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Is GAA, Or More Specifically It's Prominence, A Bad Thing For Irish Sport?

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Replying To Past hurler: "You obviously didn't watch Paul McGraths performance v Roberto Baggio and Italy in the 1994 World Cup in Orlando. Unbelievable team performance to beat the Italians 1-0. I thought Ireland were quite poor v South Africa. If S. Africa had any sort of decent kicker, Ireland were gone." Game against Italy was in Giants stadium in New Jersey. Ireland subsequently lost to Mexico in group stage, and then to Netherlands in round of 16! Italy progressed to World Cup final. I doubt if many will agree that Ireland were poor against South Africa but most will agree that there is scope for improvement, particularly in line outs. Fact is, we have a legitimate chance of lifting rugby World Cup! Ryanteam (Cork) - Posts: 373 - 25/09/2023 16:13:33 2505671 Link
Replying To Ryanteam: "These are immigration laws ,and if these guys declare as Irish , that's obviously terrific! Applies to every country, even USA has welcomed African marathon runners through residency.Bundee Aki would be welcomed in every Irish house at this time!" It's not terrific for the Irish players who get to the fringe of the Ireland squad but can't get capped for Ireland because an imported player gets a game in their position ahead of them. What does it matter to them if every other rugby nation can do the same? We can have a lower standard without them and strive to improve players who get to international level through academies. No doubt the imported players are a higher standard but even with a 5 year rule they'll continue to prevent Irish players playing for Ireland. GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7651 - 25/09/2023 16:17:29 2505672 Link
Replying To GreenandRed: "It's not terrific for the Irish players who get to the fringe of the Ireland squad but can't get capped for Ireland because an imported player gets a game in their position ahead of them. What does it matter to them if every other rugby nation can do the same? We can have a lower standard without them and strive to improve players who get to international level through academies. No doubt the imported players are a higher standard but even with a 5 year rule they'll continue to prevent Irish players playing for Ireland." Double standards here! Irish, for generations have spread their wings to all corners of the globe, but when the reverse happens, and "foreigners " look for Irish citizenship, lookout! . Irish rugby is in a healthy place, participation is growing, and success in the World Cup can only accelerate this. Ryanteam (Cork) - Posts: 373 - 25/09/2023 18:05:52 2505691 Link
Makes no difference to me as I don't watch rugby and I don't have a national soccer team to support anyway. People in my area support ROI but in reality it doesn't really represent us. PattyONeill (Derry) - Posts: 246 - 25/09/2023 18:11:05 2505693 Link
No, because the parish and county structure and loyalty to it is unique in sport. The GAA is only bad for Irish Sport when its weaponised, i.e. somebody wanting to get off an assault on the GAA field because "He's not that kind of player", or "He's from a great GAA family", or similar. ExiledInWex (Dublin) - Posts: 1259 - 25/09/2023 19:30:14 2505705 Link
Ah good stuff, hope you're keeping well Liam. Good to see you posting. Very enjoyable game back in July wha.. brought back 2011 memories. Good thread, and a worthwhile question. I'd say it's a little bit from column A and a little bit from column B. It's a huge positive that so many kids are introduced to sport in this country thanks to our national games, does it hamper their natural pickup of other sports that would be far more internationally recognised, yep.. it probably does alright. jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20687 - 25/09/2023 20:36:56 2505716 Link
Replying To Ryanteam: "I don't recall ever seeing an Irish team in any sport, perform like the Irish rugby team against Boks. Losing 6 line outs at beginning of game, they took everything South Africans threw at them, and then some. Sexton at 38 is a true warrior, took ferocious hits and gets up without a murmur. They rucked ferociously,evidenced by the amount of turnovers against the World Champions. Rugby is the only sport where Ireland are competitive on world stage, and this particular group have the ability to go the whole way. Singing of Fields of Athenry by 60K fans in Paris, will be a prelude to Irish pride and emotion, as this team progresses…. Hopefully to World Cup glory!" Rugby is hardly the only sport where Ireland are competitive on the world stage though .Off the top of my head ,horse racing ,show jumping, golf , boxing are all sports that we excel in .Its debatable whether rugby commands a world stage anyway but thats another argument. UtahBlaine (Galway) - Posts: 149 - 25/09/2023 22:18:12 2505730 Link
Replying To Ryanteam: "These are immigration laws ,and if these guys declare as Irish , that's obviously terrific! Applies to every country, even USA has welcomed African marathon runners through residency.Bundee Aki would be welcomed in every Irish house at this time!" Your obviously a big rugby fan but clearly you know nothing about Bundee Aki! UtahBlaine (Galway) - Posts: 149 - 25/09/2023 22:21:20 2505731 Link
Replying To Doylerwex: "The football is fine, and much more palatable for visitors, but for me there's nothing like the hurling. It's the real display of our culture and our people. It's a terrible shame there are so few who take it seriously among us." Sadly same with our language. arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4940 - 25/09/2023 23:17:44 2505734 Link
Replying To UtahBlaine: "Rugby is hardly the only sport where Ireland are competitive on the world stage though .Off the top of my head ,horse racing ,show jumping, golf , boxing are all sports that we excel in .Its debatable whether rugby commands a world stage anyway but thats another argument." Ah dont be ridiculous. you start off with a compliment then have a big pop at rugby... KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3674 - 26/09/2023 11:06:09 2505764 Link
