DUBLIN DEFENDER GER BRENNAN is gearing up for a Croke Park semi final with Kerry and, although the challenges keep coming, declares he is ready for battle.
Brennan may find himself marking Kerry talisman Colm Cooper in the All-Ireland clash on Sunday but has cautioned against setting a plan for one forward when The Kingdom boast a plethora of attacking talents.
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“[Kerry] have such a strong forward-line and they’re all such skillful players that I’d say they might mix it around,” he said. “They may inter-change which they’ve done before as well, so we’ll just prepare for every eventuality as best as possible. But we won’t get overly caught up with them either.”
Brennan told TheScore.ie about the evolution of the modern, which now sees players switch positions and on-field responsibilities with ease. As a defender, the Dubliner explains, he must be equally adaptable.
As he discusses the other changes in modern GAA, Brennan happens upon the word ‘resources’ when talking about players.
He expanded on the theme: “The workload involved in senior inter-county hurling and football has really come on over the last 10, 15 years. We’re professional in every way bar getting paid. I think most players would agree with that.
It has changed since I’ve started. The depth of analysis, the focus on athletic development, and so on, has really grown. I remember playing under Pillar [former Dublin boss Paul Caffrey] and there was certainly weights and analysis but it’s just come up a few notches since. You might say it’s gone from Ordinary Level to Higher Level. I don’t know where it goes from here. I don’t think it can go any further from here.”
Down-time for top GAA players is now a matter of weeks, rather than months, and Brennan admits the relentless nature of the game can lead to ‘mental lows’. He faced challenges to break into the Dublin side when Caffrey was in charge but believes all of his sacrifices have been worthwhile. Four Leinster titles, an All-Ireland winners’ medal and the knowledge he is a senior member of the Dublin squad back up Brennan’s position.
“I think it’s to do with your mindset,” added the St Vincent’s clubman. “If you’re enjoying it, it’s not a sacrifice at all. It’s something that gives meaning to your life.”
There are over 1500 inter county players in the country between football and hurling. How much are you suggesting they get paid?? Even if they were only paid €20k a year that’s €30 million. Where do you suggest that money would come from along with covering all other costs. The gaa is up to its eyes in debt. Most of the “suits” you describe work on a voluntary basis. If players don’t want to play the game they don’t have to. They play because of their passion for the game and that’s what makes the gaa great!
How much does the president of the GAA get paid?its over €150,000 a year that’s some money for a president of a “amateur” game.wake up you’re believing the waffle that’s coming out of HQ
The organisation doesn’t run itself. €150,000 is about right in my pinion for an organisation that size. Presidents of Irish charities get paid in and around that region as well. You can’t expect someone to head an organisation as big as the GAA for peanuts.
I’d love to see players get reimbursed for their efforts, I just don’t think it’s feasible
First off Niall these Inter county squads are far too big in the first place, the GAA should insist on a squad of no more than 20 and if a player suffers an injury he can be replaced.
Nobody is asking for them to be paid €20k a year, pay for play league and championship only, yes it would benefit the stronger counties players more than the weaker ones as they will usually play more games but its the only workable option and would keep expenses down.
€150 quid a game, say a player plays 15 games it only to comes to €2250, hardly a substantial amount but at least it would buy a few xmas presents or a well earned family holiday, money to be paid in a lump sum at the end of the season.
The dinosaurs believe that players should only do it for the love of the game, fair enough, but shouldn’t managers do t for the love of the game too when you consider its the players who put in all the hard work?.
Whats the difference with GAA to other sports, if you use your full quota of subs and a player gets injured its your tough sh!t, remember Spain ending up with 9 men in the world cup against us?.
You always have the option of switching players instead of substituting them make managers use their heads a little more.
How many of these squad players actually get a run in the championship? probably at least 10 in in each county team who spend the whole summer sitting on the bench.
Day to day I honestly haven’t a clue what he does. What does any president of a €40/50m organisation do?
