Ewan McKenna: Páraic Duffy and the GAA have made Dublin a financially doped outfit and there is no defence for this scandal'
What do posters think of McKenna's article?

neverright (Roscommon) - Posts: 1648 - 25/01/2018 18:10:59    2070635

What do I think we'll , firstly I noted nobody posted a single piece on HoganStand when Duffy made his comments the silence was errie , but then what he was saying wouldn't exactly be up Ulstermans, hermits or kingdomboys street , however now that an article has been published debunking Duffy's opinions I expect HoganStand to crash in the stampede

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 25/01/2018 18:32:04    2070640

It's widely known that massive funding into Dublin GAA has created a huge imbalance within Leinster with no sign of stooping it, the entire argument was the GAA needs a strong Dublin team, what good is that unless you have a decent opposition for them to play against. As for Duffy stepping down, after the sky deal, the super 8s and the black card issue, that's 3 strikes, what do I think, no comment

riverboys (Mayo) - Posts: 1389 - 25/01/2018 20:04:26    2070665

Headline would have been better if it was called Duffy's Circus...

WhyTheLongFace (Meath) - Posts: 876 - 25/01/2018 20:29:56    2070666

He wanted to make the strong counties stronger and the weak weaker. The Super 8 will probably increase the gap. His floating of the plan to have a tiered championship will make the gap even bigger.

I listened to him on Off The Ball and heard him say a massive part of the Sky deal was so that expats in Britain could see games. That's alright then. No matter that many cannot afford or have any broadband that they could access Sky Sports here in the 32 counties. It is important that expanded s can watch games live but is GAA Go not gonna give them that? I think he's a smug arrogant man, purely my own point of view.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7346 - 25/01/2018 21:38:41    2070677

It's a difficult piece for anyone outside of Dublin to comment on for fear of the " sour grapes tag" inequality is alive and well within all sections of the gaa and not just Dublin, clubs that have profitable club houses or big sponsors will be able to do things at a more professional level and over time this matters. Dublin have done a tremendous job of exploiting their natural advantages over the last few years and fair dues to them but it has changed the playing field. They have created a self sustainable model that no other county can get near, Kerry and Mayo have competed in recent years by raising money from abroad but that's not sustainable long term. No simple solution to this but ignoring it won't fix it either.

lillyboy (Kildare) - Posts: 429 - 25/01/2018 21:57:00    2070679

You have to deal with this sort of thing when your successful. I feel sorry for the Independent, they have chosen there road though and the impact will be interesting.

McKeanna isn't a very balanced or objective journalist for me, I think his facts and figures are very contrived and gerrymandered, but I think that's his agenda. He's made a career for himself manning the anti Dublin narrative, again you have to expect this narrative when your successful. I say that full well knowing Dublin are well funded and have natural advantages, but his stuff is badly hyperbole and purposefully controversial. I don't blame he's done well as Dublin as his meal ticket, but I think you have to question his objectivity given that agenda.

Either way, it's better to have likes of McKeanna having a pop at you being champions, then lads having a pop at you for getting your arse handed to you for coming up short.

It's better to be questioned about your success then it is your failure. Long may it continue!

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 25/01/2018 22:52:49    2070687

link

I wasn't such a fan of Joe Molloy before this interview. Although Duffy wriggled and avoided some tricky questions at least Molloy didn't sit and tickle his belly.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7346 - 25/01/2018 23:57:09    2070691

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 26/01/2018 11:46:44    2070755

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 26/01/2018 12:23:55    2070764

I listened to him on Off The Ball and heard him say a massive part of the Sky deal was so that expats in Britain could see games.

I didn't hear his interview, so I'm not sure if he's being reported 100 per cent accurately here, but it's certainly not true that Irish people in Britain had no access to live gaelic games before Sky came along. Premier Sports covered the championship for about a tenner a month, significantly less than a Sly subscription would cost.

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 26/01/2018 12:55:21    2070774

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 26/01/2018 13:00:07    2070775

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 26/01/2018 13:03:40    2070777

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12120 - 26/01/2018 13:04:35    2070778

I think there are a few angles to this.

*First this all started happening prior to Duffy's watch. He should be judged on how he handles the situation now.

*Fair play to Dublin, they may have been given a lot of cash but they spent it wisely and professionally so no blame is attached to Dublin over this. If anything they should be commended and other counties should look at how they go about their business and try and learn from it. There is a serious anti Dublin sentiment out there and it does not do anyone in the GAA any favours.

