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 World
Cup fever may have brought the country to a standstill but long after
Ireland's interest in Japan and Korea and the Roy Keane saga wanes, the
annual sports feasts that are the hurling and football championships will
prove to be the big crowd pullers in the months ahead.
But while the action on the field hots up, rarely has the GAA made as
many headlines for off-the-field issues.
The ongoing saga that was Rule 21 bit the bullet, lifting the ban on members
of the British security forces from joining the Association. Rule 42,
which governs who does and more importantly who does not grace Croke Park,
proved more obstinate and was kept on the rulebook at the Association's
annual congress in April.
However, both of these issues will take a back seat to the games that
reach their crescendo towards the September finals. One topic that will
continue to dominate discussion amongst fans is the amateur status and
the idea of a suitable reward for the players.
Paddy Christie and Shane Ryan, both graduates of Dublin City University,
will be to the fore as the Dublin footballers look to end the county's
longest provincial drought since Kevin Heffernan masterminded the Dubs'
big breakthrough in 1974.
Both players are currently consumed with training but that doesn't prevent
either from harbouring beliefs that calls from players for proper expenses
and compensation for loss of earnings are genuine and need to be addressed.
When the pair broke onto the senior inter-county scene in the latter end
of the nineties the issue was barely laudable. Now it is arguably the
hottest potato for the Association.
Christie believes increased demands on the players since he began competing
at the top level has seen this whole issue rise to the top of the agenda.
"I've been on the Dublin panel since 1995 and even then there was
a huge amount of commitment involved. Back then if you asked me could
it have got more intense I would have said no.
"But in the past few years that is exactly what happened. We were
training Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Two
of those sessions were weights training. We were in each other's faces
almost every night.
"It was non-stop and it was a big step up. It's difficult to see
how you could have given up any more of your life. Weekends were totally
gone and there's no point complaining because all of the other counties
are doing it and it's a case of keeping up with them. That's what brought
the Gaelic Players Association to where it is today."
 Ryan,
who for a time tried to juggle both football and hurling at inter-county
level, agrees. "I think there has been a gradual increase in the
commitment required as counties look to step it up that bit more to try
and get success," says the Naomh Mearnóg clubman.
"For most players it's got to the stage where you're leaving for
work at 7.30 or 8.00 am and from there going straight to training. For
the lads living on the southside that means getting home at 10.30 or 11.00
pm, and following that pattern day after day.
"It has reached breaking point and suddenly the lads have looked
at the situation and said 'should we not be getting something out of this?'"
Another topic is the proposed national stadium, now very much back on
the agenda with Fianna Fail's impressive showing in the May election.
Neither player has any problem with the idea of Robbie Keane or Jason
McAteer stepping out at Croke Park - provided the schedule of Gaelic Games
is not interrupted or the clubs left out of any such proposal.
Trainee teacher Ryan says, "I wouldn't have any problem with any
other games being played there as long as it does not effect any of the
GAA's activities. Once Croke Park is opened the amount of football and
hurling matches that will be played there is huge and the pitch would
be a concern too."
Ryan is quick to stress that access by outside organisations should only
apply to Croke Park, and GAA clubs around the country should not have
to suffer an influx of soccer and rugby. He points to the winter primary
schools finals. "They are the biggest days out for the kids and I
would hate to see activities like that falling by the wayside," he
says. "It could only be Croke Park on its own. Clubs should not fall
under the same issue."
Christie views the use of HQ in the same light, and adds, "I would
have no problem in principle especially if the money was being used to
go towards players or coaching for juveniles. However, I would only be
interested if the GAA showed it needed the money because maintaining the
good condition of the pitch is important."
While both have wide ranging views on the game there is no doubting that
their focus is honing in on ending Dublin's recent lack of success on
the provincial front.
Three consecutive Leinster final appearances may not be considered a failure
in most Leinster counties but to a sporting public with an almost insatiable
demand a real craving exists for a first Leinster crown and All-Ireland
since 1995.
Ryan is not unduly concerned with the expectation levels. "I don't
feel the pressure as much this year," says the former DCU Sigerson
and Fitzgibbon representative.
"Last year it was a win or bust situation coming to the end of Tommy
Carr's tenure. This is a new start under Tommy Lyons. The aim is the same
as it has been every other year - to go and win a Leinster title and I
think we're gearing up well."
Christie believes it's a question of taking it one step further than the
last three 'near misses'. "We were very close to it last year and
we haven't gone backwards since then. Most of the same lads are there
and we have a few new faces - especially in the forwards. It's reasonable
to assume that we won't be far away, especially since we're moving better
up front.
"I also believe that if we could just get one win - a Leinster title,
a National League or an All-Ireland, the floodgates could open. It's a
hindrance to us not having won anything as a team and something that we
would love to put right."
With a Leinster football title a real possibility for Dublin expect a
long summer for them - even if that elusive provincial breakthrough again
proves one step too far.
Paddy Christie is graduate of Applied Physics
1998 and Shane Ryan is a graduate of Business Studies 2001.
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