Ger Brennan says there should be an equal two-week break between all games for teams competing in the All-Ireland SFC round-robin. Photo: Sportsfile
GAA stars should be allowed to rest and recover for up to a month before returning to club action after their inter-county season concludes, according to Ger Brennan.
The Louth football manager made this radical suggestion as one of several tweaks he would favour – although he conceded that only Albert Einstein could solve the GAA’s intractable fixtures equation.
“Professor Niall Moyna is involved in our set-up, and I know he has also been appointed [to the amateur status review committee] by Jarlath Burns. If the GAA are serious about the amateur status and player welfare, there should at least be two weeks between the end of the Allianz League finals to the first round of the championship,” Brennan declared.
“And then after the All-Ireland series, there should be three to four weeks of a break before all inter-county players go back with their club.
“That is where all the injuries come from, it is just such a condensed season. It is not a split season – it is a really long season for clubs as well.”
Brennan also insisted there should be an equal two-week break between all games for teams competing in the All-Ireland SFC round-robin.
Under the current schedule, some teams start a week later than others, but then have just seven or eight days to prepare for their second fixture – as happened to Louth for their recent stalemate with Monaghan.
“Look, the GAA is a wonderful animal which we all love and they do an awful lot well, but with the fixture schedule, it would take Albert Einstein to come back and figure that one out. It is a tough challenge for those at the top of the table,” he accepted.
“With the nature of the season, the GAA do their best but it’s hard to keep everyone happy. I think everyone involved at inter-county level would like three or four more weeks somewhere to give an opportunity for niggles to heal up.”
