To be fair to him, he was far more likely to have been right in 1988 than in 2013

He’s right – those Donegal lads were mighty unfit last year

Does he share the same barber as John Delaney?

I do not understand the need to compare the relative merits of sports or their participants. Fair play to all who take part in sport, no matter what it is, no matter what their level.

I would imagine that Jerry admires GAA players and knows the level of dedication required to make it at top level but perhaps he is unhappy with the level of recognition and associated funding that our Athletes receive. Over the years and given the size of our population, we have produced so many world-class athletes with little or no home-based facilities or financial assistance from the government.

I’m not a Gaa fan but I have seen a documentary on one Kerry player who works in Dublin and makes training back in Kerry 3times per week and a weekend match, now regardless that’s commitment and dedication.
If the Gaa fat cats paid the Players they could improve both fitness and skill level making it an even better sport.

We have seen this with the Elite Performance boxing squad and Irish Rugby going professional. Any athlete who has got up at crazy o clock to train and sacrifice diet and a social life for a goal or team or competition deserves respect.

Bernard Hopkins the 48yr old current&oldest World light heavyweight boxing champion trains like a demon and is super strict with his body/diet a perfect role model (sports performance wise) for anyone.

He’s always seemed like a very critical person. Was listening to him on the panel for the athletics a few weeks back and he was very begrudging of the Irish competitors — even the medal-winners — and suggested that they should have done better. Can’t say I’m surprised to see him come out with comments like this again.
Has Kiernan ever played either codes at top level? If not, then he’s not really in a position to come out and make comments like this. They mightn’t be able to run a mile in four minutes or less, but I don’t think he could go toe to toe with the best footballers or hurlers in the country either.

Chaps entitled to his opinion whether its wrong or right…think he got a bit too much stick for it!

He can rant, I like him. Wonder what his user name is for commenting on the journal. Gotta be on here somewhere…

He was wrong about saying the players are unfit but he was right about the grants system, the gaa are racking in the money, yet it is the suits at the top and the managers who take the money the gaa should be paying the grants to the players ,freeing up more money for athletics and other sports like tennis swimming cycling

Not as much as Roy Keane gets for his opinions !

Jerry Kiernan is as entitled to his opinion as anyone else.

There is a huge body of opinion in this country that regards the GAA as above any criticism and rushes to attack anyone who in makes any comment that is felt to be opposed to it. I have no doubt that many GAA players are dedicated and diligent trainers in their particular discipline. I don’t think that that makes them any more or less deserving of plaudits than say a young golfer/runner/swimmer etc. who puts in hours of practice/training to improve their prowess at their own sport.

In 1988, this may have been the norm, but not for all GAA teams. Take club level, ever since the early 1970’s the club championship has run from May to March of the following year, (All-Ireland Club finals St. Patricks day). Did those players, the vast majority not inter county, not train hard for all that time? How about the 1920’s where fitness training for professional soccer teams in England involved a brisk 2 mile walk one day a week? In my local GAA club all 15 of the teams from under 8 through to senior have all been back in training for over four weeks now, with most only finishing at the end of last October.

Has Gerry ever visited any of the current inter-county squads training sessions lately? I can tell you for a fact even the “weakest” of inter county teams have been putting in the hours since January, including sweating in below freezing conditions so much are they pushing themselves. One former inter county player from the late 1980’s early 1990’s told me only last year that the current crop of Senior Club players are doing the training he did as an inter county player, so he can only imagine what the inter county players of today have to go through. Nowadays we have U14 county development squad players, (14 year olds), being given diet and exercise plans. Not only are they following them they are even bringing them back to their clubs so that all the players can do the same.

Finally I think Gerry has also misunderstood the nature of the training required to be a top inter county player. The fitness required of a middle distance / long distance runner is different to that required of a sprinter. Just like the fitness required of a GAA player, is different to that required of a soccer or rugby player never mind the runner.

“At least he’s consistent”, even to the point of being wrong.

Why did the Kerryman cross the road?? To avoid the GAA footballers

The hack of him, he has the freakiest looking Barnet I ever seen. Also with shirt buttons opened down to his belly button, call the fashion police and have this man arrested!

I have spoken to lads who played GAA back then and both Jimmy Keavney and Big Joe McNally say it is nonsense that players were overweight, Kiernan must have been looking at the game through those funny carnival mirrors…

Spot on Jerry

It’s very difficult to compare athletes across different sports. Athletes that represent Ireland in high performance units are a totally different kettle of fish to gaa players. I have total respect for gaa players but they are amateur athletes. There are countless amateur athletes in other sports who make similar sacrifices as gaa players. Athletes involved in running, triathlon, swimming etc. look at the Ireland women’s rugby team, they ‘re amateur. Anybody who wants to be competitive on an amateur level has to make sacrafices. The reward is winning or being competitive . If that’s not enough of a reward for athletes / players in any sport then you have to question why they are involved in the sport….

Interesting thread

Simple test — try the fittest player in the GAA against the fittest athlete in the olyminpic team. They have the stats on Heart, lungs etc. if the GAA guy does better then give them the money if not give it to the other guy.

His hair is also consistent…..ly bad.

Jerry Kiernan is now 34 years of age? That would make him 9 years old in 1988. Precocious little brat !