I can say that the GAA is in a very healthy state, given the current economic climate, and if he or any of the previous Presidents weren’t doing their job right, we wouldn’t be in the position we are now.
How do you propose pay for play anyway, I mean numbers, individual contacts, team contacts? A transfer system? Paying underage teams? How do you see it working?
No doubt the gaa presidents wages are outrageous but the majority of those involved in the gaa, even the “suits” in croke park DO work on a voluntary basis and I know that for a fact! @William…pay for play is an interesting idea but you just identified the problem. The weaker teams play less games and that will lead to a whole new issue. I do believe players expenses should be as high as possible simply because being a full time gaa player at the highest level does disrupt work life. In saying that, don’t forget that being a high profile player for one of the top teams does open up career opportunities that wouldn’t ordinarily be available to a lot if these lads. As for reducing squads to 20, that is simply ridiculous!
If it was 2002 I don’t think Spain ever went down to 9 men but lets day they did for your argument. They had a squad of 23 players for a months tournament with 11 starters per game. You expect a squad to survive with 20 players with 15 starters with league, championship and challenge games. Do you honestly expect teams to play training games with 10 v 10 and have to put an outfield player in goals to make up numbers. A whole squad with 2 recognised backup forwards, 2 backs and one other like an under 16 team trying to make up numbers. Someone gets injured 2 weeks before an all Ireland and someone comes in and us expected to fit seemlessly into a team dynamic and tactics rather than having been training with the squad all along? Doesn’t sound very professional to me
Fair enough Paddy you’re right in what you”re saying, as regards training and that, but I think on the day of a game a squad of only 20 should be named.
Just like soccer you’re only allowed name a certain number for each game and only allowed a limited amount of substitutions.
You have a ridiculous situation in Gaelic football where if a game goes into extra time you’re allowed bring back on previously substituted players which many managers do while fit and fresh out in the cold squad players remain on the bench twiddling their thumbs.
Niall yes its true some GAA players have got decent jobs because of who they were, but in the current climate that perk has all but vanished, I know many players who are unemployed, others forced to join the Army the likes of Paul Murphy and Colin Fennelly for Kilkenny are 2 that spring instantly to mind and been a public service job the army pay has been decimated so they’re hardly flush with cash, others have emigrated.
But don’t forget these GAA managers are nearly all in well paid day jobs and many are rumoured to be on very substantial backhanders from their respective county boards or should we say third party donations?. So if you were to spend 15 years getting paid as a GAA manager on top of your well paying job, nice little perk don’t you think?, but whatever you do don’t mention paying the overworked over trained players with a virtually non existent family or social life.
Get a break for christmas and come January it starts all over again, and for what, pride and the slim chance of glory?.
The President of the GAA is more a ceremonial role. The real work is done at Director General level and below; the DG is paid but there are many administrators not paid for the roles they carry out.
Not only do GAA players train as hard as any professional soccer or rugby players but the vast majority of them also have a day job unlike the soccer and rugby stars, most of them just get in from work grab their kit bag tell the wife, girlfriend or mammy to put the dinner in the microwave and head for another grueling training session.
Many in the GAA see no problem in managers getting paid, even though Pairic Duffy said these brown envelopes were a blight on the amateur status of the GAA and promised to get to the bottom of it.
Lip service Pairic I haven’t heard a mumble from you since.
Payments to managers is not only an Inter County thing its just as prevalent in Club football too, and these club players are often subjected to the same grueling training as the Inter county stars.
Its these well paid managers who put these players through often torturous sessions and then insist they don’t have a semblance of a social life either, the well paid soccer and rugby players have a better social life than GAA players and probably train less hard?.
I’m all for players been rewarded but if its not feasible then as far as I’m concerned not one manager should get paid one cent for training a team only whatever expenses are due to them as its them who inflict such draconian regimes on these amateur players.
Brian Cody is an exception he excepts no underhand payment just does it for the love of the job and his county but he’s in a minority.
What really sickens me many in the media champion payments to managers but scoff at any suggestion that these overworked “AMATEUR” players should be compensated for their efforts, what hypocrisy!.
