http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/martin-breheny-something-must-change-or-even-more-players-will-opt-out-of-intercounty-34724849.html

I knew counties like Carlow + Longford had trouble in getting players to commit to IC football but had no idea that Galway were having such massive problems also. According to the article posted 52 players declined the invitation which is shocking in such a great football county like Galway.

I think the GAA needs to ask itself serious questions about the demands placed on its players, reducing the IC season by 2/3 months would be a good dropout preventive measure as well greatly helping club fixtures run more smoothly. Standing still and doing nothing is not an option.

KYTitletown (Kerry) - Posts: 816 - 19/05/2016 15:00:07    1856418

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/martin-breheny-something-must-change-or-even-more-players-will-opt-out-of-intercounty-34724849.html

I knew counties like Carlow + Longford had trouble in getting players to commit to IC football but had no idea that Galway were having such massive problems also. According to the article posted 52 players declined the invitation which is shocking in such a great football county like Galway.

I think the GAA needs to ask itself serious questions about the demands placed on its players, reducing the IC season by 2/3 months would be a good dropout preventive measure as well greatly helping club fixtures run more smoothly. Standing still and doing nothing is not an option.
KYTitletown (Kerry) - Posts:353 - 19/05/2016 15:00:07 1856418

it sad to see what happening with Galway. They have actually won 4 u21 football in last 14 years same as Dublin. Their success never translated to senior stage. Like the hurlers they seem to lack a bit of steel and are years behind mayo in terms S+C. Interesting only a couple Corofin players are playing with county,was there a fallout? Michael Meehan has also been a huge loss too

Gael85 (Dublin) - Posts: 1433 - 19/05/2016 16:21:51    1856472

The commitment is huge, I still think many fans don't actually know. A friend of mine play's inter county so I see the sacrifice they put in. Remember if your playing for Mayo, Dublin, Leitrim, Wexford it's all the same.

I don't know what's going on in Galway but morale does seem low. Either all these talented players opting out can't give the commitment or don't see themselves winning anything...

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11227 - 19/05/2016 16:36:36    1856484

In a nutshell the commitment needed doesn't match the reward in any way shape or form.
We had club championship last weekend at home and there were a few great games, played in ideal conditions with a fast, dry ball. Now there's nothing til August at least and maybe longer. I'm sure it's a similar story in other counties.

Long and the short of it is - do the vast majority of players want to see changes? Yes.
Do the older GAA powers that be want to implement radical change? No.

A serious case of the tail wagging the dog and that's the problem.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9115 - 19/05/2016 16:52:53    1856493

I think everyone would agree that the demands are too excessive but what is the solution? If you don't train hard and be dedicated you are not going to succeed. Remember a number of years back they enforced a ban on collective training pre-Christmas but that seems to have had little effect. You can't really ban individual players from training hard on their own. Everybody is complaining but I haven't heard any workable solutions? Do the GAA need to look at county players playing exclusively for their county? I know this has pitfalls as well, some clubs would suffer if they had a large number of county players.

I think the first thing that needs to be sorted is the fixtures calendar, until that is solved once and for all, then the demands on players will continue. I can't understand why the simple motion to move the All-Ireland football final forward by 2 weeks was defeated. Everybody gives out about the GAA hierarchy but it was rank and file who voted against it - or am I missing something?

Green_Gold (Donegal) - Posts: 1873 - 19/05/2016 17:13:51    1856498

@Greenandgold

I think a big thing would be to condense the county season.

It takes 8 months to be completed at present from preseason competitions to AI final.

That could be halved. You'd drastically reduce the length of time players are training.


As for motions failing at congress. A big problem with this is Cork delegates. They have a maximum 10 delegates and almost always vote no. So whilst a motion needs 66% to be carried it actually needs over 70% excluding Cork. Kilkenny are also apparently notorious for voting against change as a default.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4206 - 19/05/2016 17:42:16    1856510

The writing has been on the wall for a while. Many players and fans from a lot of counties are losing interest. The GAA is really only about a handful of counties now and an elite now operates. Gaelic Games in Belfast are dying on their feet.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9696 - 19/05/2016 18:10:34    1856520

Very sad if true, I wonder is there a bit more context though have any of the lads decided to focus on hurling, given last year's success.

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 19/05/2016 19:07:11    1856534

I think Galway might be a bit of a divided county, what with it being involved in both codes. Because it's now virtually impossible for anyone to commit long-term to both hurling and football, perhaps some lads are drifting towards the hurling.

Or maybe it's just the times we're living in. I don't know that there's much of an appetite among young people in their early to mid-20s to hang around anymore. Travelling abroad is very much on the cards for a lot of young people nowadays, be it because they simply have the travelling bug or because they have to go abroad to find work. I would imagine there are plenty of young lads in counties across the country (especially rural counties) who have neither the desire nor the career options to be hanging around Ireland in the hope that they might get to an AI final. It's just not feasible for a lot of people anymore.

