Some of the hurling faithful seem to think football is for bad hurlers. We've all seen the underdogs, and we've also seen Aussie rules players compromise a fair bit more than ourselves and do well.

My question is: could you get 30 blokes from say eastern europe, greece - that general area where both basketball and soccer are huge, and mold them into a gaelic football team in 12 months? And if so how far would they get in the championship? Let's say these guys are accomplished basketball players and have a bit of soccer skills. They will also get a full inter county backroom team.
I thought of this when I was trying to convince a couple of polish lads to come down to he club. And before anybody asks, yes it is a slow day....

Floops (Dublin) - Posts: 1623 - 15/04/2008 11:00:49    7264

This is a p*** take, isnt floops.....sweet jesus tell me this is a p*** take??!!!

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 15/04/2008 11:23:21    7277

There is an element of truth in that Floops. Gaelic Football is not the most complicated game in the world.

Playing to an ok level is possible reasonablely quickly. I play in england and we have fellas from lots of countries on our team.

They really struggle with the pickup and the solo but other skills come quickly (handpassing, kicking, marking, catching).

Granted the standard isnt the highest over here but one or two of the fellas could make it onto a senior/inter club team back home within a few years.

Hurling? Now thats a different story

wingwonder (UK) - Posts: 535 - 15/04/2008 11:53:20    7297

Gaelic football is not that difficult to play but like any sports, unless you master the skills at a young age then it can be hard to perfect the sport. We all know a couple of soccer lads who come on board with the club during the summer months. They are all shin guards and socks pulled up to the knees, but even allowing for that - you can see that despite great ball skill, they look different to the guy who is at it 12 months a year.
You could get a group of guys who have never played gaelic football to give the sport a good go, but they would struggle to naturally come to terms with the game - whether they were eastern european or from any of our 32 good counties.

Roger (Meath) - Posts: 480 - 15/04/2008 12:04:21    7305

teh aussies pick it up every year in about a week and teach us a lesson in our own sport, there is no compromise in compromise rules its just gaelic football with a mark - suits us and points for wides - suits us, the tackle - suits northern teams. so yes 30 lads with no experince can and have become great gaelic footballer and we have seen them in action they literally hammered us off the field in football terms last year- there is the case in point it will be shot down because its 100% true and we are just scared to admit it, even though ireland is the only country where gaa (football) is played at a seriously competitive level we are not the best in the world at it

ball-boy (Mayo) - Posts: 4211 - 15/04/2008 12:13:53    7309

I'd say even with 12 months preparation the extra physicality of Gaelic football would be too much for them.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9788 - 15/04/2008 12:15:35    7311

Exactly! all brawn little or no skill = Gaelic Football. HURLING is by a country mile , one of the fastest most skilful field games on earth.

eastgael (Limerick) - Posts: 629 - 15/04/2008 12:23:15    7315

Come on, seriously. They would be even worse than New York or London. Without some proper grounding in the game, they'd be useless. It would be like putting heavyweight boxers into a rugby team or sprinters into a soccer team. If an old lady with steady hands, a great aim when flipping pancakes and 20/20 vision was groomed by Phil Taylor and practised for eight hours a day, could she win the World Darts Championship?

Robbo (Monaghan) - Posts: 52 - 15/04/2008 12:31:17    7327

a team of aussies could and probabaly would win the all ireland with a few months training, stop blowing the skill levels of our games out of all proportion, hurling is in a league of its own when it comes to skill, football though is alot less skillful than soccer or rugby for that matter and can be picked up very quickly

ball-boy (Mayo) - Posts: 4211 - 15/04/2008 12:36:35    7331

I don't believe that it would be possible for 30 lads, irrespective of their size/athleticism to pick up the game and be competitive in 12 months. There are sports where it would be possible, for example Rugby, but, with the exception of fly-half, Rugby is a game almost void of real skill (where is the skill in catching a pass into your chest, running, and falling down at the end?).

Gaelic football, on the other hand, requires skill to pass, solo-run and score, and I think that this is where newcomers struggle. I've no doubt that 30 lads could form a decent club side given time, but at Inter-County Championship level if you don't have decent skills you will get exposed. Every county has the lad who shows up well in the league, but is nowhere to be seen come summer as he needs too much time on the ball to get his kicks in (Mark Vaughan?), or who is easily marked out of the game as he has no left foot. It is why some counties can get away in the early rounds of the championship by converting half-backs into forwards, but ultimately are found out as the can't score under pressure and when tightly marked by better sides.

Yes, Martin Clarke has made it to the highest level of Aussie Rules in his first year, but I think that 2 things are relevant here. Firstly, Martin Clarke was exceptional, probably the best minor we have seen in Ulster in recent years. It is unliely that many of the other Irish lads going to Oz will find success so quickly. Secondly, Aussie rules also has less intricate skills than gaelic football, most noteably the absence of a solo-run, tand also he mark which means you automatically get space and time to get your kick in. Additionally, I also believe that an oval ball is easier to master than a round ball (harder to bounce reliably, but easier to kick accurately as it doesnt curl like a round ball).

A top athlete is a top athlete, and we all can think of the boys in school who were the best at just about any sport they tried. However, I think that it is stretching things considerably to think that you could take 30 big lads at random and turn them into a championship side in 12 months.