Obviously it would be great to see players getting rewarded for their efforts and in an ideal world you would love to see players getting paid and the club/County structures starting the same. But I don’t think it’s feasible.
Introduce money for play and you open up the door to transfers etc. Maybe there’s a way to do it but I think it would lead to serious complications. I also don’t think the finances are there to sustain any level of pay to players.
The manager situation is an interesting one. We all know county managers are getting paid getting paid, but the days of club managers getting big bucks is all bit gone in most cases. And not before time either.
I think players more than deserve to get rewarded, but I don’t want the organisation destroyed to make that happen
GAA players give so much commitment its unreal. They work their socks off, and I don’t care how much or how little a person earns in their dayjob, they deserve to be treated like the stars that they are. At the very least, a player should be given a car and petrol. I’m pretty sure a car could be a tax rightoff and the petrol is probably covered anyway. Some car seller could make a fortune arranging a fair price to keep the lads on the road. Every player should be fed, hydrated, free gym and all sports gear and equipment supplied and paid for. Some of the above probably already happen, but it should be a given and for every county too.
There are people training for Ironman events, putting in 20+ hours a week on top of a normal working week and family. How many hours a week would inter county players train? 10 including a match at the weekend? Genuine question, not being arsey.
Bob most would do 2 sessions a day 4/5 days a week and don’t forget how far some have to travel. For example in Mayo, a player from Belmullet would travel 150 km round trip to Castlebar at least 4 times a week.
So 10 hours would be a fair judgement. As an amateur cyclist I’d put in anything from 12-15 hours a week training, I’m sure there are people playing other amateur sports around the country doing the same. I never complain about the workload because it’s whats needed to be done to be competitive and I love doing it but the second I start giving out about it I’ll quit.
I realise inter county is different as different pressures are on players but nobody is forcing them to do it, they do it because they love it but they are defiantly one of the more vocal sportman when it comes to giving out about it.
It’s more than 10 hours a week. I work with a Dublin Inter County footballer, his normal routine is usually 2 x 2 hour sessions a day 4/5 times a week. (usually 6-7:30/8 in the morning before work & 2 hours again in the evening) you’re talking 16-20 hours a week on the physical side alone. Throw in 3 hour return journeys for some players (Michael Fennelly when on Championship Matters recently talked about having to drive from Limerick IT to Kilkenny and back again 3/4 times a week for training) There’s a lot more put into being an inter county player than popping your kit bag over your head and heading to the local club.
They also put a lot of time into their club and community, I have a county hurler coming to train my sons team next week, giving up his time and expects nothing in return for it. You don’t hear players complaining. Ger Brennan isn’t quoted a complaining about it, he merely said that they’re professional in every way bar getting paid and he’s right. But yes you’re right, they do it for the love of the game.
The GAA is similar to government my friends the players do all the work and the GAA leadership get all the money just like government does. Who is your sexy Taoiseach?
Rubbish. The GAA is about community. Paying players would ruin the ethos of the game. You play for your parish, your county. It’s for the pride of wearing the jersey, not the false badge kissing you see in soccer. And who do you pay? Club players, inter county? Who sets the bar for payments? Would Dublin players receive more than Leitrim players because Dublin can generate more money? It would destroy our games IMO.
Lord loverocket the GAA has changed enormously, you might have trained twice a week at most in the bygone days if you bothered to turn up training at all?, and after training you would head straight to the local for 4 or 5 pints.
Jimmy Keaveney use to have a few pints the night before an all Ireland final, if one of todays players was spotted in a pub a full 2 weeks before a big game he would most likely be dropped from the panel, treated as he had just consumed cyanide.
The community spirit and the love of the jersey is still very muh part of the game but players today are professional in all but name, and they deserve at least some form of compensation.
