Erne_Supporter (Fermanagh) - Posts: 136 - 28/10/2014 08:06:54    1667628

McGrath slams close-season ban

Fermanagh manager Pete McGrath says the GAA's close-season ban has no merit.

McGrath is endeavouring to get his new-look squad together ahead of the 2015 season but they cannot train collectively on a pitch until November 15th.

"I think there is no merit in this rule at all," the Down man says in The Fermanagh Herald. "I think the GAA is the only sporting organisation in the world that actually prohibits its players from training for a particular time.

"We exited the championship in June and we have guys who have been out of the club championship for a long time and who have been finished with their clubs quite a long time, yet we can't get out on the pitch.

"We adhere to the rules because they are there but I don't think they are in any way sensible at all. We would love this time to get out on the pitch and really work on some ball work but we can't do that and just have to wait until the middle of November for collective pitch-based sessions."

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Mr McGrath if you would look up the GAA's season for the ban then you would acquaint yourself as why the ban was imposed. Studies on player burnout were cited as the primary reason given that club football involves a long season.

gaalltheway (Fermanagh) - Posts: 762 - 30/10/2014 19:14:50    1668477

Erne_Supporter

Great to hear the Ciarn Flaherty back,he was one of few good players during John O Neills tenure....who else on the panel??

collective training allowed from November 15th.

macca999 (Fermanagh) - Posts: 902 - 02/11/2014 12:01:38    1668983

The panel isn't being announced so I better not say.
A very young panel with a lot of players only 18/19 on it

Erne_Supporter (Fermanagh) - Posts: 136 - 03/11/2014 10:51:23    1669252

03/11/2014 10:51:23
Erne_Supporter
County: Fermanagh
Posts: 129

1669252
The panel isn't being announced so I better not say.
A very young panel with a lot of players only 18/19 on it

That is code for 'I haven't got a clue who is on it lads, but i'll pretend i do.

gotmilk (Fermanagh) - Posts: 4971 - 03/11/2014 12:45:40    1669319

2015 Dr McKenna Cup Draw:

Section A: Jordanstown, Down, Cavan, Monaghan

Section B: Queens, Fermanagh, Donegal, Derry

Section C: St Mary's Belfast, Armagh, Antrim, Tyrone

A difficult group for Fermanagh!

IrvinestownMkII (Fermanagh) - Posts: 1384 - 05/11/2014 21:40:55    1670006

GAA Rule 6.43 Closed Months/Collective Training
Senior Inter-County panels may return to training for a
following year on a time-table determined by their time
of exit from the All-Ireland Championships in a current
year as follows:
Fermanagh Exit June; Commence Training November 15th.

My understanding is that the county squad has been training having been instructed to train on their own doing weights, etc by their manager. Many view this move as a clever way of getting around the collective training ban and doesn't adhere to the principle of a rest period as many were playing club football until recently.

The GAA introduced the ban on the collective recommendation of its members following expert advice from those both in the medical and sports sector. The question I would ask are these intercounty managers sufficiently qualified to make decisions on player welfare when professionals advise otherwise?

IrvinestownMkII (Fermanagh) - Posts: 1384 - 13/11/2014 11:34:11    1671930

You obviously don't visit a gym often sham or else you would see a lot of intercounty players in there during the off season working out and doing their own weights. I wouldn't view a weights programme as flaunting the rules. Most players would be doing weights anyway during the off season. It just means they get their programmes drawn up for them rather than them doing it on their own.

gotmilk (Fermanagh) - Posts: 4971 - 17/11/2014 16:58:24    1672905

Irish Times...

"Fitness guru Mike McGurn has hit out at the GAA's close-season policy and claims authorities are "missing the point" when it comes to the issue of burnout. "I think they're missing the point here. They're on about player burnout, if you train for two hours you're going to get burned out. My training sessions take 45 minutes maximum.

"You get in, you rip the place apart and get out again. If you're doing two 45-minute sessions a week you won't burn out, ever," said McGurn, "It's when you bring them in and do the laps and do two and half hours, which is happening, you burn out. Clubs and teams have got to talk. "If you've got a player who is playing colleges, club and county, coaches should get around and say, 'You are the player, what's best for you?' You have him for an hour on a Tuesday, we'll take him for half on hour on a Thursday and he plays for his club on Sunday. But people don't talk.

"If you don't talk you don't know so the player gets caught in the middle."

