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Playing Games In December.

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Why oh why oh why...... December should be a month where all players get a break, no matter what team they play for. The madness of matches in December has players sick of training. There is no need to have matches at this time of year, play the O'Byrne/Walsh/McKenna/etc cup as a weekend tournament, the weekend before the start of the league, job done. I can understand the need to get gym programmes, etc for players - most players love the gym anyway. But matches, why oh why. StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1733 - 12/12/2018 16:10:52 2154108 Link
Well the reason given was due to the earlier league start. If they played them over a weekend there would be accusations of burn out! Then there would be the logistics involved in organizing a weekend tournament. lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 2990 - 12/12/2018 16:48:35 2154112 Link
Replying To StoreysTash: "Why oh why oh why...... December should be a month where all players get a break, no matter what team they play for. The madness of matches in December has players sick of training. There is no need to have matches at this time of year, play the O'Byrne/Walsh/McKenna/etc cup as a weekend tournament, the weekend before the start of the league, job done. I can understand the need to get gym programmes, etc for players - most players love the gym anyway. But matches, why oh why." Apparently the players wanted the O'Byrne cup fixtures. I can't understand why particularly. The GAA season is absolutely mental. No off season whatsoever. It can't be healthy. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4226 - 12/12/2018 16:59:23 2154114 Link
Why oh why oh why...... December should be a month where all players get a break, no matter what team they play for. The madness of matches in December has players sick of training. There is no need to have matches at this time of year, play the O'Byrne/Walsh/McKenna/etc cup as a weekend tournament, the weekend before the start of the league, job done. I can understand the need to get gym programmes, etc for players - most players love the gym anyway. But matches, why oh why. StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 187 - 12/12/2018 16:10:52 I agree its crazy but i disagree playing games on 1 weekend in its place. You dont need to have competitions for a pre season tournament anyway. Counties and colleges should be free to play as many pre season games as they like before sigerson/national league with all counties playing as many or as few as they want. But really it just needs counties to say we need a proper calender at all levels and for county boards and clubs to grow a pair and stick to the calender. DonaldDuck (Tipperary) - Posts: 544 - 12/12/2018 17:55:32 2154121 Link
Replying To StoreysTash: "Why oh why oh why...... December should be a month where all players get a break, no matter what team they play for. The madness of matches in December has players sick of training. There is no need to have matches at this time of year, play the O'Byrne/Walsh/McKenna/etc cup as a weekend tournament, the weekend before the start of the league, job done. I can understand the need to get gym programmes, etc for players - most players love the gym anyway. But matches, why oh why." Challenge matches are played in December if they don't tournaments and counties that take the NFL serious doing a lot of training in December the only time off for them is xmas week. There is also plenty of players that aren't that keen on gym work they are the players that haven't bulked up from their underage days. ispeakwisdom (Roscommon) - Posts: 2487 - 12/12/2018 18:40:39 2154126 Link
If the pre season competitions don't exist counties will still organise challenge matches with or without permission. Problem is league is starting too early. Should be mid February and no team should be training this time of year. Give players a break and forget about that stupid April club rule. Training for every county should start from 1 January as a rule for every county regardless of when their season ended the year before. The GPA should buy into that as a rule and positively encourage their members to resist any attempt by a manager to have a few sneaky sessions before 1 January. Onion Breath (Carlow) - Posts: 1412 - 12/12/2018 18:43:55 2154129 Link
Replying To lilywhite1: "Well the reason given was due to the earlier league start. If they played them over a weekend there would be accusations of burn out! Then there would be the logistics involved in organizing a weekend tournament." Pretty much agree. Anyway it's good to get back into things. Any of the players I spoke have no problem with it. royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 12/12/2018 19:07:51 2154133 Link
Replying To StoreysTash: "Why oh why oh why...... December should be a month where all players get a break, no matter what team they play for. The madness of matches in December has players sick of training. There is no need to have matches at this time of year, play the O'Byrne/Walsh/McKenna/etc cup as a weekend tournament, the weekend before the start of the league, job done. I can understand the need to get gym programmes, etc for players - most players love the gym anyway. But matches, why oh why." Going back 20 years ago the O'Byrne cup used to start in December, after last season players were asked what they thought of starting it the last week of December and the response was they wanted it started earlier in December! Also league games used to start in December! Chops (Westmeath) - Posts: 775 - 12/12/2018 23:29:11 2154152 Link
Surely some players like these December games and would prefer games to the drudgery of group of individual fitness sessions? These games won't be taken over seriously, maybe a few drinks afterwards, plenty of time for the serious stuff in 2019. GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7346 - 13/12/2018 06:21:21 2154160 Link
Replying To StoreysTash: "Why oh why oh why...... December should be a month where all players get a break, no matter what team they play for. The madness of matches in December has players sick of training. There is no need to have matches at this time of year, play the O'Byrne/Walsh/McKenna/etc cup as a weekend tournament, the weekend before the start of the league, job done. I can understand the need to get gym programmes, etc for players - most players love the gym anyway. But matches, why oh why." Players were asked when they would prefer to play the O'Byrne Cup games in Leinster and the answer was 90% in favour of playing them in December. A few weeks ago you were happy to see the Wexford hurling heading off on the shin dig to Boston, make your mind up whether you want games in November and December or not. hurlorhurley (Wexford) - Posts: 1660 - 13/12/2018 09:30:22 2154167 Link