Replying To Ryanteam: "Double standards here! Irish, for generations have spread their wings to all corners of the globe, but when the reverse happens, and "foreigners " look for Irish citizenship, lookout! . Irish rugby is in a healthy place, participation is growing, and success in the World Cup can only accelerate this." No foreigners in the Ireland team looked for citizenship. The IRFU sought them out to put them on the track to the Ireland. Other rugby unions did it too. Little comfort to Irish players coming through the system who lose out to imported players. GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7651 - 26/09/2023 11:23:57 2505771 Link
Replying To GreenandRed: "No foreigners in the Ireland team looked for citizenship. The IRFU sought them out to put them on the track to the Ireland. Other rugby unions did it too. Little comfort to Irish players coming through the system who lose out to imported players." Irish players wont really complain. hasnt been many ex pros complain about the system and project players being allowed. Its natural in a more globalised world that we see people qualify on residency grounds. that IRFU sought out some players is irrelevant KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3674 - 26/09/2023 11:45:19 2505788 Link
Replying To Pikeman96: "Say some of Ireland's top hurlers and footballers all happened to get jobs in Mullingar, and they all moved there to live close to work. Some time later, they decide to declare for Westmeath. Would that be a joke too?" Didnt Westmeath get a great All star footballer that transeferred because he owned a business there, Bernard Flynn played with Mullingar Shamrocks and Westmeath in latter years of his career didnt he? David Glennon from Galway did the same with westmeath hurlers dickie10 (UK) - Posts: 767 - 26/09/2023 11:49:06 2505790 Link
Replying To KillingFields: "Irish players wont really complain. hasnt been many ex pros complain about the system and project players being allowed. Its natural in a more globalised world that we see people qualify on residency grounds. that IRFU sought out some players is irrelevant" And look at how wonderful globalisation has been for the planet… The GAA is strong and will remain the cultural focal point of nearly all of the towns and villages in Ireland as long as it sticks to its traditions. You play for the club in the parish you were born in with exception made under exceptional circumstances. Your community gets behind you and you give back however you can. Soccer, rugby and whatever other colonial sports be dammed. I'd far rather be a hero in my community than be a mercenary for the highest bidder abroad Jjoniel79 (Monaghan) - Posts: 175 - 26/09/2023 11:54:45 2505793 Link
No its not a bad thing, not at all. How the GAA operate is a model that works, thats why its a success. The fact is GAA and Rugby apart how other sports are ran in this country is a joke, and thats not the fault of the GAA or the success of how the GAA operates isnt taking from those other sports. Thats the common denominator. Rugby's recent success and surge in popularity is a direct result of them getting their house in order and running their organisation and sport very well, second only to the GAA in my humble opinion. Across the board when you look at other sports its a complete mess, FAI is a joke, Athletics Ireland not much better, Boxing where do you start with that and the associations its developed now! Pat Hickey, John Delaney etc etc. The failure of other sports lies solely at the feet of the people running them and their organisations. tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1427 - 26/09/2023 12:41:17 2505808 Link
Replying To GreenandRed: "No foreigners in the Ireland team looked for citizenship. The IRFU sought them out to put them on the track to the Ireland. Other rugby unions did it too. Little comfort to Irish players coming through the system who lose out to imported players." IRFU signed players. Those players hadnt played for any other nation was part of reason but these players may not have been good enough or wanted to play for Ireland There is many others over the years who have been eligible for ireland but didnt play because they didnt want to or werent good enough You cant name any irish players etc who have come out against this policy. KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3674 - 26/09/2023 13:02:36 2505814 Link
Replying To Jjoniel79: "And look at how wonderful globalisation has been for the planet… The GAA is strong and will remain the cultural focal point of nearly all of the towns and villages in Ireland as long as it sticks to its traditions. You play for the club in the parish you were born in with exception made under exceptional circumstances. Your community gets behind you and you give back however you can. Soccer, rugby and whatever other colonial sports be dammed. I'd far rather be a hero in my community than be a mercenary for the highest bidder abroad" Globalisation has been good for the planet. the alternative would be worse GAA will always be strongest in ireland and describing the players in this case as mercenaries is highly ignorant of majority of the players in this situation KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3674 - 26/09/2023 13:03:56 2505815 Link
See, people saying that the reason there isn't more track and field venues and facilities etc is the main reason, not the GAA. However, it could be said, that the dominance of the GAA is the very reason there isn't those facilities, if you get me? Like, why has Ireland never, in my lifetime, produced a half decent tennis player? I don't include Canadians and Yanks of Irish parentage, I mean a man or woman, born of this land. Similarly why have we never produced a basketballer of any note? To the lads wondering why I picked Norway and Croatia, i picked them simply because they are similar population to ourselves and are far, far more dominant internationally than we are at a variety of sports. Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 26/09/2023 16:41:53 2505875 Link
Replying To KillingFields: "Is there too many though and how many would you be comfortable with all sports allow it and happens with all teams. nothing wrong with it" In your opinion maybe, but I don't like it, in any international sport. realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8678 - 26/09/2023 17:24:59 2505886 Link
Replying To realdub: "In your opinion maybe, but I don't like it, in any international sport." But the world is a smaller place. People emigrate more and mix more/marry get int9 relationships with people from across the world far more. Nationality is far more fluid than ever before. Youvant limit sport to si.ply where you are born or where your parents were born KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3674 - 26/09/2023 19:12:40 2505897 Link