"So if you want to keep the guys healthy and on the pitch you need to increase pre-season training time. Your pre-season is time where you keep the players strong, fit and healthy and prevent them getting injured. The more money you put in the bank in pre-season, the more you take out during the season."

Nontheism (Fermanagh) - Posts: 105 - 18/11/2014 10:15:35    1672969

County Board should look at themselves too. If you're trying to avoid burout, surely, 9 games in the first 4 weeks of the season isn't the best policy. The fixture list needs a complete overhaul. From April to October there is 36 weeks in which to play 18 league games & mazimum 5 championship games. why there is a need to play double fixture weekends I'll never know? & Also, There whould NEVER be a Wednesday fixture with the amount of people working away these days. County board need to wake up.

Susuki82 (Fermanagh) - Posts: 56 - 18/11/2014 11:30:55    1672993

Susuki82 talks a bit of sense as the problem that clubs have is the length of season and the big gaps during the season to allow for county football. The co board should stick their heals in and say enough is enough when it comes to the co team manager putting unfair restraints on clubs who have players on the co squad some which never even get a game! Let the clubs come first in planning the season and county second as the intercounty championship which causes so much headaches for club league football usually ends up as a damp squib!!

erneboy (Fermanagh) - Posts: 1302 - 18/11/2014 12:20:22    1673008

Full agreement here about mid week games. There should be NO games Monday to Thursday and none on Friday either if truth be told. Too many players working away from home and too dangerous with travelling at speed to get to a game and back to base again never mind not being able to perform at their best. If the County Board men all worked away from home all week maybe they would understand - or maybe not.

hairyhorse (Fermanagh) - Posts: 94 - 18/11/2014 20:11:24    1673165

hairyhorse - no games on a Friday? Wise up please, any player (very much doubt you are) will take a Friday night game over a Sunday stupid o'clock 3.30pm game. In the summer Friday games can start as late as 8.30pm as we have plenty of light.

solano (None) - Posts: 501 - 18/11/2014 20:23:36    1673170

What a load of rubbish lads. There are club games played throughout other counties during the week and no doubt many have to travel far to get to a game. So why should Fermanagh be any different. Worse still, we have a small pool of clubs yet we still play into the middle of October which is unfair on players and their families.

I would say guys would no doubt prefer this than have to play a game on a sunday, no matter what time it was.

Ferm4Sam (Fermanagh) - Posts: 161 - 19/11/2014 14:08:36    1673364

Fermanagh held their first training session of the season outside on Sunday past, it was meant to be a really tough session.
Wat is people's guesses on Sunday May 31 team v Antrim???

Erne_Supporter (Fermanagh) - Posts: 136 - 19/11/2014 20:14:10    1673490

Are you for real Erne supporter? It's November. There is a lot of football to be played between now and championship season

gotmilk (Fermanagh) - Posts: 4971 - 22/11/2014 21:11:44    1674276

In yesterday's Sunday Independent, the Stephen Hunt, the Ipswich Town and Republic of Ireland star wrote: "As somebody who grew up in the GAA, I can tell you that, as much as I love the games, if GAA players tried to live with the level of commitment shown by a professional footballer, they wouldn't know what hit them."

The comment has generated quite a negative reaction in GAA circles but many would believe that he is spot-on in his view.

In the context of Fermanagh is commitment the ingredient that is needed to make the county senior team that they were in 2004? It is a well known fact that some of those squad members and indeed a substantial number of club players attending university or third level colleges in the cities are subjected to a party life which impacts on the commitment needed to make teams a success.

That's why the soccer ace highlighted the big difference between the professional soccer game and the Gaelic game.

IrvinestownMkII (Fermanagh) - Posts: 1384 - 01/12/2014 22:00:12    1675885

Think you'd find sham that alot of people would 'commit' for the 10k per week or whatever stupid amount of money that eejit hunt is getting at ipswich. Argument is defunct

RedRum (Fermanagh) - Posts: 267 - 02/12/2014 11:27:28    1675922

I think if you look at it another way you could say that Gaelic footballers are even more committed as they have to hold down full time jobs & train & play.

Susuki82 (Fermanagh) - Posts: 56 - 02/12/2014 14:44:11    1675986

Sham on the one hand you are saying that players shouldn't be doing weights training etc in November because they will be burnt out, yet on the other hand you are saying they aren't committed enough. Could you make up your mind?

gotmilk (Fermanagh) - Posts: 4971 - 02/12/2014 16:38:54    1676032