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Tag: Gaelic Athletic Association

  • Why save Andy Merrigan?

    Why save Andy Merrigan?

    Every year after the dust settles and the All-Ireland has been won, the attention quickly turns to the Club game.  Local pride, playing with family and friends, the parish team are all at the core of club football, but unfortunately our game’s biggest prize is flawed.

    There are lots of reasons, out of the GAA’s control, that don’t allow the club model to function as well as the county one.  I will look into some of the main reasons why the Andy Merrigan cup is over shadowed by Sam MaGuire.

    Karl Lacey played every single game for club and county in 2012 but only played once in 2013 due to injury .ie
    Karl Lacey played every single game for club and county in 2012 but only played once in 2013 due to injury credit gaa.ie

    1. Staggered championships

    The County Championships are all staggered, depending on when your county exits the race for Sam.  The Louth championship could start in early June whilst the Dublin equivalent won’t begin until late September.  With no fixed start date but a fixed final date it can lead to too many games in short spaces.  When Donegal won the 2012 All-Ireland their club championship was ran off in five weeks, champions St. Eunan’s played eight games in that period.  ‘‘I remember going to games on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s in the middle of November’’ said Mark Boyle of Ardra.

    2. Bad Conditions

    The club championships are usually played over the winter months, especially the provincial series’.  By playing these games on soft pitches and in desperately cold conditions players don’t get to express themselves as they would do over the summer.  Due to the conditions games are much slower and more players get injured. Leg injuries are ripe in the Provincial Club Championships.

    3. External Commitments

    Should you be lucky enough to prevail in your county and have county players or students on your team, it is nearly a burden.  County players are wrecked after a tough seven months, at least, and both the colleges and schools are just beginning their campaigns.  Also, the selection to play with your province and country are problems as both the Railway cup and the Cormac McAnallen cup squads are being finalised.

    The distraction of playing for your country is hurting the club game. [image: zimbio.com]
    The distraction of playing for your country is hurting the club game. [image: zimbio.com]
    4. Burnout

    A professional Rugby player and/or a professional soccer player gets six weeks off at the end of a season, this time is used to recover and allow the body to relax after a tough season.  The most a club player gets due to one commitment or another is, at the very most, three weeks.  Training for county and clubs starts the first Tuesday in January.  Harry Dawson of Skerries Harps says that he feels mentally and physically wrecked all the time ‘’I find it hard to go training and all I want to do is sleep’’.

    I don’t know whether its a coincidence or a fact,  but if you look at the counties and provinces winning the All-Ireland’s you’ll very quickly see that the club football in those counties is struggling and vice versa.

    The All-Ireland club championship is the pinnacle of every single player’s career but due to the above reasons we are endangering of ruining our game.  The GAA need to reform their fixtures and get a more coherent agenda put in place.

    I have taken the first step by giving GAA president nominee Aogan Farrell a copy of this article.

  • “It’s not amateur anymore”: Colm Begley on Gaelic Football’s increasing professionalism

    “It’s not amateur anymore”: Colm Begley on Gaelic Football’s increasing professionalism

    “An amateur game played at a professional level” was how Colm Begley described Gaelic football this week.

    “The gap has been closed” between GAA and AFL in recent seasons stated the former Brisbane Lions Rookie of the Year, speaking ahead of last weekends second International Rules test.

    Echoing Ireland captain Michael Murphy’s comments last week, Begley believes that the only real difference between football and professional sport is that while GAA players are “focused on work or college, anything like that”, professionals can concentrate on rest and recovery.

    The 2011 Laois senior captain also warned that if the GAA don’t address the problem of burnout in their players, the recent upward trend in physical preparation will result in long-term damage to the game.

    “If they don’t look at it in the next few years, they’ll see a lot of players retiring at a younger age. Players love playing, but it’s just a massive, massive effort, and very mentally draining for those who don’t get a break”.

    Begley, who in addition to Ireland and Laois will also represent DCU and Dublin club Parnells this year, pointed to a recent change in AFL preseason training where players will only be allowed train three days a week to prevent burnout as”something the GAA will maybe have to look into”.