ZeitChrist (UK) - Posts: 154 - 19/05/2016 19:48:04    1856539

Ha that's a good one, the Username!

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1902 - 19/05/2016 19:59:53    1856542

Will ye stop. It's nothing to do with fellas preferring to play hurling.

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1902 - 19/05/2016 20:30:21    1856549

Whammo86 agree 100% with you, it just takes too long to complete the inter-county season. For example the National Football League starts in January, surely it could wait until March & run it off quickly. The same goes for the Ulster Championship, I think it takes 9 weeks to complete. Surely the GAA can come up with a fixtures calendar that will accommodate both the club and county seasons. I don't think any football or hurling should be played in December and January.

Green_Gold (Donegal) - Posts: 1873 - 20/05/2016 09:17:11    1856579

I have posted here on a couple of occasions saying that gaelic football in its present form is in free fall, it's just that some counties are falling faster than others, there's more counties than Carlow and Longford with similar problems.

supersub15 (Carlow) - Posts: 2907 - 20/05/2016 10:20:57    1856609

I am not sure if it is the length of the season that is an issue, I think the bigger problem is players just don't enjoy the type of training required to play the modern style of football. Clubs throughout the country had started playing this style as well but I am told many have abandoned it with lads deciding they would rather enjoy training and playing even if without success than suffer the boredom of training to play a more defensive style of football with the small chance of silverware.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 20/05/2016 10:48:33    1856626

Its an amateur game played by amateur players who are expected to train and live like professionals.Not everyone can do that or is willing to do it.

Barnowl94 (Galway) - Posts: 3150 - 20/05/2016 11:24:12    1856646

I think everyone sees the need to do something about the calendar or rather the lack of one. The counties that lost in the football last weekend will all have to wait approx 6wks before the next game. I wonder how many players from those panels are going to be "unavailable" due to working abroad etc. Over the following 4 wks we will see all provincial 1/4 finals being played. No earthly reason why all these games could not be played on the same weekend or even 2. Sames for semi's and finals. Could easily shave 6-8wks off the running time. More ridiculous calendar for the hurlers, I believe if Kilkenny are to win again, they will have 4 games, yet this takes over 3mths to complete. It's 2016, not 1896. At congress level it's near impossible to get meaningful change through as the current strong counties in both codes will nearly always go vote for the status quo.

moylagh (Meath) - Posts: 484 - 20/05/2016 11:58:42    1856659

Soma - can you ever go a few days without the need to have a pop at defensive football ?

Actually couldn't believe you turned the Gooch V Canavan debate into a bitter Anti Tyrone one.

I am told one of the main reasons why Galway guys are leaving is because they don't have much faith in their manager .

Can any Galway fan clarify this instead of other rubbish suggestions ?

TheRightStuff (Donegal) - Posts: 1688 - 20/05/2016 12:10:47    1856665

Can any Galway fan clarify this instead of other rubbish suggestions ?

TheRightStuff (Donegal) - Posts:1199 - 20/05/2016 12:10:47 1856665

Its a hard one in fairness.. I think Kevin Walsh is doing the best he can with what he has available, i dont think he did himself any favours by coming out stating these facts.
Yes there are players who wont play under him, but thats not the sole reason.
A lot of our more talented young players are heading to the states for the summer, these are guys in college , and they dont want to put their summer on hold for football, they prob believe and its true that Mayo will win Connacht again and then they will be sitting around waiting for the qualifier route. at the end of the day its their choice, its an awful pity as i think there are at least 8 or 9 good players that would make the Galway team no problem.. One of our best young players Michael Daly was one of the standout players in the Club champ last weekend and i believe he turned down a call up from Kevin and is off for the summer to the US.

Belclare1 (Galway) - Posts: 1626 - 20/05/2016 12:44:00    1856681

TRS I am surprised that anyone would disagree that the modern defensive style of football lessens the impact players like Canavan can have on a game, or how pointing this out could be considered bitter anti-Tyrone. It is a fact that many of the more talented players do not really enjoy how the game is currently played at intercounty level, I would suggest this is as much a reason as any for why players turn down the opportunity to play with the county. It would be interesting to know how many Galway hurlers have turned down the chance to join that panel in the last 2 years, I would suggest it would be an awful lot less despite the commitment required being the same.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 20/05/2016 14:19:44    1856734

The rise of the paid manager hasn't helped players enjoyment levels I'd say.

Those guys are the ones fuelling the current training arms race.

It's filtered down to the club game, I'm only 30 but I've quit playing properly.

Teams training 4 times midweek and either training or a game at the weekend. It's madness, this is for an intermediate club unlikely to contest for silverware. It's being driven by a manager looking to make a name for himself.

At county level I'm sure it's even worse. In the modern world where there aren't many 9-5 jobs it's just not feasible for people to be putting that commitment in.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4206 - 20/05/2016 15:15:54    1856764