Missing Players For The 2018 Season

i just want to show the actual number of players and panels and numbers below altogether. I think that alone shows how widespread players leaving panels. For nearly all division 2 3 and 4 teams the numbers are huge, anything over 10 is a high number, 22 counties have over ten players.


Below r the number of players who played in the league and championship last year 2017 for their county but did not resurface in 2018 league for different reasons


Derry 19 players
Cork 18 players
Wexford 17 players
Offaly 16 players
Meath 16 players
Wicklow 15 players
Antrim 14 players
London 14 players
louth 14 players
Leitrim 13 players
Westmeath 13 players
Sligo 13 players
longford 12 players
Down 12 players
Roscommon 12 players
limerick 12 players
Kerry 11 players
Laois 11 players
Clare 10 players
Cavan 10 players
Galway 10 players
kildare 9 players
Dublin 6 players
Donegal 6 players
Mayo 6 players
Monaghan 5 players
Tyrone 4 players

* Of the 1040 players nationwide who saw action in the league or championship in 2017, 366 have not played so far in 2018.

*35 % of the players from all the 32 counties who played last year in the league or championship did not resurface in this years league. That is a very high turnover of players.

Furlong1949 (Meath) - Posts: 1067 - 01/05/2018 21:51:24    2096114

The number of players which left this year runs a very close line to the percentage fall off from year to year in the last couple of years in the inter county game.

There is definatly a trend occuring, is it a player drain? Well compared to 20 years ago, 19 players didnt leave a Derry panel over a year or 12 players didnt leave a Down panel or 18 players didnt leave a Cork football panel 20 years ago. And I know for a fact that 16 players didnt leave a Meath panel over a year, 20 or 10 years ago.

The breakdown in terms of players leaving each division is
Division 1 66 players
Division 2 103 players
Divsion 3 107 players
Division 4 94 players
Division 2 and 3 are the divisions with the biggest drop off of players.

Furlong1949 (Meath) - Posts: 1067 - 01/05/2018 23:03:02    2096139

The players are not peripheral , they are players who played some part in a competitive game in the league or championship in 2017

The total number players used in 2017 in the league and championship / The number of players who didnt return this year

Galway 33 / 11 did not return
Leitrim 37/ 13 did not return
London 31 / 14 did not return
Roscommon 32/ 12 did not return
Sligo 32 / 13 did not return
Kildare 33 / 9 did not return
Laois 34 / 11 did not return
longford 29 / 12 did not return
louth 33 / 14 did not return
Offaly 35 / 16 did not return
Meath 37/ 16 did not return
Westmeath 33 / 13 did not return
Wexford 32 / 17 did not return
Clare 27 / 10 did not return
Cork 35 / 18 did not return
Kerry 35/ 11 did not return
Limerick 29 / 12 did not return
Antrim 33 / 14 did not return
Armagh 32 / 10 did not return
Cavan 34 / 10 did not return
Derry 37/ 19 did not return
Down 33 / 12 did not return

Mayo 34/ 6 did not return
Dublin 35/ 6 did not return
Donegal 31 / 6 did not return
Monaghan 30/ 5 did not return
Tyrone 31 / 4 did not return

Furlong1949 (Meath) - Posts: 1067 - 01/05/2018 23:46:08    2096152

And in other news......!!

The present player drop out rate is inevitable and not at all surprising. Professional levels of dedication and training for, in the majority of cases, very little tangible reward. There is only so far the esteem and status of being a county player will keep you driven. Players today basically have to put their lives on hold if they commit to playing for their county. Derek McGrath, the Waterford hurling manager, seems to have a very healthy attitude to players deciding to take time out from the panel to go travelling/ attend to other aspects of their lives. Other managers could take a leaf from his book.

The proposal for a 2 tier All Ireland football championship could help stall some of that player drop out rate from the lower division teams cos at least the players at that level would have a realistic target to aim for which would make the commitment seem more worthwhile. Presumably it will eventually come into fruition as these things tend to do in the GAA eventually.

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 2155 - 02/05/2018 04:35:00    2096161

Not all counties are included in the stats
Carlow for example . I am not 100% but i think we have lost maybe 3 or 4 from last years playing teams
Which if accurate breaks the trend some what.

Gary Kelly
Brendan Murphy
An other whose name escapes me

open to massive correction

Blackbog (Carlow) - Posts: 819 - 02/05/2018 08:57:06    2096172

sorry i have read it wrong both Brendan and Gary played league this year but have left since
So the numbet of players in action in 17 who did not return for league for Carlow is minmum i would say.
So what can we make of that.
70 players turned out for county trials at begining of 2018 season

Blackbog (Carlow) - Posts: 819 - 02/05/2018 09:02:39    2096174

Furlong1949 (Meath) - Posts: 1067 - 02/05/2018 15:24:00    2096249

Fermanagh have one of the lowest non returnees this year but in the last 2 to 3 years they have lost allot of players.. Remeber when Fermanagh played v Dublin in 2015 quater final. 20 players from that Fermanagh panel on that day are now not on the Fermanagh panel now. How does a team compete when it has such turnover. If the Dubs lost 20 players in 3 years how would they compete.

Furlong1949 (Meath) - Posts: 1067 - 02/05/2018 20:09:31    2096299