It’s not, in 2007 the GAA became a corporation and drop Eire from it’s logo. Legally it has disconnected itself from the people but continue to manipulate people like yourself into believing it is a ‘community’ ‘national thing ‘ . The GAA has eleiminated the word ‘EIRE’ from its crest and replaced with ‘GAA’ ,that should be ample enough to support my statement.
The GAA as it was set up originally was intended to be by the people for the people ,it was in the eyes of the republicans as important as the constitution itself.
They should get generous mileage and compo from missing work etc. Don’t think paying players would be sustainable in reality but if as someone suggested players get paid €150 euro per game for league and championship I think it would benefit weaker counties. The best players will always turn out for the dublins Kerry’s etc due to prestige tradition and possible all Ireland glory. Financial incentive might get the best players turning out for weaker counties and level the yawning gaps between top tier and the rest
I see a lot of people giving out about GAA players been apid, yet I’ve not heard one dissenting voice as to why itts ok to pay amateur GAA managers and their mentors mind you apart from mine, stinks of double standards to me>
As for amateur cyclists, Ironman etc training for events they can do that in their own free time or say to hell with it I don’t feel like training today, GAA players don’t have such a luxury.
“I don’t feel like training today” is fine for people looking to be at races to make up numbers, but I can assure you nobody in my club thinks that way. A training session will only be missed because of injury. There is a serious “woe is the poor GAA player” mentality in here…Red thumb all you want, but they are not unique in there dedication to sport.
Would love to see the players paid they work so so hard for the game. It must be so difficult to keep up with the training demands plus work a full time job and maybe have a family also.
The GAA is similar to government my friends the players do all the work and the GAA leadership get all the money just like government does. Who is your gerogeous Taoiseach?
Seems to be plenty of GAA dinosaurs around loads of red thumbs I see.
How come the tax man hasn’t been after these brown envelopes, considering that a GAA director said there was more than enough evidence that GAA managers were receiving underhand payments in his annual report, or is the GAA untouchable as an Irish institution?.
Would love to see players get paid, but it really is unrealistic, on the other hand they do receive generous “mileage” payments, and depending on the club, receive payments for medal presentations and training youths. I beileve lots of players do not charge a booking fee, but the club president will usually force an envelope into there hand with a possible 50 or 100euro. I think they fully deserve every little envelope or mileage allowance they get. Also, if a county player becomes unemployed, the county board will usually ste them up with a job, be it coaching kids in schools or whatever, they will still get a wage. This doesnt apply to junior players who would and have had to emigrate.
Eitherway, i think county players are well looked after, they do deserve to be paid, but its not sustainable.
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Said it before the only thing amateur about the GAA is players not getting paid.time to start paying the players and not the suits in “headquarters”
Agreed!
Not so sure. There’s a lot of admin costs involved in running the GAA and only the best is provided by the top tier men in HQ.
Just look at Hawk eye for example.
There are over 1500 inter county players in the country between football and hurling. How much are you suggesting they get paid?? Even if they were only paid €20k a year that’s €30 million. Where do you suggest that money would come from along with covering all other costs. The gaa is up to its eyes in debt. Most of the “suits” you describe work on a voluntary basis. If players don’t want to play the game they don’t have to. They play because of their passion for the game and that’s what makes the gaa great!
How much does the president of the GAA get paid?its over €150,000 a year that’s some money for a president of a “amateur” game.wake up you’re believing the waffle that’s coming out of HQ
The organisation doesn’t run itself. €150,000 is about right in my pinion for an organisation that size. Presidents of Irish charities get paid in and around that region as well. You can’t expect someone to head an organisation as big as the GAA for peanuts.
I’d love to see players get reimbursed for their efforts, I just don’t think it’s feasible
First off Niall these Inter county squads are far too big in the first place, the GAA should insist on a squad of no more than 20 and if a player suffers an injury he can be replaced.
Nobody is asking for them to be paid €20k a year, pay for play league and championship only, yes it would benefit the stronger counties players more than the weaker ones as they will usually play more games but its the only workable option and would keep expenses down.
