HoganStand GAA Football and Hurling

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GPA Survey

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Replying To ExiledInWex: "The biggest take away from the report is players want a 7 month inter county window from January to end July (from starting training to All-Ireland final). They all want to play for the club too. I made this point on Wexford page. Players need a break. They can't just be expected to jump off the club treadmill straight in to inter county training. 1st January, everybody is mad for road. But everybody wants a break in November and December and if the GAA product can't give them that, players will just walk away." Do you think this is the reason for the amount of top club teams caught on the hop so far this club championship season. The county players on top club teams that get to club championship provincial finals and on to All Ireland have no break. Straight from club finals and straight into county matches. Couldn't understand why they brought back the likes of the Mc Kenna cup. I've heard it rumoured Darragh Canavan is looking a year out of football. Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2451 - 23/10/2025 20:02:51 2641305 Link
Replying To sligo joe: "The club players made their views very clear through the Club Players Association and demanded the split season with early All Ireland Finals. They achieved their objective and then disbanded. To suggest anything different is incorrect." The Gaelic Players Association represents who? Inter county players? Why not name themselves correctly? Claretandblue (Westmeath) - Posts: 2429 - 24/10/2025 08:36:26 2641335 Link
Replying To Claretandblue: "The Gaelic Players Association represents who? Inter county players? Why not name themselves correctly?" Ah look another lad pretending the split season isn't what the vast, vast majority of players want, both club and county. TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8610 - 24/10/2025 09:51:52 2641343 Link
We should start up our own association here. THEM: The Hoganstand Experts Movement. We'd book a venue for 1000 for the Christmas Party but only 100 would turn up. GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8319 - 24/10/2025 11:19:46 2641359 Link
Replying To Claretandblue: "The Gaelic Players Association represents who? Inter county players? Why not name themselves correctly?" Well maybe if it would please you the GPA should change their name. But the point is (and you seem to be avoiding it) is the most ardent proponents of the new season was the Club Players Association, in fact it was the only item on their agenda. I don't know how much contact you have with club players but all the evidence anecdotally and from surveys (survey in Cork recently 90+% in favour of new season) is that they like the new way. sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 1028 - 24/10/2025 12:14:34 2641371 Link
Replying To Claretandblue: "The Gaelic Players Association represents who? Inter county players? Why not name themselves correctly?" I've probably said it here before, but this is a thing that grates with me about the GPA. Way back when it was being established, the people behind it strongly refuted any suggestion or accusation that it would be to represent the elite inter-county players only, and would instead represent all players, no matter what level they lined out at. I even heard Dessie Farrell himself get quite vexed about this at a meeting I attended myself in Enniscorthy back then. But over time, they went so far away from that, that when club players did have a big issue to resolve, they felt they had no choice but to form their own separate association. They knew the GPA wasn't going to represent them after all. Still the case though that the CPA got what they wanted, and then disbanded because there was no more to fight for. So despite what a poster says on previous page, there's no reason to believe club players are unhappy with the current situation, because if they were, there'd be talk of re-establishing the CPA. Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3181 - 24/10/2025 13:02:04 2641375 Link
Replying To sligo joe: "Well maybe if it would please you the GPA should change their name. But the point is (and you seem to be avoiding it) is the most ardent proponents of the new season was the Club Players Association, in fact it was the only item on their agenda. I don't know how much contact you have with club players but all the evidence anecdotally and from surveys (survey in Cork recently 90+% in favour of new season) is that they like the new way." The CPA were so delighted with the new calendar that they declared their mission completed and disbanded. The very existence of the GPA seems to have driven some demented. There's no going back to the last Century where players were looked upon as a nuisance getting in the way of the "real GAA" and its meetings, boards, committees etc Seanfan (Roscommon) - Posts: 200 - 24/10/2025 14:29:41 2641395 Link
Replying To Viking66: "All clubs will have their management teams in place long before the end of the IC season. Many will have before the IC season starts even." Sorry but you are incorrect. Loads of top coaches jump in with a club team when they county team they are involved with are finished. eoinog (Sligo) - Posts: 2267 - 24/10/2025 16:20:13 2641406 Link