*I think the GAA should look at how they fund and promote the games nationally. While Dublin have done a great job managing this for Dublin I certainly would not trust every county board to spend any extra funds wisely. Centrally the GAA should have a development/promotion template that each county should have to create a plan from. Tweaked for the intricacies of each county. Funding should be based on this and counties should be held fully accountable for these plans (audited) and funding should be withdrawn if approved plan not followed. Per capita funding should be the same for all.

This is not rocket science. Most counties have loads of volunteers helping out. Rather than having a few qualified coaches travelling around doing the odd session here and there, there should be a focus on having the qualified coaches coaching the volunteers. That's where the money should be spent in the first instance. That means holding loads of coaching clinics, keeping a database of qualified coaches and through that approach you increase the numbers qualified exponentially etc. Put structure on it. This is where money should go

Mayonman (Galway) - Posts: 1829 - 26/01/2018 13:08:59    2070780

Glad he is gone and his comments just show how much he represents a bygone era. He suggests that Dublin wont win forever - well sorry, they will if most of the resources keep going to 1 county while the others have to beg for scraps from the table. And even if the Kerry's, Tyrone's win the odd All Ireland, what of Leinster where Dublin WILL likely do a 20 in a row. It is highly likely they will.

Also, the notion that Hill 16 is for Dublin is rediculous. The idea that Dublin should have sole occupancy to Hill 16 is discriminatory. Why should other counties be forced to pay higher prices for stadium tickets elsewhere which Dublin exclusively get Hill 16 at a cheaper cost.

Anyway, this is all his back dated opinion. Why not do something new and innovative. Provincial system in Leinster is dead and will be for some time. Have an open draw for the All Ireland or some sort of round robin system and have Leinster afterwards with a split Dublin North and South. Why not try it rather than harp back at historical identity crap. If we can have Galway as Leinster Hurling Champions (which is ludicrous) why not try a split Dublin.

By the way this is not in any way an anti Dublin post but an anti GAA post at them sitting on their hands and allowing Leinster become a formality every year with no sign of that changing through any action from the GAA. Where is the funding, coaching etc for all of the other Leinster Counties to try and address the situation. Look at my home county, Westmeath. 1 full size all weather pitch for the whole county while in Dublin, most clubs have this luxury. I am sure most other counties have the same situation. Good riddance to him i say.

Meridian (Westmeath) - Posts: 601 - 26/01/2018 13:28:48    2070786

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 26/01/2018 13:37:33    2070789

AHP (Dublin) - Posts: 323 - 26/01/2018 13:54:39    2070797

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7346 - 26/01/2018 14:00:05    2070799

The Sky Sports money goes against a lot of the GAA ethos. Duffy's reasoning around it was pretty weak especially since Gaelic game were available to view in the U.K with other providers. TV3 were also offering to buy the rights to the games Sky purchased and it simply went to the highest bidder. In that respect, I don't think Duffy had a leg to stand on, money was the decision maker. I'd have a lot more time for officials who just admit it instead of skirting around it.
I do think he made a good point about the tiered championship proposals. The media are having their cake and eating it on this subject. If it was introduced, he would have been labelled as the guy who destroyed the identity of Gaelic games, who promoted elitism in the game and pushing a further divide between the have's and have not's. It hasn't been introduced under his watch and people still push the elitism tag on him as the gap between the top and bottom has continued anyway.
I do think there's a bigger question to be asked about the falling club member numbers in certain counties, particularly Leinster, in the last 10 years. I don't think it's as simple as that Dublin are doing so well so why should we bother. Counties like Kildare, Wicklow and Meath have had huge population increases in that period of time, you'd like to think that should be reflected in participation numbers to an extent but there could be numerous factors as to why that's not the case e.g. people moving into these areas aren't GAA inclined so maybe more money could be pumped into promoting the games there. I know a few Dubs who live in the likes of Clonee, Greystones, Celbridge, Maynooth etc who still bring their kids to their original GAA club in Dublin as well as continuing to play for their own club instead of transferring to a new club closer to where they live now. I'm not knocking it but it's going to have an effect on participation numbers so maybe some legislation could be brought in around this.
Molloy and Duffy touched on it in the interview but something that regularly gets forgotten often on is the mismanagement by county boards around fixture lists. Croke Park can't hold everyones hand around this. Yes they can put out frameworks and outline to county boards on how to do this but when it comes down to it, county boards are responsible for their own patch.
Overall, I thought it was a good interview. I think Molloy got some good questions in on Duffy and it highlighted that a lot of the GAA's problems are not going away anytime soon.

keithlemon (Australia) - Posts: 920 - 26/01/2018 14:21:01    2070803