    The rise in strength and fitness levels has aided Ireland in the International Rules series however, Colm pointing to the fact that “we’re not being physically out-matched”, players endurance and speed levels on par with their professional opponents.

    This increase in training has led to a more competitive domestic game as well; “In the past, the top six or seven teams in Ireland would be fitter or stronger, whereas now teams are realising if we cant match them skillfully, we’ll try and surpass them in training, in strength or endurance. We’ll outrun them, out-tackle them. If you can control a players playing ability, skills etc, you can control how fit or strong they are”.

    “Whatever people say, it is professional”, continues Begley, “The game is getting faster and faster, all the small details are being looked at; Body Mass Index, GPS, stats, all the things that really, in an amateur game, you wouldn’t have to look at,  but it’s not amateur anymore, it’s run in a professional way”.

    While he stops short of calling for professionalism in GAA, Begley does admit he would like to see some rewards for inter-county players. “I’m not sure how they’re going to do it, even its just some form of tax benefit or even expenses being increased a little more. Players don’t want alot, just a bit of a benefit for the effort they put in during the year”.

    Begley 2 image INPHQDan Sheridan
    Colm Begley ahead of Saturday’s second test match [image: INPHQ: Dan Sheridan]
    After being nominated for man-of-the-match in the first test match, the Laois man is convinced that the indigenous Australian side will improve in Saturday’s up-coming second round. “They learn very fast. I think they’ll carry the ball, work it into the danger zone and try work off the breaks. I also expect a bit more physicality from them as well”.

    Ireland carry a 57-35 lead into the second test, to be played in Croke Park at 7PM on Saturday.

  • GAA round Up

    GAA round Up

    There was lots of club action across Dublin and Ireland over the weekend.  In the Dublin SFC there were wins for St. Jude’s, Ballymun, Ballyboden and St. Vincent’s.

     St Jude’s overcame Parnells on a score line of 1-12 to 1-9

    Ballymun-Kickhams advanced to the last four thanks to a Dean Rock inspired 0-15 to 0-7 victory over Raheny.  2011 champions St Brigid’s lost out to Ballyboden St Enda’s by five points, 2-13 to 1-11.

    Dean rock will be hoping that Ballymun can go one further this year. credit sport.ie
    Dean rock will be hoping that Ballymun can go one further this year. credit sport.ie

    St Sylvester’s battled valiantly but just fell short to the 2007 All-Ireland Club champion’s St Vincent’s. The Griffith Avenue based side beat Syl’s by 0-14 to 2-07.

    In Armagh Crossmaglen made it 17 wins in 18 years following a nine point win over Cullyhanna, 0-17 to 0-8.  Ireland captain Michael Murphy helps his Glenswilly side overcome Killybegs 3-19 to 2-6.
    Burren lost out to Kilcoo 0-9 to 0-7 in Down, whilst in the AIB Ulster GAA Club Championship Preliminary Round Ballinderry (Derry) beat Clonoe (Tyrone) by four points 0-14 to 0-10.
    Dr. Crokes beat Austin Stacks by 4-16 to 0-12 to claim a historic four in a row whilst in Limerick Monaleen lost by two points to Dromcollgher-Broadford 2-9 to 2-7.

    In Waterford Stradbally were hammered by Ballinacourty 0-12 to 0-05.

    Colm Cooper has never won a club All-Ireland. credit thescore.ie
    Colm Cooper has never won a club All-Ireland. credit thescore.ie

    Zach Tuhoy inspired Portlaoise to a 2-8 to 1-8 victory over Arles/Killeen. In Meath Summerhill beat Na Fianna 1-13 to 1-10.

    In Hurling Mount Leinster Rangers claimed a 1-20 to 0-11 victory over St Mullins in Carlow whilst in Westmeath Castletown beat Geoghegan 1-12 to 0-11.

    Oulart-The Ballagh beat Ferns St Aidan’s by two points, 3-12 to 1-16 whilst in Wicklow Glenealy beat Bray Emmets by 0-17 to 0-14.