Meath Forum

ACL & Chronic Injuries

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Replying To Cabbagepatch1667:  "Clearly volume and workloads are having a massive impact on ACL occurrences, the demands on players is crazy, but they also have to look after themselves too. I think we've gotten to a point where players are afraid to slow down in case it gives out the wrong message, or looks like they're not committed etc..

Most of these lads don't stop, there's no break all year. Whether that's playing for their country, their club, other sports, gym work, training etc.. It's 5/6 days a week, close to 52 weeks a year. Not sustainable. Not for amateur athletes anyway

While I don't know for sure if he was playing football, but Conor Gray was over in America during the summer with a number of others such as Charlie O'Connor, I'm going to assume they were playing as that seems to be be the norm now. So even when players are supposed to be taking a break or easing off, the're still playing.

Something needs to give here, ACL injuries are becoming far too frequent."
Yes, clearly something has to give as things are getting out of hand now. The schedule is far too grueling and I think that, while the new rules have been a success from the point of view of spectators and fostering more competition from counties who have struggled recently (such as ourselves), serious questions have to be asked and investigated as to how they are effecting players, primarily county players. These are people who play this sport as amateurs, and an ACL injury can severely affect the personal lives of players. I know none of the county players would quit playing for the county but you wouldn't blame some of them.

We might need to change the structure of our competitions if this trend continues going in the current direction. There are simply so many games, so much high intensity training to be done. Would shortening the All-Ireland series be in order?

Gray, O'Connor and Morris all went over to play football in America almost immediately after we were defeated by Mayo.

This is a big issue that needs to be addressed by the GAA as a whole.

RoyalStalwart24 (Meath) - Posts: 98 - 17/08/2026 11:42:00    2690164

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I think the weather has been a big factor in these ACL injuries. Good few Achilles issues around clubs at the moment too.

I've never seen pitches so hard, very unforgiving on the joints.

begining (UK) - Posts: 331 - 17/08/2026 16:18:21    2690216

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