Carlow footballer Ronan O'Brien is adamant that player burnout is not a myth.

O'Brien is speaking from experience as he has endured his fair share of injuries in recent times, which he believes came from playing too many sports as a youngster.

"No it is not," O'Brien answered when asked by the Carlow Nationalist was player a burn out a myth. "I played squash, hurling, Gaelic football, golf, swimming, rugby and running since I was four years old.

"I probably played five sports at any one time. In one week, I trained eight times between school, club football and hurling, rugby and squash. I was always on the go.

"Lads are being pulled on by every coach. They don't really care what condition you are in. They want you to play the game with no consideration for how your body is feeling.

"I have dislocated an ankle, disrupted ligaments in my ankle, dislocated my knee-cap, did my shoulder, shattered my fingers, broken my thumb four times. Your body does break down. You want to give up then.

I had a problem with my heart last summer. The doctors reckoned stress had a lot to do with it. The stress of exams, sports, pressure being put on you." Tweet

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