The GAA is in a very percerious position. The way in which Gaelic football is being played, percieved and accepted has become something rather ugly. From sledging, singling out players for horrific attention during games, receding obvious red cards, spats in media with President of GAA, attacks on character of footballers and referees: all of which are only the tip of the ice berg.

We as GAA people need to examine or attitudes and principles towards the game and ask ourselves, just what are we becoming.

DLlegends (Donegal) - Posts: 503 - 31/08/2015 12:41:15    1778882

Excellent post , someone talking sense ,it is certainly not the organization that I fell in love with in my youth.

tinrylandman (Carlow) - Posts: 387 - 31/08/2015 12:53:06    1778903

Well said, the point is being sadly missed though.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4893 - 31/08/2015 13:03:10    1778913

Don't think I'd want my kid playing Gaelic Football these days to be honest.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 31/08/2015 13:04:04    1778914

I suppose it's a reflection of what society has become,it's a different country that I grew up in and Gaelic football is a different game now than I once played.

TirChonaillabu2 (Donegal) - Posts: 344 - 31/08/2015 13:08:20    1778921

While I love watching competitive hurling and football matches - I wont be bothered if my kids show little interest in the GAA.

From the top it fails in so many ways - maybe the GAA take it all for granted but eventually this era will be identified as the start of the decline

Ban (Westmeath) - Posts: 1413 - 31/08/2015 13:36:16    1778947

The melodramatic reactions of some people to a slightly dirty game really are ridiculous.

There was plenty of filth on show in games of the past it's just that the media has become much more sensationalist as time goes on that people think things are much worse now when they really aren't.

uibhfhaili1986 (Offaly) - Posts: 1296 - 31/08/2015 13:53:41    1778968

The problem lies in the rules,and lack thereof.We still dint have a proper,transparent,100% watertight defined tackle.It still leaves wriggle room for the referees own interpretation and all refrerees see things differently After 130 years of this,it is a joke.Nobody seems to know with any degree of certainty which way a referee is goung to blow,and this is at the root of a lot of the problems.The black card fiasco has further muddied the water.If it wasnt so serious it would be funny.Everybody is confused and its causing a lot of stress and anger.We need a TMO badly.And a proper clock system.Think well be waiting though.Whats another 100 years.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 31/08/2015 13:56:25    1778976

Its nothing to do with the filth in the game yesterday. Its just the atmosphere around the GAA these days.

The win at all costs attitude of teams, the negative defensive tactics, all this bull**** posturing (a photo of a typical Gaelic football match these days is sure to show a few lads with boyband haircuts holding onto eachothers jerseys, sneering at eachother through gritted teeth as if they are hard men. All posturing for the cameras. God be with the days when you either hit at lad standing up in front of you or you didnt. Either way, you didn't stand around posing showing off the results of doing endless sets of uselss bicep curls), the way the GAA is run by men it seems who are so far removed from the grassroots of the thing and are obsessed with money, the lack of coherent rules on the field of play in relation to something so basic as the tackle and how so much is decided by poor refereeing decisions, Croke Park and how it only has any kind of an atmosphere until we get to the All Ireland semis, and even then..., how club players are treated and the constant training without any meaningful games, the championships structure and how ridiculoulsy unentertainng and stupidly formatted it is.

The sport needs a serious shot in the arm. On overhaul of the rules and championship struture required drastically, for a start.

Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1316 - 31/08/2015 14:07:18    1778991

I get the point of the OP but lets get real. Croke Park was full yesterday and the game has folk giving opinions on many aspects of it. We have replay to look forward to on Saturday and then the spectacle of the Hurling final.Just love the championship in the summer, it's superb. Most general sportsmen are talking about yesterday's match ahead of the EPL or which team is paying 100 million for some player or other.

My kids will indeed join the local GAA club. I admire the dedication of the many volunteers to make the club a place of welcome for all the family. They teach the importance of principles and respect and up to an age, a big emphasis on fun. Everything can be improved and GAA is no different. The future is bright and long may our great traditional games continue.

poguemahone (Dublin) - Posts: 365 - 31/08/2015 14:10:03    1778997

What have we become?

