Well we have often seen the ruthless and inglorious purchase of tarnished glory across the water in the English Premiership.
This shambolic "competition" sees billionaires pitted against eachother in a battle to dispose of their bankrolls in the fastest and most foolhardy manner possible.

Now it seems this cancer of idiotic gloryhunting has spread into our own native games; reports abound of counties scouring the country for the latest "hot prospect" to butter up with flattery and big money pay offs. Loyal and dedicated servants to their native counties get shunted out the gate to make room for these silver gilded primadonnas! Of course true gaels recoil in horror at this sell out of the traditional values of our games - but will the Iscariots ultimately be vindicated through glory, however hollow that may be??

So far at least, the answer is no, but how long can the wolf of the bankroll be kept from the door? And once inside, how can this spectre be banished?

When a member county betrays the ethos and values of an organisation, how long must we tolerate this tumour before we take the scalpel and slice it out?

Horse (Laois) - Posts: 1146 - 16/05/2012 09:22:36    1173179

Horse , money always dictates who wins titles and the GAA are no different the counties who spend the most money will be the ones challenging for titles in September . There was a great interview on newstalk a few months ago with Val Andrews and Jason Ryan and both of them said that it was money that decided who won titles .

tinrylandman (Carlow) - Posts: 387 - 16/05/2012 10:25:33    1173234

Which county are you talking about Horse? I could guess but I won't :-)

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 16/05/2012 10:26:10    1173235

Here we go again. Roll up the usual suspects.

sedico (Kildare) - Posts: 1682 - 16/05/2012 10:44:43    1173257

1. This is an amatuer game!
2. I have never seen money kick a ball over a bar!!

.....Thread closed!!

Regards,

Snufalufagus....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 16/05/2012 10:51:07    1173261

Look it is a serious question. Regardless of motives. Yes there is one or two counties who come straight to mind but let me tell you it has been happening or rather should I say did happen in one particular county. And this county is still paying for it. And no it is not meath.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 16/05/2012 10:57:52    1173274

Snuf , no money does not kick the ball over the bar but it helps to put the best back up services in place such as physios , strenght and conditioning coaches , Statisticians , travel etc and if you have not noticed the counties that are challenging for titles are not having a problem with players emigrating because the weathy counties sort jobs for them .

tinrylandman (Carlow) - Posts: 387 - 16/05/2012 11:03:23    1173281

Ha ha ha H*rse, your a ligind!
Wait till the Lilymafia get here :)

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8170 - 16/05/2012 11:03:58    1173282

Dublin have spent a lot of time and money to get to where they are in Hurling terms.

Money can definitely buy success, if all the smaller counties were handed €1 million each to develop they could invest in coaches to travel to schools on a daily basis, develop training faciliites and possibly even pay young kids €2 per training session and €5 per match to encourage them to play. It's a lot of money for a kid. Money would definitely help, no doubt about it. It would take time to develop but the real question would be once they leave school and stop getting the few euro to play, would they keep turning up. Hopefully they would.

Also another thing they could do is pay people who are out of work €50 a week but only on the basis that they spend 25 hours a week looking after the club grounds, ie cutting the grass, cleaning, painting etc.

Outsider222 (UK) - Posts: 95 - 16/05/2012 11:08:07    1173291

I read in a certain newspaper before that figures of spending had beeen revealed for each county, and Kildare's spending was one of the highest in Ireland yet Kildare didnt win the AI or get even to the semi-final last year so surely spending doesnt account for success. What counts is abilty and the structures in place to maximise this ability e.g good training and a good underage structrure. Kerry for example, dont spend near as much as their rivals yet are the most dominant team in the History of the game.

PK57 (Louth) - Posts: 1664 - 16/05/2012 11:14:07    1173301

Sure didn't the kildare county board kidnap shergar back in the day in the hope of making a quick few bob in order to 'buy' the o'bryne cup...........

Kildareby10 (Kildare) - Posts: 92 - 16/05/2012 11:14:50    1173302

Money plays a big part, you are in denial if you can't accept that.

Dublin clubs are awash with underhand payments, how it is going on, baffles me, if it were gangsters cab would be all over them but as usual in this country ,the conservative castle catholic type, can do as they please.

51longago (Mayo) - Posts: 2981 - 16/05/2012 11:22:05    1173311

Saddle up there horse and get yourself off to Longford where Glenn Ryan can't wait to get his hands on ye.

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 3070 - 16/05/2012 11:28:11    1173319

Personally I think its great to see counties investing money in their underage structures and giving young gaels a platform to develop their sporting abilities.
On the flipside what gets on my nerves is when counties put every penny going into the senior championship panel, at the expense of the kids/grassroots etc.
County panels are important and we all love when our counties have a win in the champo etc, but we should never let that turn into a vanity project where every red cent is lavished on an elite 30 odd players.

Gaa is an amateur organisation of the community, for the community, not a tool for a few elites to promote themselves and their careers.

Horse (Laois) - Posts: 1146 - 16/05/2012 11:29:36    1173321

51longago, Dublin spends the most money year in year out yet they have won 3 AI in 29 years, Tyrone have won the same amount in 9 years, surely money would mean Dublin would have dominated over that period of time.

PK57 (Louth) - Posts: 1664 - 16/05/2012 11:39:14    1173326

Outsider222
County: UK
Posts: 86

1173291
Dublin have spent a lot of time and money to get to where they are in Hurling terms.

WHAT RELEGATED?

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 16/05/2012 11:41:34    1173330

Shergar is actually being used to trim the grass in the training grounds in Hawkfield. Cutbacks and all that. And the Co Board have refused to pay Seanie's household charge.

sedico (Kildare) - Posts: 1682 - 16/05/2012 11:44:02    1173331

Fair point pk57, I do think though there was a concentrated effort made to get Dublin over the line with no expense spared.

My point was more to do with Dublin senior clubs, coaches, players given jobs, even in the clubs gym. It is amazing what is going on and the big sums been rumoured is even more amazing.

Surely its time for more honesty and transparency.

51longago (Mayo) - Posts: 2981 - 16/05/2012 11:56:33    1173346

I know another county that spent a fortune on training facilities and now have nothing to put into it. It could be compared to buying and farm and having nothing to stock it with. They obviously thought that like Cork Hurlers their players would mushroom overnight. Absolutely no recent success at underage level because obviously the work hasn't been done. Unfortunately some of them can't see it.

So no, in general it doesn't buy success.

sedico (Kildare) - Posts: 1682 - 16/05/2012 12:14:29    1173367

Still is beyond belief that everyone outside Dublin believes the only reason for our success in Hurling and Football, at Senior and Under-Age , is down to money!!!

Maybe some of these people should spend a Saturday morning going around the clubs in Dublin and look at the work been done with the kids of 6-8 yrs.

witnof (Dublin) - Posts: 1604 - 16/05/2012 12:21:39    1173376