KELF
County: Kildare
Posts: 611

Testing pre-dated the Players Grants.

It was brought in long before that and applies to any sport in receipt of Sports Council Funding.

I know Ladies Fottballers do not get grants but have been subject to testing for years ( though not very frequent).

Of course players, such as All Ireland League and Senior Schools Rugby players, should just like GAA, LF & Camogie players, be tested.

I read a Tony Ward article last year on Schools Rugby which would have me worried if I was the parent od a Senior Schools player.

The big problem I have with the testing is that who are the testers. Unqualified "officials" from some other sport brought in on the day, be it in the name of the Sports Council or not, should not be allowed.
Testing should only be done by Doctors and if it were then it could be blood and you would not have the massive delays like that which spoiled the All Ireland celebrations in Croke Park for a Dublin player ( and probably plenty others).

There's certainly a lot of talk about it as far as the schools rugby goes. Some of the stories and rumours are very worrying altogether.

I went to college with a lad who said his manager used to just hand out stuff to the team to take after every training session, nobody questioned why or what it was as they were told it was "just an energy drink".

Then again a member of a senior Gaelic football team once said the same to me, after training lads just drank what they were given and never felt the need to ask what it was as long as they felt it helped them recover.

The problem with testing is the same in Irish football, after most matches a player from each team is kept waiting, most of the time in the referees room or a little office to give sample in a plastic cup, sign a label and be on your way, could take a few hours to give a sample though after playing a full match. The problem with blood testing is that it needs to be done by doctor which may not always be possible. Some of the testers are just there to watch you p*ss in a cup and have no medical qualifications at all. The timing and the environment in which it's done isn't very helpful at all.

Obviously being tested straight after a match isn't the most convenient of things, but in comparison to other sports, where you have to report to WADA and governing bodies on a weekly basis, giving them a full itinerary of what your location will be, meaning they can just call in to test you at any time it's a lot easier. Unfortunately for GAA players unless they've agreed to out of competition or year round testing there's not a lot they else they can do.

if_in_doubt (Kildare) - Posts: 3691 - 15/02/2013 17:11:34    1334630

if_in_doubt
County: Kildare
Posts: 1640

1334588
hill16no1man
County: Dublin
Posts: 3700

you cannot penalise a sports body for making the right decisions and being popular and using their income correctly and thus reduce the income you give them,what kind of message does that send out to all sporting bodies.the governement are lredy doing what you suggest in regard hospitals only last week they reduced grants to a hospital like st james's becuase it was keeping its books in order and instead gave their money to other hospitals who were running their budgets badly,that to me sends out the wrong message to people.

I'm not saying we should penalise well run sports, and financially and structurally strong sports.

But if money is going to be given to sports maybe it should be given to those that need it most and can do the most with it.

The GAA will still go strong if it receives less from the government, and the money could make the world of difference to minority sports or paralympic / Special Olympic groups.

If you keep giving the money to the biggest and most popular sports then nobody else will ever have a chance.

you are though by giving more money to atheltics who are unable to run thier own ship properally well then you are sedning the wrong message.
just look at the fai they squandered all their money they dont even own a stadium themselves if you were to keep rewarding organistaions for bad management instead of oragisations for good managment of its grants you are going to keep having the same problems

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 15/02/2013 17:23:04    1334634

Brilliant post Doublehop, outstanding counterargument to Kiernans rather reckless and ill thought out comments. In fact I'm not really sure what his argument is, you simply cannot compare and contrast the needs and athletic ability of the two sports, its a nonsense. I, like countless others on here, love and cherish our gaelic sports, its unique and its ours and we should be proud of that rather that sticking the proverbial boot in. However, I am also a big fan of track and field and a fully qualified and licensed coach who trains young athletes from 8-13 in my spare time so I have an insight into the rigours of athletic training and drills. What doublehop has said is particularly relevant and I have argued this point in many a thread and indeed in letters to the national press, instead of turning his guns on the GAA Kiernan should be aiming at the governments neglect of athletics, I its poor funding of the infrastructure and even poorer treatment of the athletes themselves.

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 15/02/2013 17:56:43    1334646

Anyone interested in listening? [url=]http://media.newstalk.ie/archive

Its one of the podcasts.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4953 - 15/02/2013 18:29:35    1334664

"Once every four years we have a fleeting interest in kayaking, sailing, someone walking fast, someone doing a medley and invariably they come fourth ina heat where 3 go through."