Thomas Clarke (Tyrone) - Posts: 1002 - 15/04/2008 12:38:34    7333

You can get on any club team in Gaelic football if you have strenght and pace. Modern Gaelic football is all about running and handpassing. The standard of shooting is pretty poor nowadays from what I can see. The most successfull county teams are the ones that have 2 or 3 fowards who can take all the scores on offer. Watching Kerry V Galway last Sunday it struck me that Kerry was always at ease as any opportunity they got was put over the bar. Bryan Sheehan was putting over frees from 45 metres out. Thats where the likes of Leitrim my team differ. Not comparing them to Kerry obviously but they can have all the play in the world as much as any other team they play but struggle to convert a lot of it into scores.

I have played hurling as well (not in Leitrim!!!!) and as a player who has not much physical presence or pace but skillfull enough I always found it a game where I could take on far bigger, faster opponents than myself and do quite well especially in the corner back position. In football its much easier to lose the ball if you are not physically strong. Also you have to be closer to goal to score. Catching a sliothar is easier than a football if you have good reflexes. I think most people new to Gaelic football seem to have problem with soloing the ball moreso than anything else. Most people new to hurling can't even hit the sliothar!!!!
I think there are a lot of good club footballers who never make county football teams because of lack of pace and physical size. Most county players nowadays are all big men. There are a few exceptions but look at Kerry/Galway last weekend. All big men with the exception of Delcan Meehan who makes up for it with great pace.
I have played Intermediate and Senior Football. The only difference is not skill but that Senior football is played at a quicker pace as far as I can see.
From my experince I would imagine anyone who masters hurling would not be bothered if they never seen a football again!

Ludovic_Giuly (Leitrim) - Posts: 111 - 15/04/2008 12:41:40    7337

Lets see - Gooch, Canavan, Padraig Joyce, Stephen O'Neill - all brawn and no skill - eh......no!

JayoCluxton (Dublin) - Posts: 2688 - 15/04/2008 12:50:24    7344

so you run in rugby and fall down at the end of it- thomas on that note ill leave you too it, confirmed everything i thought not a clue of the major sports played in ireland of the 4 major field sports gaelic football is by far the lest skillfull, to make a club team you have to be fit and that is it nothing more is required anything else is a bonus, the skill of scrummaging, rucking mauling, linouts, calling 3-4 played ahead rugby takes a serious amount of intelligence as its so organised- most people just say its is mess, well its the most organised mess i have ever seen in any sport, i would definately say its the most organised sport in the world and is played in real time- if american football was played in real time then i would consider it to be the best but alas it stops- so i reckon 2 --90 min train session and you would have a galeic football team in 3 months, it would take a minimum of a few years to learn your trade in rugby- one mistake in rugby and its ambulance time and thats what makes it great and so skillfull the danger

ball-boy (Mayo) - Posts: 4211 - 15/04/2008 12:50:48    7346

Out of the main sports in Ireland they all have stars at the top of there game some with more skill than others i believe hurling without doubt is the most skill, speed and passion, Football would come next more skill than soccer but less than hurling but just as much passion as hurling but less speedn also less strength than rugby, soccer has a good skill level but its so slow you could do what ever you wanted i once saw gazza walking with a ball for the Gers whats that about?, next comes rugby total strength slow but also fast very little skill, to me handball is just a game of co-ordination eye to hand. Please dont take any offence i think this comes down to preference, but football definitely has skill.

Our sports cant be matched for loyalty, passion and living for the game but they have there good sides and bad sides too.

Dublin football and Cork hurling (only joking)

North Side Gael (None) - Posts: 1076 - 15/04/2008 12:51:00    7348

How can anyone (Ball Boy) seriously suggest that rugby is a more skillful game than football? Only one player, generally, gets to kick the ball (along with the odd centre and scrum-half) while the only other technical skills are catching and throwing. After that, its all about brawn and physical contact verging on violence.

football first (None) - Posts: 1259 - 15/04/2008 13:08:11    7351

Think this thread is more about the grassroots level of the game. Obviously the gooch and rest of the lads mentioned by jayocluxton have the skill factor and thats why they're the stars of the sport.

tallaghtdub (Dublin) - Posts: 344 - 15/04/2008 13:14:17    7356

Nail on the head , Ludvic.......

eastgael (Limerick) - Posts: 629 - 15/04/2008 13:16:30    7358

there is no chance a group of top athletes who never played gaelic before could become competitive in 12 months. Anyone who thinks this has never palyed Gaelic at a decent level. Stuff like positional sense, when to make runs, man-marking , tackling properly are not something that can be learned in 12 months. And for anyone who says that 15 Aussies who beat the Kerry team is a game of gaelic is dillusional.

Bo Duke (Tyrone) - Posts: 57 - 15/04/2008 13:20:55    7362

Did someone say rugby was artful?As artful as an elaphant doing ballet.

Real Kerry Fan (None) - Posts: 2957 - 15/04/2008 14:15:30    7384

Did someone say rugby was artful?As artful as an elaphant doing ballet.
Real Kerry Fan , 15/04/2008 at 14:15
________________________________________
C'mon now RKF - what did elephants ever do to you!

JayoCluxton (Dublin) - Posts: 2688 - 15/04/2008 14:23:11    7390