€150 quid a game, say a player plays 15 games it only to comes to €2250, hardly a substantial amount but at least it would buy a few xmas presents or a well earned family holiday, money to be paid in a lump sum at the end of the season.
The dinosaurs believe that players should only do it for the love of the game, fair enough, but shouldn’t managers do t for the love of the game too when you consider its the players who put in all the hard work?.
He’s not worth that money it’s a joke.to be paid 70k a year is more than enough I wouldn’t call that peanuts.keep believing what ye are been told.
20 players for a full gaa squad!! Are you serious?
I wouldn’t argue if that salary was reduced but your talking like he should be doing it for free, which I think is wrong. He’s doing a good job.
What does he do?
Whats the difference with GAA to other sports, if you use your full quota of subs and a player gets injured its your tough sh!t, remember Spain ending up with 9 men in the world cup against us?.
You always have the option of switching players instead of substituting them make managers use their heads a little more.
How many of these squad players actually get a run in the championship? probably at least 10 in in each county team who spend the whole summer sitting on the bench.
Newly,
Day to day I honestly haven’t a clue what he does. What does any president of a €40/50m organisation do?
I can say that the GAA is in a very healthy state, given the current economic climate, and if he or any of the previous Presidents weren’t doing their job right, we wouldn’t be in the position we are now.
How do you propose pay for play anyway, I mean numbers, individual contacts, team contacts? A transfer system? Paying underage teams? How do you see it working?
No doubt the gaa presidents wages are outrageous but the majority of those involved in the gaa, even the “suits” in croke park DO work on a voluntary basis and I know that for a fact! @William…pay for play is an interesting idea but you just identified the problem. The weaker teams play less games and that will lead to a whole new issue. I do believe players expenses should be as high as possible simply because being a full time gaa player at the highest level does disrupt work life. In saying that, don’t forget that being a high profile player for one of the top teams does open up career opportunities that wouldn’t ordinarily be available to a lot if these lads. As for reducing squads to 20, that is simply ridiculous!
If it was 2002 I don’t think Spain ever went down to 9 men but lets day they did for your argument. They had a squad of 23 players for a months tournament with 11 starters per game. You expect a squad to survive with 20 players with 15 starters with league, championship and challenge games. Do you honestly expect teams to play training games with 10 v 10 and have to put an outfield player in goals to make up numbers. A whole squad with 2 recognised backup forwards, 2 backs and one other like an under 16 team trying to make up numbers. Someone gets injured 2 weeks before an all Ireland and someone comes in and us expected to fit seemlessly into a team dynamic and tactics rather than having been training with the squad all along? Doesn’t sound very professional to me
Fair enough Paddy you’re right in what you”re saying, as regards training and that, but I think on the day of a game a squad of only 20 should be named.
Just like soccer you’re only allowed name a certain number for each game and only allowed a limited amount of substitutions.
You have a ridiculous situation in Gaelic football where if a game goes into extra time you’re allowed bring back on previously substituted players which many managers do while fit and fresh out in the cold squad players remain on the bench twiddling their thumbs.
Its a ridiculous rule that should be shelved.
Niall yes its true some GAA players have got decent jobs because of who they were, but in the current climate that perk has all but vanished, I know many players who are unemployed, others forced to join the Army the likes of Paul Murphy and Colin Fennelly for Kilkenny are 2 that spring instantly to mind and been a public service job the army pay has been decimated so they’re hardly flush with cash, others have emigrated.
But don’t forget these GAA managers are nearly all in well paid day jobs and many are rumoured to be on very substantial backhanders from their respective county boards or should we say third party donations?. So if you were to spend 15 years getting paid as a GAA manager on top of your well paying job, nice little perk don’t you think?, but whatever you do don’t mention paying the overworked over trained players with a virtually non existent family or social life.
Get a break for christmas and come January it starts all over again, and for what, pride and the slim chance of glory?.
Gaa president is a primary school teacher so the gaa reimburses the department of education his wages and I don’t think teachers are on a 150000!!
