It's amazing the contrasting views held by two former "greats", one now a club manager, the other a county manager. No wonder the association is in such turmoil over player welfare & burnout.

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keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 22/01/2016 11:00:35    1818437

McGeeney says players have 2 pitch sessions and 2 gym sessions. Most county teams train 5/6 times a week. With a game thrown in there too. That's similar enough to pro soccer players.

All you have to do is look at the stats on the Offaly footballer last year v Ronaldo. Their stats were similar enough. Nobody is going to suggest that Ronaldo isn't an elite player. You don't get to that level of fitness with serious training.

https://twitter.com/midlandssport/status/639889535426535425

SmellyBadger (Limerick) - Posts: 32 - 22/01/2016 11:49:12    1818450

Minors doing 4 sessions a week , just don't get were McGeeney is coming from ,regarding other points made nothing new in club players getting shafted left right and centre , Kilkenny hurling about the only county that has balance right .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 22/01/2016 12:58:58    1818476

I agree 100% with Conor Deegan here. I think the McGeeney thing is slightly unrelated.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 22/01/2016 13:24:20    1818487

I think McGeeney is being a bit cute here and with some of the reports of his previous regimes I wouldn't fancy the training the Armagh lads will have to ship this year. It depends on the definition of elite but in my view, 4 sessions, then a game or shooting practice before any club commitments seems fairly full on and then a 9 to 5 or college on top of it. You wouldn't think it is sustainable going forward.

But then young O Riordan has effectively supported McGeeneys view earlier in the week so what do we know (http://www.hoganstand.com/Tipperary/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=248989).

You'd have to ask is the training designed for elite performance or is it just because everyone thinks that's what everyone else does.

duckula20 (Antrim) - Posts: 175 - 22/01/2016 13:30:07    1818493

Lads,
you're all forgetting about 'recovery' which is of the utmost importance when it comes to getting fit.

The Armagh lads jump into a car and go home to get up for a days work before training of whatever hue that night.

Ronaldo gets out of bed, goes to work, i.e. does a bit of training, gym work, video analysis, team tactics, maybe a pitch session in the afternoon and then off home to relax and recover.

Worlds apart, but still whilst the Armagh footballer is an amateur what they're being asked to do is utter madness and potentially detrimental to their overall fitness and well being.

bricktop (Down) - Posts: 2503 - 22/01/2016 13:58:22    1818501

Each manager only sees it from his own perspective. McGeeney doesn't acknowledge that his players are also club players as well as possibly U21 &/or college &/or playinging hurling too. Deegan is probably only worried about his own team.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 22/01/2016 15:00:37    1818530

Lads how many of ye go to the gym? Most people who go to the gym will be in it 4/5 times a week. Gaa players are no different.

gotmilk (Fermanagh) - Posts: 4971 - 22/01/2016 15:16:53    1818535

We a lad whos training for an ironman triathlon in 5 months in our juniors. Doing 12 hrs training a week at min, ramped upto 20 in coming months. But! He can still play junior, have the odd pint, slack off if he feels like it, unlike the intercounty player who wont see his club for most league games (most counties), cant take a night off/have the odd pint as he ll be dropped.. the point I m making is that I d agree with brollys quote on the scene - most are indentured slaves, in the system. Players will always want to play at the best level, but the demands being placed on them are unrealistic. Most panels now are made up of lads who - college/suitable job, single, under 28.. we are slowly strangling the gaa. To me theres a big crisis brewing in the gaa and we re glossing over it. Participation levels in some counties are worrying and thats what the association is built on.

old yellar (None) - Posts: 2625 - 23/01/2016 08:36:56    1818612

Old yellar good post.
But I can only speak for Dublin players, who I know a few.
Gavin is huge into players going out for pints and socialising after league games and early championship.
His philoposhy is if you are doing it on the pitch , that's what matters, if that falls below standard then that's another issue.
The problem is some counties are trying to compete with bigger counties in hurling and football and new managers coming in feel the only way to compete is extra training sessions .
Mismatched counties at different levels are all trying to compete together to win the same trophy every year and because of this the weaker counties are getting squeezed.

AthCliath (Dublin) - Posts: 4347 - 23/01/2016 11:42:14    1818619