No compromising on Rules Series
Written by Francie, a regular In Fact, Ah commenter
So this year's International Rules series is almost upon us, with the first leg game set for the lights of Galway this Saturday evening. The second leg will be played on Sunday the 5th in Croke Park. It's the first time a series match has been played outside Dublin (and also under flood-lights). Saturday's game is already going down in the history books, albeit for the right reasons.
To this commentator, the series is a complete waste of time and harmful for our GAA players. One only has to look at the clip below to witness the punishment these professional AFL players dish out to them. And enjoy doing so at the same time. For them, it was a medium for taking out their anger after a long hard season on innocent little lambs, safe in the knowledge that they would not be reprimanded for doing so.
Thankfully, this has changed following on from last year's disgraceful tackles. AFL players can now be disciplined as if it were a normal AFL game for any misbehaviour.
While the series is a nice cash cow for the GAA, (Pearse Stadium game is a sell-out and Croke Park is heading that way), the focus should be on the wellbeing of the people who make the GAA what it is; i.e. the players. Already, they give up so much of their personal time each year to both club and county on a voluntary basis.
It's to be conceded that county players do get travelling expenses and other subsidies, but this pales in comparison to the salary of even the lowest earners in the AFL. So to ask them to pull on an Irish jersey and play a team who are far superior to them in terms of preparation is mind-boggling. We'd all love to be in their position (well me anyway), to be representing your country and to have the opportunity to prove yourself against greater opposition and just maybe beat them.
But if one were to think of the possible fallouts, the dream slowly becomes a nightmare. How an Irish player hasn't received a career-ending injury in this series to date, defies logic. The series also provides a shop window for AFL clubs to purchase/poach our best GAA players.
We all love watching the series, especially the fights, but put yourself in a player's boots. Imagine running, ball-in-hand, when out of the corner your eye you see a 6 ft, 13 stone-plus Aussie, intent on crealing you. Then WHAACCCKKK..THHHUDDD . You pray you can get up, don't you???
tags:compromise rules
Published by Colm.
So this year's International Rules series is almost upon us, with the first leg game set for the lights of Galway this Saturday evening. The second leg will be played on Sunday the 5th in Croke Park. It's the first time a series match has been played outside Dublin (and also under flood-lights). Saturday's game is already going down in the history books, albeit for the right reasons.
To this commentator, the series is a complete waste of time and harmful for our GAA players. One only has to look at the clip below to witness the punishment these professional AFL players dish out to them. And enjoy doing so at the same time. For them, it was a medium for taking out their anger after a long hard season on innocent little lambs, safe in the knowledge that they would not be reprimanded for doing so.
Thankfully, this has changed following on from last year's disgraceful tackles. AFL players can now be disciplined as if it were a normal AFL game for any misbehaviour.
While the series is a nice cash cow for the GAA, (Pearse Stadium game is a sell-out and Croke Park is heading that way), the focus should be on the wellbeing of the people who make the GAA what it is; i.e. the players. Already, they give up so much of their personal time each year to both club and county on a voluntary basis.
It's to be conceded that county players do get travelling expenses and other subsidies, but this pales in comparison to the salary of even the lowest earners in the AFL. So to ask them to pull on an Irish jersey and play a team who are far superior to them in terms of preparation is mind-boggling. We'd all love to be in their position (well me anyway), to be representing your country and to have the opportunity to prove yourself against greater opposition and just maybe beat them.
But if one were to think of the possible fallouts, the dream slowly becomes a nightmare. How an Irish player hasn't received a career-ending injury in this series to date, defies logic. The series also provides a shop window for AFL clubs to purchase/poach our best GAA players.
We all love watching the series, especially the fights, but put yourself in a player's boots. Imagine running, ball-in-hand, when out of the corner your eye you see a 6 ft, 13 stone-plus Aussie, intent on crealing you. Then WHAACCCKKK..THHHUDDD . You pray you can get up, don't you???
tags:compromise rules
Published by Colm.
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