Replying To BigJoe14: "That's a disaster. It really is a disgrace that these players are expected to play in both the sigerson cup and intercounty league games within the same week. The full blame lays at the GAA. The sigerson cup should either be before Christmas or else start it in January and push the start of the league out by 3 or 4 weeks. Colm O'Rourke has to play these players as at the end of the day, they are his best forwards and your championship season hinges on where you finish in the league. Also if the DCU manager loses a game, he wont be getting public criticism, whereas if Colm O'Rourke loses a few games it heeps big pressure on him. Not as easy to say Colm O'Rourke should just not use the lads while the sigerson is on."
Fully agree the Sigerson needs to be moved. Don't agree that COR simply has to play them. I understand fully how important the league is and I totally get how much criticism he will get if we lose league games but is that reason enough to play lads who he himself admitted are being abused over used and over played ?
If he knows these lads are fatigued and are at a high risk of picking up a muscle injury is it too easy to say ah sure he needs to play them?
By the way the same goes for their College manager . The blame certainly doesn't just lie with the County manager. The college managers seem to be hiding behind the fact that these lads are on scholarships so are obliged to play. They could still be responsible with the players welfare.
Replying To Blackspot09: "Fully agree the Sigerson needs to be moved. Don't agree that COR simply has to play them. I understand fully how important the league is and I totally get how much criticism he will get if we lose league games but is that reason enough to play lads who he himself admitted are being abused over used and over played ?
If he knows these lads are fatigued and are at a high risk of picking up a muscle injury is it too easy to say ah sure he needs to play them?
By the way the same goes for their College manager . The blame certainly doesn't just lie with the County manager. The college managers seem to be hiding behind the fact that these lads are on scholarships so are obliged to play. They could still be responsible with the players welfare."
Lets be honest here, all these managers will talk the talk but at the end of the day they will say its someone elses responsibility to rest players, or not select them or change the calendar. This year both Ratoath nd Dunshaughlin were playing club football up until November and Colm O Rourke was on the phone to those players the week after they were knocked out to come back into county training (I can't speak for anyone from Castletown as I don't know any of those players), so he wasn't to concerned himself about player fatigue or burnout himself.
Agreed the calendar needs to be looked at with Sigerson maybe starting a week or so earlier and county league a bit later, but then whats the excuse for using these players in the O Byrne cup as well??
Replying To ratlag: "Lets be honest here, all these managers will talk the talk but at the end of the day they will say its someone elses responsibility to rest players, or not select them or change the calendar. This year both Ratoath nd Dunshaughlin were playing club football up until November and Colm O Rourke was on the phone to those players the week after they were knocked out to come back into county training (I can't speak for anyone from Castletown as I don't know any of those players), so he wasn't to concerned himself about player fatigue or burnout himself.
Agreed the calendar needs to be looked at with Sigerson maybe starting a week or so earlier and county league a bit later, but then whats the excuse for using these players in the O Byrne cup as well??"
There will have to be ground given on both sides. Move sigerson to January and bring a rule where any player playing colleges can't play for their county in January . I agree with you . All managers including COR are passing the buck on this problem and blaming someone else .
Replying To Blackspot09: "There will have to be ground given on both sides. Move sigerson to January and bring a rule where any player playing colleges can't play for their county in January . I agree with you . All managers including COR are passing the buck on this problem and blaming someone else ."
There will have to be, but unless there are concrete rules like that brought in then we will still face the issue of player burnout as managers will always look out for themselves and their team (understandable to be fair) but its at the expense of the player.
Sigerson is a great competition and deserves respect. Maybe it needs to go back to knock out football or even have a back door system but group games are too much. County managers also need to take responsibility and give a lad the time off they deserve. Matt Costello hasn't had a break from football in nearly 15 months, when he hits 28/29,he could just pack it in altogether.
When I played college football it was all about the social aspect, train Monday and Thursday, out for a few pints after. Sometimes there would be more players in the pub then atn training. I was luck to play two years of Sigerson and that's when college football went to a different level and lads pushed each other on. I remember county/club lads wouldn't have to train or play with their county/club until they were knocked out or Sigerson.
Colleges have their leagues before Christmas and then in January it should be championship.
Replying To latouche25: "You ask a question first yes I was at the game not that it makes any difference to the conversation. Secondly you asked where were they going to kick it to. You then went on to answer your own question. They were to slow moving the ball from half back to half forward 10 12 14 hand passes for no reason other than move the ball. Nobody looked up to give a long ball in. There was plenty of opportunity to deliver the long ball, the wind was not that bad in the first half and we had it in the second. Maybe it comes down to a lack of responsibility. You talk about the middle 8 and kicking through the lines. These are the buzz words these days but what do they mean do you know, the middle 8 is most of the field and kicking between the lines literally means nothing. Any half back is capable of hitting the 20m line with a foot pass. It's the speed of movement and transition from defence to attack that creates space for the full forward line. On Sunday we were painfully slow in that transition."
You really don't know what kicking between the lines means ? And how kerry are so effective when executing it perfectly, which is more then anyone else ??? Strange post
Replying To southmeathgael: "You really don't know what kicking between the lines means ? And how kerry are so effective when executing it perfectly, which is more then anyone else ??? Strange post"
It's obvious you don't or you would have answered the question instead of the silly response. Please explain to me. After all I've only been coaching teams for 35 years