Over-reacting, sensationalist, doom-merchant weirdos

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12115 - 31/08/2015 14:43:49    1779044

Breffni39
County: Cavan
Posts: 9813

1779044
What have we become?

Over-reacting, sensationalist, doom-merchant weirdos

Got it in one Breff

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13703 - 31/08/2015 14:49:25    1779051

Points that spring to mind -

The game was always this controversial - numerous examples over the years - and my county Tyrone have been part of them since 1995 - rem we played Dublin in the Final - the Charlie Redmond incident - the Canavan incident - a pathetic Final where Dublin spoiled and fouled for much of the second half. I'm sure Tyrone would have done exactly the same if they had have been 1-2 points ahead.

Social media - at the top of most sports reports - it's what such and such tweeted. Everyone has an opinion about the game, the ref, the players and managers nowadays and so called pundits are castigated publicly on all social media platforms.

The blackcard - an absolute joke! Has made the referee's job much much harder!

A sin bin - instead of a yellow/black card send the player to the sin bin for ten minutes!

The match officials - the linesman was consulted by the ref - for the Connolly punch - apart from this the ref seemed to make all the decisions himself - the other six officials were nonexistent!

The lack of a clearly defined tackle in gaelic football - see earlier post.

sam2008 (Tyrone) - Posts: 796 - 31/08/2015 15:11:24    1779070

Poguemahone , there was no teaching of principles or respect yesterday quiet the opposite , we now have probably the most violent field sport in the world is that something to be proud of .

tinrylandman (Carlow) - Posts: 387 - 31/08/2015 17:05:24    1779220

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vode0lF9tX4 down with this sort of thing!!! 1990 Cavan Championship Final back when everything was clean and pure on the Gaelic field (its great stuff really, i'm just being ironic)

ramor101 (Cavan) - Posts: 289 - 31/08/2015 17:48:48    1779261

Lads....relax.

Everything will be grand once meath start winning again

bert09 (Meath) - Posts: 1789 - 31/08/2015 18:04:55    1779286

A few posters think that such a thread is attraction to yesterday's game. It's not, rather with each passing year the ideals and principles of the GAA are being eroded. Sure its easy to say " ah sure these things happen, it'll sort itself out". It won't. From the top brass down there is a real lack of coherent leadership.


Go to underage games and some of the antics on the football field are worringing. Spitting, kicking, dragging, language towards referees. To name but a few. Then you have the behaviour of parents!!

This may seem like an over reaction, but something is telling me that we may reach a stage and ask ourselves how did we get here.

DLlegends (Donegal) - Posts: 503 - 31/08/2015 18:44:22    1779316

cuederocket
County: Dublin
Posts: 2891

1778976
The problem lies in the rules,and lack thereof.We still dint have a proper,transparent,100% watertight defined tackle.It still leaves wriggle room for the referees own interpretation and all refrerees see things differently After 130 years of this,it is a joke.Nobody seems to know with any degree of certainty which way a referee is goung to blow,and this is at the root of a lot of the problems.The black card fiasco has further muddied the water.If it wasnt so serious it would be funny.Everybody is confused and its causing a lot of stress and anger.

----

There is uncertainty about tackling. I have seen horse collar tackles in different matches where a yellow card was issued, a black card, a free and no call. The controversy about differing calls sometimes overshadows the good parts of the match.

mikeyjoe (USA) - Posts: 415 - 31/08/2015 19:45:50    1779371

tinrylandman.... In relation to respect, I am talking about what I see at the clubs in relation to the young kids and what they are being taught. In reference to those who say they won't let their kids join clubs.

'Most violent sport' - will someone think of the children. The game is getting an increasing list of viewers in the UK with the Sky thing and folk over there are asking more about the rules. So these new fans must be seeing somehthgin they like. Most of us who like sports enjoy the physical aspect of it. Granted some games, there is more needle than others and over the top hits. Talking to older generations they tell me there were harder hits and digs (or violence if ye like) in their day and it was mostly let go. Social media will put pressure on us to modify rules to give us a new version of Tag GAA that the average office worker can play without fear of injury.

poguemahone (Dublin) - Posts: 365 - 31/08/2015 20:03:31    1779392

Black card needs to be scrapped. Completely agree with whelan when he said linesmen need to protect players from off the ball incidents . Even put an extra linesman on either side. It may lead to a lot of red and yellow cards being doled out at the beginning but so be it

galwayfball (Galway) - Posts: 1678 - 31/08/2015 20:05:27    1779396