Joe Brolly has just hit the nail on the head and I've heard it from some club footballers that the FUN is gone out of playing Gaelic football. It had become too serious and professional even at club level.

Diego (Meath) - Posts: 1205 - 29/05/2016 16:20:20    1859724

I would agree with that and the end result is that brilliantly talented footballers like Jamie Clarke are walking away from the game. It must be very demoralising for the Armagh boys, who have put in months of strenuous training and sacrificed their social and home lives, to see the end result. In this second half if I was an Armagh player I would say stuff game plans and just go out and play football.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9697 - 29/05/2016 16:27:47    1859727

100% right lads I've been saying this for a while now, teams training 5/6 nights a week has to stop but how you enforce that i don't know the ans,
These bigger counties pulling in huge amounts of sponsorship should not be getting most of the gaa money as-well its killing the game for players and supporters if people our not looking whats happening in front of them and whats going to happen down the line then there blind/stupid.

Yourjoking (USA) - Posts: 704 - 29/05/2016 16:40:57    1859731

I cannot agree more with Brolly, we should just play the All Ireland Semi Finals next week and talk for months about how good football is. Every year we get good semis and a final which blinkers how poor the game is. It is very painful to watch for 5 months so of course the fun is well and truly gone. To be honest why young lads give up their lives now for 10 years is beyond me. Maybe a tier championship would help and bring some excitement back.

sam1884 (UK) - Posts: 999 - 29/05/2016 16:58:20    1859741

Why are they all playing so?

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13705 - 29/05/2016 17:06:00    1859745

Cavan had great fun today

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 29/05/2016 17:24:18    1859753

Cavan fans looked very happy

Armagh are in a poor state and McGeeney has done a poor job with them, and there's a reason why their best players don't want to play

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 29/05/2016 17:29:22    1859756

A lot of them continue to play because it is indoctrinated into them from an early age that the GAA is the be all and end all and if you're good enough to play you should be playing. It's going to take more players like Jamie Clarke, Rory o'carroll etc to step away from county panels to pursue other things in their lives other them football for people to start taking notice. Rural clubs in westmeath for example are being crippled because county players are only allowed to play for their clubs in championship games for most of the year. This is the same westmeath team that have trained since December and will have no more than 3 championship games to play. If the GAA want players acting like professionals the it's time to start paying them and just forget about clubs altogether because the manager has become more important than the players and clubs in most counties. Joe brolly was dead right today, things need to change in the GAAs outdated and frankly depressing system.

LakemenAbu (Westmeath) - Posts: 134 - 29/05/2016 17:32:06    1859758

The "Fun" has gone out of watching certain teams for sure. I am sure it was no fun for Armagh out there. But "Fun" to certain players is winning, being competitive, being the best that is fun for a lot of players. But unfortunately what is being put in place in club and county teams now is some sort of religious cult, with more "do nots" than some religions. It was no fun watching that game today.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4895 - 29/05/2016 17:41:06    1859761

uibhfhaili1986 (Offaly) - Posts: 1296 - 29/05/2016 18:05:06    1859767

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 29/05/2016 18:24:06    1859772

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 29/05/2016 19:38:58    1859788

There is only a hand full of counties playing hurling at the highest level, three of those counties have entered freefall, ie, Wexford, Offaly, and Cork, Limerick and Galway have their foot to the floor just to stay in the hunt, and that's just hurling counties.

supersub15 (Carlow) - Posts: 2907 - 29/05/2016 20:29:41    1859801

border Gael (Monaghan) - Posts: 894 - 29/05/2016 20:38:26    1859810

Brolly and O'Rourke are correct, the said it all. Most county matches are difficult to watch and very boring.

browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2342 - 29/05/2016 20:41:36    1859813

In Tyrone there are 5 starred league games where county players can't play out of 15 league games. Not as if they don't play at all. I was watching a league game this afternoon and there was 5 county men playing. It's about striking a balance and certainly more could be done but I wouldn't go overboard just because Joe says it on the Sunday game. Bringing the all Ireland forward 2 weeks would off helped a small bit and it should off passed congress.

The_Fridge (Tyrone) - Posts: 2088 - 29/05/2016 21:12:41    1859823

Also this seems to be the new "in" thing to complain about this year.......remember a few years ago payment of managers was the thing to complain about......Joe dosen't get on his soapbox about that anymore. Remember sledging? Haven't heard that in about a year now after countless columns and threads were set up about it......still happens though. Gaa not been fun anymore will also die away after we have a few good games.....remember we are a few weeks into the championship!!!!!! Give it time!!!!!

The_Fridge (Tyrone) - Posts: 2088 - 29/05/2016 21:17:49    1859824

Brolly is correct, it is the way that he puts his point across that rubs people up the wrong way.

Re comments about certain county players playing recently, of course they play for their clubs. But not all the time. They will most likely be out for may games over the summer. Cavan must have enjoyed their victory today, they looked very good in stages of the game. They did not go full pelt for 70 minutes, maybe that is what made their victory look a bit formulated. But in all honesty, they have to look out for their players and be fighting fit for the next game. This sport is all about percentages and playing them. Some counties have very long seasons, back door or not and with much fewer resources to stretch for the same number of months as teams who have the resources. So if they kept a bit up their sleeves today and didn't play champagne football for 70 minutes, that is the reason.

Winning is the currency that we all understand. Unfortunately we will see about 5 good games this year - maximum. This does not diminish my respect for the players or management. It merely underpins that we cant have it both ways if we want our teams to win and stay in the championship for as long as they can. I remember county football 25 years ago. It was taken exactly as seriously as it is now, but the arms race of over training had not been established then.. That is the only difference between the games then and now. There were many one sided games and some awful football played back then.

Fun for an inter county footballer was always about winning and that is the reality of it.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 29/05/2016 21:25:46    1859829

Fun Has gone out of intercounty bar the top 3 or 4. Armagh can't get crossmaglen players and a lot of corofin players have chosen to leave the Galway panel.if your club is successful why give up your social life and open yourself up to such criticism for no rewards. I do think they would play county if it still facilitated a social life as every young lad grows up dreams of representing their county.

galwayfball (Galway) - Posts: 1678 - 29/05/2016 21:32:46    1859832

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4895 - 29/05/2016 21:57:38    1859843