The President of the GAA is more a ceremonial role. The real work is done at Director General level and below; the DG is paid but there are many administrators not paid for the roles they carry out.
http://www.gaa.ie/about-the-gaa/mission-and-vision/current-structures/
Not only do GAA players train as hard as any professional soccer or rugby players but the vast majority of them also have a day job unlike the soccer and rugby stars, most of them just get in from work grab their kit bag tell the wife, girlfriend or mammy to put the dinner in the microwave and head for another grueling training session.
Many in the GAA see no problem in managers getting paid, even though Pairic Duffy said these brown envelopes were a blight on the amateur status of the GAA and promised to get to the bottom of it.
Lip service Pairic I haven’t heard a mumble from you since.
Payments to managers is not only an Inter County thing its just as prevalent in Club football too, and these club players are often subjected to the same grueling training as the Inter county stars.
Its these well paid managers who put these players through often torturous sessions and then insist they don’t have a semblance of a social life either, the well paid soccer and rugby players have a better social life than GAA players and probably train less hard?.
I’m all for players been rewarded but if its not feasible then as far as I’m concerned not one manager should get paid one cent for training a team only whatever expenses are due to them as its them who inflict such draconian regimes on these amateur players.
Brian Cody is an exception he excepts no underhand payment just does it for the love of the job and his county but he’s in a minority.
What really sickens me many in the media champion payments to managers but scoff at any suggestion that these overworked “AMATEUR” players should be compensated for their efforts, what hypocrisy!.
Obviously it would be great to see players getting rewarded for their efforts and in an ideal world you would love to see players getting paid and the club/County structures starting the same. But I don’t think it’s feasible.
Introduce money for play and you open up the door to transfers etc. Maybe there’s a way to do it but I think it would lead to serious complications. I also don’t think the finances are there to sustain any level of pay to players.
The manager situation is an interesting one. We all know county managers are getting paid getting paid, but the days of club managers getting big bucks is all bit gone in most cases. And not before time either.
I think players more than deserve to get rewarded, but I don’t want the organisation destroyed to make that happen
GAA players give so much commitment its unreal. They work their socks off, and I don’t care how much or how little a person earns in their dayjob, they deserve to be treated like the stars that they are. At the very least, a player should be given a car and petrol. I’m pretty sure a car could be a tax rightoff and the petrol is probably covered anyway. Some car seller could make a fortune arranging a fair price to keep the lads on the road. Every player should be fed, hydrated, free gym and all sports gear and equipment supplied and paid for. Some of the above probably already happen, but it should be a given and for every county too.
Excellent post Simeia!.
There are people training for Ironman events, putting in 20+ hours a week on top of a normal working week and family. How many hours a week would inter county players train? 10 including a match at the weekend? Genuine question, not being arsey.
Bob most would do 2 sessions a day 4/5 days a week and don’t forget how far some have to travel. For example in Mayo, a player from Belmullet would travel 150 km round trip to Castlebar at least 4 times a week.
So 10 hours would be a fair judgement. As an amateur cyclist I’d put in anything from 12-15 hours a week training, I’m sure there are people playing other amateur sports around the country doing the same. I never complain about the workload because it’s whats needed to be done to be competitive and I love doing it but the second I start giving out about it I’ll quit.
I realise inter county is different as different pressures are on players but nobody is forcing them to do it, they do it because they love it but they are defiantly one of the more vocal sportman when it comes to giving out about it.
It’s more than 10 hours a week. I work with a Dublin Inter County footballer, his normal routine is usually 2 x 2 hour sessions a day 4/5 times a week. (usually 6-7:30/8 in the morning before work & 2 hours again in the evening) you’re talking 16-20 hours a week on the physical side alone. Throw in 3 hour return journeys for some players (Michael Fennelly when on Championship Matters recently talked about having to drive from Limerick IT to Kilkenny and back again 3/4 times a week for training) There’s a lot more put into being an inter county player than popping your kit bag over your head and heading to the local club.