Replying To eoinog: "Sorry but you are incorrect. Loads of top coaches jump in with a club team when they county team they are involved with are finished." Can't think of any in this county tbh. I know Tom Mullaly coaches a club side, but he does that at the same time. John Meyler coaches a couple of different clubs at the same time. Must be tough to double job. Who do you know went in to manage a team after intercounty finished up? And how did it go for them? Must be an impossible job if you haven't been involved with the players until June or July. Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17344 - 24/10/2025 20:53:00 2641423 Link
Replying To eoinog: "Sorry but you are incorrect. Loads of top coaches jump in with a club team when they county team they are involved with are finished." Any examples? Loads you say ? Who are what teams ? TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8610 - 24/10/2025 21:20:38 2641426 Link
Replying To eoinog: "Sorry but you are incorrect. Loads of top coaches jump in with a club team when they county team they are involved with are finished." Have to agree with Viking66 above. Don't know of any here in Wexford who only joined in with club sides after the inter-county season was over. There were a few people involved in both scenes all right, but were involved in both at the same time. Examples: - Des Mythen, a selector with Keith Rossiter and Wexford senior hurling and manager of Oylegate-Glenbrien senior hurling, but doing both at same time early in the year, when inter-county was happening and our club league was happening too. - Pat Bennet from Waterford, who must put up 100,000 miles a year on his car. Was a selector with Davy Fitzgerald in Antrim this year, and also manager of Ferns senior hurlers. In the first part of the year, would be in Antrim two or three times a week, and Ferns once or twice. But key point is he didn't just jump in with Ferns after inter-county was over. Was the same in other years when he was a selector in Kerry instead. - JJ Doyle, had a role with Wexford minor hurlers this year, and was manager of Faythe Harriers senior hurlers at the same time. Didn't just jump in with the Harriers after minor inter-county was finished. Honestly can't think of even one example here where a club just picked up somebody after the inter-county season was already over. Are there examples at your end of the country? Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3181 - 24/10/2025 23:38:25 2641438 Link
Replying To TheFlaker: "Any examples? Loads you say ? Who are what teams ?" What about your own Stephen Rochford. Did he not move on to Tullamore when Mayo got beaten in the championship? eoinog (Sligo) - Posts: 2267 - 25/10/2025 22:01:54 2641579 Link
Replying To eoinog: "What about your own Stephen Rochford. Did he not move on to Tullamore when Mayo got beaten in the championship?" Ah yes Stephen Rochford who knew he wasn't going to be part of Mayo set up anymore? Great example. Anymore? You said there are plenty. TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8610 - 25/10/2025 22:56:34 2641586 Link
Replying To Pikeman96: "I've probably said it here before, but this is a thing that grates with me about the GPA. Way back when it was being established, the people behind it strongly refuted any suggestion or accusation that it would be to represent the elite inter-county players only, and would instead represent all players, no matter what level they lined out at. I even heard Dessie Farrell himself get quite vexed about this at a meeting I attended myself in Enniscorthy back then. But over time, they went so far away from that, that when club players did have a big issue to resolve, they felt they had no choice but to form their own separate association. They knew the GPA wasn't going to represent them after all. Still the case though that the CPA got what they wanted, and then disbanded because there was no more to fight for. So despite what a poster says on previous page, there's no reason to believe club players are unhappy with the current situation, because if they were, there'd be talk of re-establishing the CPA." The GPA was founded in 1999 to further/improve conditions for all County players not elite County players, all County players. Never claimed to represent club players that were not County players. sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 1028 - 25/10/2025 23:03:47 2641587 Link
Replying To TheFlaker: "So 92% of members want inter county season to last no more than 7 months and 89% in favour of split season. The armchair experts on here will still argue against it though." 7 months from the start of training to the end of the intercounty season. It would require the league starting in mid February. Probably achievable if the league is completed over 6 rounds. In theory a fair shout that there wouldn't be collective training until the start of January. That being adhered to is a different matter! legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9234 - 26/10/2025 06:11:25 2641600 Link
