Time to take on the Cusack "Stand".

[Seán Boyle Ó Rathallaigh]

And finally, you say the players don't see a cut of it - but the big question is who is? It's not like the GAA is laden with administrators at every level drawing huge salaries? The cut you're talking about is out of the GAA pot that goes to pay for club administration all across the land. It's out of dressing room refurbishment funds, gear funds, kids hurling helmet funds, and assorted other real expenses. It's not like in soccer where money is being sucked out by agents - the money goes on real things, and the accounts are there to prove that. Nobody gets a "cut" and that's the way it should be.

Totally agree here, it sickens me when you read or hear the 'so-called' top players bash out this tired line "But we are the ones making the money for the GAA". I'd love to know where they thinks its going! If only they could take a leaf out of the GAA's book and let their Club Energise, Puma, Lucozade Sport or what ever other endorsement money they have filter back into the association or their clubs instead of lining their own pockets. The vast majority of these players will finish with the GAA when they retire only to turn up at the odd County Final and say things like "it wasn't like this in my day!".........

[Lone Shark]

I feel like wringing Cliona Foley's neck for tolerating this sort of horsesh*t.

"I can see a dramatic difference in what we have to put in since I started with Kildare in '99," Doyle said. "The time and effort I'm putting in, and the work (paid) I'm leaving behind me, is an awful lot more now. As a player, I honestly feel something's got to give."

Wonderful - just general unspecific giving out without any actual solution committed to, just hinted at - I hate journalists indulging this kind of spin doctoring.

"I'm on the road, servicing catering equipment, and probably lucky that most of my work is around Leinster but there's nights after training that I'll have eight or 10 missed calls on my phone. I definitely lose money through missing over-time," he added. "We'd be on call one weekend out of six but because I have training on Saturday or a match I have to give that work away."

Fair enough - but as I mentioned above, we all forego work to do the things we love - that is the point. Is this Jack's way of saying he'd be working 80 hours per week if it wasn't for the GAA?

Incidentally, it does have the whiff of the kind of job where being a Kildare footballer probably didn't hurt in terms of getting it - any chance of asking about that Cliona? Thought not .....

"I'm lucky to be getting a week away because John Crofton (Kildare manager) has been very understanding. There's a lot of players who haven't been able to get away after their weddings," he
added.

Yeah, because that's a problem that doesn't effect club players across the country. I don't even know what he wants here.

"But in our squad we have players who regularly have to swap shifts or lose money, that's the reality in every county. So I think it's a bit much to hear officials say they don't know what the GPA's agenda is, six years after it was set up. It's not exactly rocket science!

"As a GPA member, I feel it is the one organisation putting us first, trying to help us to sort out these problems and find some way to compensate us."

You see John, the reason people aren't sure is because Dessie and Donal and co have been trying to pretend that that's not the agenda. Officials and journalists get maligned if they claim that the GPA's agenda is just pay for play - and now you imply some kind of stupidity that they don't talk about it.

Leinster boss Michael Delaney insisted any change in amateur status would be detrimental, describing Gaelic games still as "the hobbies of all our players" but Doyle said he is wrong.

"The notion that Junior C players are as important to the GAA as All Stars, I absolutely agree with that," Doyle said. "But thinking that it's a hobby for all players alike is a bit old hat!" he argued. "If a Junior C or club player decides he's not feeling great or can't make training, he'll skip it. You just don't do that at inter-county level!"

As Kildare's freetaker, Doyle puts in additional training hours on top of his three nights-a-week county practice. He said the argument that wearing the county jersey should be reward enough for players is no longer as relevant as it once was.

Why is it not relevant? Do you think that there aren't people out there all of a sudden who would give anything to have the talent to play for their county? I Shared a house a couple of years ago with a guard from Rossmuck who played one championship game at under 21 level for Galway, scoring a point in the second half - I haven't met him since he's had a son, but up to that point it was the source of huge pride for him, and he'd still be getting emotional about the idea of it, and what playing for Galway meant to him. Before that I just thought it would be fantastic to play for Offaly in either code, but after listening to him, I realised it would be so much more. I was always a world away, so it never really entered my head - to those who maybe aren't that far off, it becomes an utter holy grail. If you want to skip training and get kicked off the panel John, go do it - you'll make some other 20 year old corner forward in Kildare very happy.

"Don't get me wrong, every day I pull on the white jersey is massive for me and playing for Leinster is a huge honour too. Running out in front of 50,000 or 60,000 and hearing the Kildare fans behind you, there's nothing to beat that feeling.

"There's no one putting a gun to our heads and all I honestly want to do, like any other player, is help Kildare win another Leinster and bring home Sam Maguire. But the reality is that Ireland is moving at a different pace these days," he stressed. "Players are all under different pressures in our jobs and also being asked to give more and more to the game so it's getting more difficult every year.

So you just make everyone jealous at what a lucky guy you are, all in the same article as claiming you want to be paid for it?

Ireland is moving at a faster pace for everyone - we all find it harder to keep up. That's just life - why is he being indulged with this crap?

"I definitely see good young players who see what's needed and say 'I can't afford to do that' and walk away from it. As players, we're not trying to bring down the GAA. It's not like we're looking for big money like soccer players. I don't believe the GAA could cope with that.

You're not looking for that now, John - but let's face it, you know that if you looked for 20 grand to start with you'd be laughed out the door - but that's where it's going. As for young players walking away, that's been happening since the GAA was born and before - players emigrate, they move to find a decent job, and so it goes. You look at what it takes and you decide if you want it or not - as I keep saying, if you don't, someone else sure does.

"But if I was a boxer or an athlete I'd be getting a grant, which might go some way to compensating me. Right now we're looking for the GAA to support the GPA in helping to get us grants from the Government and that would definitely be a step in the right direction."

We have a tendency towards subsidising crap sports in this country, I'll accept - it's not good but it's there. Now leaving out the fact that boxers and athletes get about 20 grants between them per annum, and now the GPA is looking for 1950 of them, you still haven't answered any of the practicalities of it.

Doyle was replying to Delaney's criticisms of the GPA. The Leinster official said he was confused about their agenda, that he had never seen its constitution and that 'pay-for-play' seemed to be their goal.

But Dessie Farrell, CEO of the GPA, said yesterday that the organisation has a constitution set up by its founders, that is available on request.

Asked why it is not on their website, he said "we've never been asked for it. But it is freely available, there is no dark secret or mystery about it."

Well I emailed twice and rang once - that might constitute asking. But then I suppose Michael Delaney is senior championship, while I'm just a club guy - I should have guessed Dessie wouldn't be interested in me.

[Seán Boyle Ó Rathallaigh]

Well I emailed twice and rang once - that might constitute asking. But then I suppose Michael Delaney is senior championship, while I'm just a club guy - I should have guessed Dessie wouldn't be interested in me.[/quote]

Thats because you can't give him National coverage and have the Fleet Street crowd jumping up and down

[Lone Shark]

With all this stuff going before Central Council at the weekend, somebody pointed out that the GPA have the GAA over a barrel at the moment, in that there is nowhere for the GAA to go. They are looking for theoretical support from the GAA for their claim for grants under the elite athletes scheme, before it gets put before the Government, where it will certainly be knocked back. (1950 "elite" athletes?)

By not supporting the GPA's claim, the GAA is staring at a PR disaster when the GPA will spin it as the GAA not even wanting them to get a few bob even if it's not out of their own pockets. If they do support it, the GPA will use the line that the GAA has officially conceded that players should get financial support. Either way it advances the GPA's case. I really wish some GAA figures would start attacking the practicalities of this proposal, rather than stalling, as appears to be their only plan.