They also put a lot of time into their club and community, I have a county hurler coming to train my sons team next week, giving up his time and expects nothing in return for it. You don’t hear players complaining. Ger Brennan isn’t quoted a complaining about it, he merely said that they’re professional in every way bar getting paid and he’s right. But yes you’re right, they do it for the love of the game.
The GAA is similar to government my friends the players do all the work and the GAA leadership get all the money just like government does. Who is your sexy Taoiseach?
Rubbish. The GAA is about community. Paying players would ruin the ethos of the game. You play for your parish, your county. It’s for the pride of wearing the jersey, not the false badge kissing you see in soccer. And who do you pay? Club players, inter county? Who sets the bar for payments? Would Dublin players receive more than Leitrim players because Dublin can generate more money? It would destroy our games IMO.
Lord loverocket the GAA has changed enormously, you might have trained twice a week at most in the bygone days if you bothered to turn up training at all?, and after training you would head straight to the local for 4 or 5 pints.
Jimmy Keaveney use to have a few pints the night before an all Ireland final, if one of todays players was spotted in a pub a full 2 weeks before a big game he would most likely be dropped from the panel, treated as he had just consumed cyanide.
The community spirit and the love of the jersey is still very muh part of the game but players today are professional in all but name, and they deserve at least some form of compensation.
It’s not, in 2007 the GAA became a corporation and drop Eire from it’s logo. Legally it has disconnected itself from the people but continue to manipulate people like yourself into believing it is a ‘community’ ‘national thing ‘ . The GAA has eleiminated the word ‘EIRE’ from its crest and replaced with ‘GAA’ ,that should be ample enough to support my statement.
The GAA as it was set up originally was intended to be by the people for the people ,it was in the eyes of the republicans as important as the constitution itself.
They should get generous mileage and compo from missing work etc. Don’t think paying players would be sustainable in reality but if as someone suggested players get paid €150 euro per game for league and championship I think it would benefit weaker counties. The best players will always turn out for the dublins Kerry’s etc due to prestige tradition and possible all Ireland glory. Financial incentive might get the best players turning out for weaker counties and level the yawning gaps between top tier and the rest
I see a lot of people giving out about GAA players been apid, yet I’ve not heard one dissenting voice as to why itts ok to pay amateur GAA managers and their mentors mind you apart from mine, stinks of double standards to me>
As for amateur cyclists, Ironman etc training for events they can do that in their own free time or say to hell with it I don’t feel like training today, GAA players don’t have such a luxury.
“I don’t feel like training today” is fine for people looking to be at races to make up numbers, but I can assure you nobody in my club thinks that way. A training session will only be missed because of injury. There is a serious “woe is the poor GAA player” mentality in here…Red thumb all you want, but they are not unique in there dedication to sport.
That headline is misleading! He did not say that.
Would love to see the players paid they work so so hard for the game. It must be so difficult to keep up with the training demands plus work a full time job and maybe have a family also.
The GAA is similar to government my friends the players do all the work and the GAA leadership get all the money just like government does. Who is your gerogeous Taoiseach?
Seems to be plenty of GAA dinosaurs around loads of red thumbs I see.
How come the tax man hasn’t been after these brown envelopes, considering that a GAA director said there was more than enough evidence that GAA managers were receiving underhand payments in his annual report, or is the GAA untouchable as an Irish institution?.
Would love to see players get paid, but it really is unrealistic, on the other hand they do receive generous “mileage” payments, and depending on the club, receive payments for medal presentations and training youths. I beileve lots of players do not charge a booking fee, but the club president will usually force an envelope into there hand with a possible 50 or 100euro. I think they fully deserve every little envelope or mileage allowance they get. Also, if a county player becomes unemployed, the county board will usually ste them up with a job, be it coaching kids in schools or whatever, they will still get a wage. This doesnt apply to junior players who would and have had to emigrate.
Eitherway, i think county players are well looked after, they do deserve to be paid, but its not sustainable.
Heavy work load my brown…. I am the pipe wizard give any of these blokes my schedule & see how they do