Someone walking fast lol

There'll always be some anti-GAA types who think we'd be better off scrapping Gaelic games in the hope that we might actually have a decent soccer/Olympics team etc. Gaelic games are one of the great ways in which we retain our unique sense of Irishness in the face of pop culture bombardment from the UK, USA & EU.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 15/02/2013 20:36:04    1334711

If jerry kiernan was as fit as gaa players in 1984 he would not have come ninth he would have won end of

thestrapper49 (Louth) - Posts: 350 - 15/02/2013 20:39:27    1334712

GAA players through their jobs would pay an amount of tax to the Irish Government that far outweights these €400 euro grants the players get.I'd view these grants as a tax break and as thank you for all the money that is generated by GAA in this country and all the good these players do and will do in the future.And anyway €400 is probably a lot less than the cost involved in being an intercounty GAA player.

uibhfhaili1986 (Offaly) - Posts: 1296 - 15/02/2013 21:18:56    1334732

Double hop captured it very well. Sport in this country has been done on the cheap forever basically. I know our Northern friends can't believe the ridiculous lengths you've to go to to fundraiser for basics down this part of the island. There's no value placed in sport in the Republuc anyway. As others have said Kiernans would have been better on targeting the Govt cheap treatment if all sport. The Govt will be delighted with this divisive event, set the rats fighting for scraps against each other!
In a final point thestrapper49, I can only presume (hope) that post a few posts up was a joke?

bouncingball (Carlow) - Posts: 124 - 16/02/2013 11:28:21    1334781

Ruanua

For the 15,000+ Donegal people who were in Croke park for Kevin Cassidys score v Kildare
For the 20,000 Donegal people that saw Karl Laceys winning score v Kerry
For the 30,000+ donegal people that saw Frank McGlynns point againts Cork
and for the 40,000+ donegal people who say Michael Murphys goal v Mayo
For the 50,000+ Dubs who saw Cluxtons score v Kerry
For the 50,000 Galway people who saw Joes goal v Kilkenny

and the millions that go to games and watch them sunday in sunday out there are moments the GAA will bring us moments that will live for a lifetime.
€400 a player is a sneeze.

Once every four years we have a fleeting interest in kayaking, sailing, someone walking fast, someone doing a medley and invariably they come fourth ina heat where 3 go through.

Jerry needs a serious dose of realisation on who lives ina a "cloistered" world

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The difference is that our kayakers, sailors, athletes etc are doing it on a world stage.

Ask most people around the globe if they know who Sonia O'Sullivan, Eamon Coghlan etc are and they'll all be able to tell you....ask them who Henry Shefflin or Karl Lacey are and you'll get a blank response....

Dont make me laugh..... Tis surely some of the potters on here that need a serious dose of realisation as to who lives in a cloistered world to be sure to be sure!

Lifford Gael (Donegal) - Posts: 1925 - 16/02/2013 12:05:50    1334790

I doubt most people around the world would know who Sonia O'Sullivan or Eamonn Coghlan are only people who would have a big interest in track and field would know who they are.

uibhfhaili1986 (Offaly) - Posts: 1296 - 16/02/2013 12:18:04    1334792

Lifford Gael
County: Donegal
Posts: 1609

1334790
Ruanua

For the 15,000+ Donegal people who were in Croke park for Kevin Cassidys score v Kildare
For the 20,000 Donegal people that saw Karl Laceys winning score v Kerry
For the 30,000+ donegal people that saw Frank McGlynns point againts Cork
and for the 40,000+ donegal people who say Michael Murphys goal v Mayo
For the 50,000+ Dubs who saw Cluxtons score v Kerry
For the 50,000 Galway people who saw Joes goal v Kilkenny

and the millions that go to games and watch them sunday in sunday out there are moments the GAA will bring us moments that will live for a lifetime.
€400 a player is a sneeze.

Once every four years we have a fleeting interest in kayaking, sailing, someone walking fast, someone doing a medley and invariably they come fourth ina heat where 3 go through.

Jerry needs a serious dose of realisation on who lives ina a "cloistered" world

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The difference is that our kayakers, sailors, athletes etc are doing it on a world stage.

Ask most people around the globe if they know who Sonia O'Sullivan, Eamon Coghlan etc are and they'll all be able to tell you....ask them who Henry Shefflin or Karl Lacey are and you'll get a blank response....

