame to lose these guys and the increase in numbers over the last few weeks has to be worrying. Maybe the aussies should coach their youngfellas gaelic football as our lads seem to be able to take up their sport handy enough.

[stew]

Dont see a solution either, you cant go banning people FFS. Shame to lose these guys and the increase in numbers over the last few weeks has to be worrying. Maybe the aussies should coach their youngfellas gaelic football as our lads seem to be able to take up their sport handy enough.

Ach they probably would but shure there is no money in it.

[DUBSFORSAM1]

Not really the u17 game there were no limits in approaching players- and that was their recruiting ground. They never had an interest in approaching the senior players.

While the senior series was in place there were limits in place as to how you could contact younger players etc....Why you think that the likes of Paul Roos say that if the Compromise Rules wasn't put back then clubs would pick up lots of young players without problem???

[Lone Shark]

In theory there were limits, but there were no sanctions in place if an AFL club chose to break those rules. It was only the pleasant relationship between the two where the AFL had a long term vision that kept things on an even keel. In that regard I'm reminded of the sponsors on GAA jerseys around 1991 (guess who was watching TG4 All Ireland gold tonight?  ) - the writing then was tiny and always in a bland font but it was always a stepping stone to a bigger thing. The AFL always stated clearly that their goal was an international dimension to their game, and expanding their game - ours was a representative honour for the best Gaelic Footballers in the country.

I know I'm getting repetitive here, but lets compare how many players we stand to lose to AFL, relative to:

(1) How many players do we lose to other sports that have always been there? Offaly may not have been hit by any AFL hunters yet, but Gearóid Ó'Grady scored 1-6 in our county final this year and was one of the best forwards in Offaly club football this year - he'll never wear a county shirt because over the winter he plays rugby with Buccs and that comes first for him. I'm sure that's repeated everywhere - but no one talks about doing anything about that.

(2) How many decent players retire at 29 or 30 when they still have loads to contribute to inter county play because the commitments required are so obscene that having a wife and playing football/hurling are incompatible for many of them?

(3) How many players do we lose to alcohol before they ever make it? How many players are lost to genuine alcohol addiction because they are a successful county player and every pub they walk into the locals want to buy them one and a club orange is not an acceptable answer?

(4) How many players do we lose because we expect them to play for around 14 different teams when they're 18 years of age, peak all year round for Sigerson/U-21/Senior/Club at age 20, and their joints have turned to mush by the age of 27?

(5) How many players do we lose because they never get a chance at playing county football due to playing for an unfashionable club, or not having an uncle as a county selector?

(6) How many players do we lose because they can't risk getting injured and being out of work for six months?

(7) How many players do we lose because some high paid manager needs to justify his "expenses", so he makes ludicrous training demands which certain employees can't meet and then turfs them off the panel in a big show of authority?

( How many players do we lose because the GAA is more worried about a grand total of less than ten guys who have got a chance to make a living elsewhere than they are about the thousands of club players across Ireland who have to put their lives on hold because they could have to play one of their very few championship games on any given weekend between April and October?



We have so many things we could be working on that have solutions, why do we spend so much time on this one issue which only has one real solution, that being professionalism and the eventual disbandment of all bar seven or eight county teams?  

[zoyler]

Great post Lone Shark!
Lets also not forget that the stat of AR preseason when this recruiting comes to our notice coincides with the end of the intercounty year and newspapers need something to be going on with.
There is no flood of players and even if there was there is nothing we can do about it as the players are free men and can do what they want.  Instead we should celebrate their success and look forward to them playing good football and enhancing Irelands reputation down under.

[Tyrone Dreamer]

I know we lose lots of people to other sports like soccer and rugby, but the difference is that the aussies are specifically targeting the guys because they are good gaelic footballers. Its also at a stage when the boys have been developed into top class gaelic footballers and look to be on the verge of becoming stars for their club and county. I personally think that considering the aussies started with similar ideals to the gaa and built up a relationship based on that that their attitude stinks.

[orangeman]

Make the Aussies pay to the club whose losing the player - £100k per man -

[Lone Shark]

Make the Aussies pay to the club whose losing the player - £100k per man -

And how in God's name do we do that? All they're doing is offering some young lad a job! What possible sanction do you think we can apply to Carlton/Brisbane/Whoever when they undoubtedly tell said GAA club to feck off?

I know we lose lots of people to other sports like soccer and rugby, but the difference is that the aussies are specifically targeting the guys because they are good gaelic footballers. Its also at a stage when the boys have been developed into top class gaelic footballers and look to be on the verge of becoming stars for their club and county. I personally think that considering the aussies started with similar ideals to the gaa and built up a relationship based on that that their attitude stinks.

Yes it stinks - but we can't do anything about that. However you've made an interesting observation there - they started out with similar ideals to the GAA, and now if you grow up playing football in Sydney you're just as likely to end up playing in Freo or Brisbane as you are in your home town. The players on the field play for money, and nothing else, while teams exist where the money exists to pay for them. You can't tell me that's where we want GAA to go - and anyone suggesting any form of semi professionalism is taking the crucial step in that direction.

[dublinfella]

Make the Aussies pay to the club whose losing the player - £100k per man -

how?

[Tiger Craig]

Yes it stinks - but we can't do anything about that. However you've made an interesting observation there - they started out with similar ideals to the GAA, and now if you grow up playing football in Sydney you're just as likely to end up playing in Freo or Brisbane as you are in your home town. The players on the field play for money, and nothing else, while teams exist where the money exists to pay for them. You can't tell me that's where we want GAA to go - and anyone suggesting any form of semi professionalism is taking the crucial step in that direction.

[/quote]

You forget that 99% of Aussie Rules players play for their local club - either for nothing or a token payment. Only the elite travel around the country to make a living from it.

[DUBSFORSAM1]

I know we lose lots of people to other sports like soccer and rugby, but the difference is that the aussies are specifically targeting the guys because they are good gaelic footballers. Its also at a stage when the boys have been developed into top class gaelic footballers and look to be on the verge of becoming stars for their club and county. I personally think that considering the aussies started with similar ideals to the gaa and built up a relationship based on that that their attitude stinks.

Yes it stinks - but we can't do anything about that. However you've made an interesting observation there - they started out with similar ideals to the GAA, and now if you grow up playing football in Sydney you're just as likely to end up playing in Freo or Brisbane as you are in your home town. The players on the field play for money, and nothing else, while teams exist where the money exists to pay for them. You can't tell me that's where we want GAA to go - and anyone suggesting any form of semi professionalism is taking the crucial step in that direction.

Some of the players play for money (it is their career) but most play for the club they grew up supporting etc and aren't so interested in money....The reason for the movement of players is to prevent a situation whereby teams can dominate through an area of birth - it means that talent is dispersed throughout the competition and allows teams to improve etc....There is also a salary cap (if my memory serves me correct) which means that teams are limited in how much they can pay so the likes of Collingwood who are probably the richest club can't just go out and buy all the best players...