They're still going to be training 4 or 5 times a week and playing challenge games. It's probably one of the most intense months of the year for training and if anything the competitive games will make them reduce the training for at least a day or 2. It's not like if they cancel these matches the mangers will let the players sit at home and put their feet up. They'll be out training or playing a challenge. CastleBravo (Meath) - Posts: 1644 - 13/12/2018 09:52:52 2154170 Link
Replying To CastleBravo: "They're still going to be training 4 or 5 times a week and playing challenge games. It's probably one of the most intense months of the year for training and if anything the competitive games will make them reduce the training for at least a day or 2. It's not like if they cancel these matches the mangers will let the players sit at home and put their feet up. They'll be out training or playing a challenge." Exactly maybe all preseason competitions should be played in November and December and start the leagues in early January free up a few more weeks in the Calendar during the season. hurlorhurley (Wexford) - Posts: 1660 - 13/12/2018 11:31:44 2154185 Link
I've no major issue with it as it does allow management teams to take a look at guys in what are relatively meaningless fixtures. If a fella stands out on a December evening then he'll get a run out in the league which is another step up and so on until Championship starts. The bigger counties can afford to tell their main men to stay away and stagger their returns to training and matches until well into the league but it is definitely a stretch on smaller counties with lesser playing pools to try to compete on all fronts. TrueBlue35 (Dublin) - Posts: 206 - 13/12/2018 13:16:21 2154191 Link
Replying To Onion Breath: "If the pre season competitions don't exist counties will still organise challenge matches with or without permission. Problem is league is starting too early. Should be mid February and no team should be training this time of year. Give players a break and forget about that stupid April club rule. Training for every county should start from 1 January as a rule for every county regardless of when their season ended the year before. The GPA should buy into that as a rule and positively encourage their members to resist any attempt by a manager to have a few sneaky sessions before 1 January." The April Club rule is pointless. Most Counties are only starting their leagues then and having the benefit of County players playing is questionable at such an early stage of the the club leagues. lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 2990 - 13/12/2018 13:38:20 2154195 Link
so people want more matches in november and december? the same posters would be the first ones complaining about young lads quitting the panel,not willing the give the commitment. knowing managers like i do,if pre season was november and december training would start in september. when is the gaa off season then? perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3929 - 13/12/2018 14:25:47 2154203 Link
Replying To perfect10: "so people want more matches in november and december? the same posters would be the first ones complaining about young lads quitting the panel,not willing the give the commitment. knowing managers like i do,if pre season was november and december training would start in september. when is the gaa off season then?" I think it's a bad thing. I think the answer would be to push the league back to a March start. There would need to be a complete overhaul of the calendar to facilitate that. Long overdue. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4226 - 13/12/2018 14:55:25 2154207 Link
Replying To perfect10: "so people want more matches in november and december? the same posters would be the first ones complaining about young lads quitting the panel,not willing the give the commitment. knowing managers like i do,if pre season was november and december training would start in september. when is the gaa off season then?" For the club player the off season is October to March For the county player the off season is during the club championship hurlorhurley (Wexford) - Posts: 1660 - 13/12/2018 15:16:51 2154209 Link
Replying To hurlorhurley: "For the club player the off season is October to March For the county player the off season is during the club championship" Off Season until March for the club player? What are you classifying as off season? No club will only start back training in March. Until such stage as there is a complete review of the fixtures from the Top down there will be no change. A full calendar is needed ASAP or a decision as to what constitutes a club vs county player. i.e. if you are a county player than you dont play. This would free up time in the calendar for the club but there are obvious consequences of such a change. The reality is that players who are going to be involved in a county team start "training" as soon as their club get knocked out of the championship. County manager dont care about the club scene only to get new players involved. juicy (Meath) - Posts: 399 - 13/12/2018 17:03:51 2154227 Link
Mad stuff altogether, the end to the season is brought forward by two weeks to shorten the season and then the season start is also brought forward by two weeks. The GAA may as well have left it as a January start and September end for the Inter-County season instead of December - August. As Brian Cody has said at least twice now the solution to club players not getting enough games during the Summer was to increase the number of inter-county championship games. It is very telling that Cody would say this when he usually keeps his opinions to himself. Fair play to him for speaking out, even if it might be a little bit self-serving because he had Kilkenny's season preparations down to a tee before the extra provincial games. Killarney.87 (Tipperary) - Posts: 2513 - 13/12/2018 20:33:32 2154233 Link
its been said before why not play championship and league together. Also some forget without the club there would be no county. Or else get rid of the backdoor and go back to the old format provincial championship, all ireland semi final and final frees up god knows how many months for the club. Again i stress without the club there would be no county scene, mrsme (USA) - Posts: 172 - 13/12/2018 20:52:21 2154235 Link