Replying To Pikeman96: "Have to agree with Viking66 above. Don't know of any here in Wexford who only joined in with club sides after the inter-county season was over. There were a few people involved in both scenes all right, but were involved in both at the same time. Examples: - Des Mythen, a selector with Keith Rossiter and Wexford senior hurling and manager of Oylegate-Glenbrien senior hurling, but doing both at same time early in the year, when inter-county was happening and our club league was happening too. - Pat Bennet from Waterford, who must put up 100,000 miles a year on his car. Was a selector with Davy Fitzgerald in Antrim this year, and also manager of Ferns senior hurlers. In the first part of the year, would be in Antrim two or three times a week, and Ferns once or twice. But key point is he didn't just jump in with Ferns after inter-county was over. Was the same in other years when he was a selector in Kerry instead. - JJ Doyle, had a role with Wexford minor hurlers this year, and was manager of Faythe Harriers senior hurlers at the same time. Didn't just jump in with the Harriers after minor inter-county was finished. Honestly can't think of even one example here where a club just picked up somebody after the inter-county season was already over. Are there examples at your end of the country?" He doesn't have any examples. The amount of lads on here who throw stuff out they heard ans believe it to be fact is unreal. TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8610 - 26/10/2025 20:29:14 2641743 Link
Replying To Pikeman96: "Have to agree with Viking66 above. Don't know of any here in Wexford who only joined in with club sides after the inter-county season was over. There were a few people involved in both scenes all right, but were involved in both at the same time. Examples: - Des Mythen, a selector with Keith Rossiter and Wexford senior hurling and manager of Oylegate-Glenbrien senior hurling, but doing both at same time early in the year, when inter-county was happening and our club league was happening too. - Pat Bennet from Waterford, who must put up 100,000 miles a year on his car. Was a selector with Davy Fitzgerald in Antrim this year, and also manager of Ferns senior hurlers. In the first part of the year, would be in Antrim two or three times a week, and Ferns once or twice. But key point is he didn't just jump in with Ferns after inter-county was over. Was the same in other years when he was a selector in Kerry instead. - JJ Doyle, had a role with Wexford minor hurlers this year, and was manager of Faythe Harriers senior hurlers at the same time. Didn't just jump in with the Harriers after minor inter-county was finished. Honestly can't think of even one example here where a club just picked up somebody after the inter-county season was already over. Are there examples at your end of the country?" I have already embarrassed a Mayo lad by pointing out that a coach from the Mayo set up (Rochford) jumped in with Tullamore once Mayo were gone. Obviously it was news to him. I posted other coaches that did similar but the post wasn't accepted by the mods. eoinog (Sligo) - Posts: 2267 - 26/10/2025 22:29:10 2641763 Link
Replying To eoinog: "I have already embarrassed a Mayo lad by pointing out that a coach from the Mayo set up (Rochford) jumped in with Tullamore once Mayo were gone. Obviously it was news to him. I posted other coaches that did similar but the post wasn't accepted by the mods." Rochford had left Mayo set up. Any other embarrassing posts lad? TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8610 - 27/10/2025 15:09:54 2641850 Link
Replying To sligo joe: "The GPA was founded in 1999 to further/improve conditions for all County players not elite County players, all County players. Never claimed to represent club players that were not County players." That's exactly my point, more or less. If you want to be fully accurate and precise about it: - GPA as first only represented inter-county footballers. It was launched in Belfast, primarily with footballers from Ulster counties, but some footballers from other counties too. - From the outset, it said it would represent inter-county hurlers too. There was a series of meetings/workshops across the country to try bring hurlers on board, and to throw the Association open to other footballers too. That was the reason for the one I was at myself in Enniscorthy. - And at that meeting (and I'd guess at other ones like it in other venues), when somebody asked 'and what about club players?', the answer was along the lines of 'yes, as we grow and begin to represent more players, we'll represent their interests too.' However, this never happened. In essence, we're both correct here. I'm correct that they claimed at the start that they would represent club players too. They just never actually did. You're correct that they never claimed to represent club players, again because they never actually did. By the way, I was using the word 'elite' to refer to all inter-county players, because they're in the top 2% to 5% no matter where they come from. I didn't mean 'elite' inter-county players as in the very best inter-county players, compared to 'just ordinary' inter-county players. Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3181 - 27/10/2025 15:55:26 2641861 Link
GPA survey has it's members in favour of training starting in January, league starting in mid February and everything complete in July. Original split season plan of completing All Ireland club championships in a calendar year has gone out the window. Hypothetically speaking if league from mid February and All Ireland club championship completing in a calendar year were on the agenda: intercounty season would have to run for 5 months from mid February to mid July. Pat Spillane would combust! RTE would be in meltdown! Club season then would have to run from mid July to mid December. Provincial club championships would have to squeeze like sardines. legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9234 - 30/10/2025 22:39:57 2642307 Link