Dont make me laugh..... Tis surely some of the potters on here that need a serious dose of realisation as to who lives in a cloistered world to be sure to be sure!


thats a stupid remark to try and make and one that smacks of somebody pining for the nritish or american acceptance,all of the above names you mentioned are from ireland henry shefflin sport is played solely in ireland so how do you expect people around the globe to know his name? and why would he care? you dont have to get an acceptance from other countrys to be a top sportsperson especially when your sport is based only in the country you are from.
so by your logic i have none what so ever knowledge of american football so i dont know any of the best players in the sport so if you were to name one of them and then compare him to tim howard a soccer player that features in my nespaper does this mean because i have heard of him hes a better athelete or sportsperson?

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 16/02/2013 12:39:50    1334794

It seems that most or all of the posters here are of the one mind that Jerry Kiernan was way over the top in his comments on this subject. However you would expect that on a GAA forum, so I would advise all the posters to forward their comments to the daily papers (which I'll be doing) where they will have a wider audience and possibly bring home to Mr Kiernan how biased his opinion is.

OntheWhiteSide (Kildare) - Posts: 452 - 16/02/2013 12:41:34    1334795

Lifford Gael, you seem awfully worried about what the rest of the world thinks.
Who cares if they don't know who Henry Shefflin is?
WE know he's an absolute legend.

Coylers Elbow (Meath) - Posts: 1075 - 16/02/2013 13:03:54    1334798

Coylers Elbow

Read my full post...you're actually agreeing with me..... Yes Henry Shefflin is a legend in Ireland....but in the grander scheme of things away from our little cloistered world, he's a nobody....it's very easy to dismiss our sportspeople who compete on the international stage competing with he world best. The reality is that the GAA to all intents and purposes is played in Ireland and nowhere else so we're not exactly comparing like with like.

Lifford Gael (Donegal) - Posts: 1925 - 16/02/2013 13:51:45    1334807

Jerry Kiernan, Eamon Coughlan, John Treacy, Ray Flynn ,Niall Cusack are the generation of runners who did achieve some real success at International level. However I always considered them a bit "too precious". You know .the scholarship back ground and all that. Although I dont think Kiernan was a scholarship athlete to U.S.A. The others would arrive home in the Summer and tell us how backward we were in Ireland !! I am gob smacked by Kiernans attitude and statement. He should apologise.

Brinsley Swartz (Mayo) - Posts: 2225 - 16/02/2013 14:32:48    1334816

I couldn't help but think this man has a serious, even bitter hatred of the GAA from reading his comments. But there is an element, albeit a relatively small one, in this country, of people who would love to see the end of the GAA. The GAA for many self described "modern Irelanders" represents old fashioned parochialism, a sport played by culchies in rural areas.

But his comments are laughable. Most inter-county footballers would run every rugby player in the country into the ground in a fitness test.

Sergeant_Slash (Cavan) - Posts: 2182 - 16/02/2013 15:56:53    1334839

I feel sorry for the guy.I really do.Its obviously very frustrating for him seeing so many kids playing Gaa sports and not give two hoots about athletics,and this is his way of giving out about it.

joncarter (Galway) - Posts: 2692 - 16/02/2013 19:13:55    1334939

Seargent Slash . You are 100% right yrs ago i thought if i played rugby in the winter time i would be fit for gaelic fotball, when thee gaa season came around i wasnt at the races

dubarra (Wicklow) - Posts: 541 - 16/02/2013 19:16:35    1334942

Jerry Kiernan is right in what he said. GAA players don't put in enough effort to warrant the funding. And there is no way that you can compare their commitment to serious Athletes.

walkinglunchbox (Longford) - Posts: 334 - 16/02/2013 20:27:08    1334976

Lifford Gael
County: Donegal
Posts: 1610

1334807 Coylers Elbow

Read my full post...you're actually agreeing with me..... Yes Henry Shefflin is a legend in Ireland....but in the grander scheme of things away from our little cloistered world, he's a nobody....it's very easy to dismiss our sportspeople who compete on the international stage competing with he world best. The reality is that the GAA to all intents and purposes is played in Ireland and nowhere else so we're not exactly comparing like with like.

Henry Shefflin is one of the greatest sportsmen we have ever produced in any sport at any time in our history . He has shown all the characteristics apparent in any of our greatest international sportspeople. He has outstanding ability, courage, character, leadership ability and discipline. All of our sporting greats such as Sonia O Sullivan, Brian O Driscoll, Padraig Harrington, Stephen Roche, Barry Mc Guigan and many more have exhibited the same characteristics. Henry Shefflins achievements match up with the achievements of the people I have mentioned. It is however the fact that he exhibites the same characteristics as our true sporting greats that dictate that he should be included in the pantheon of our all time sporting greats.

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6178 - 16/02/2013 20:34:52    1334983