Dual Player debate

Prop Joe · 30-07-2014 12:22pm #1

Alot has been spoken about this with Donal Og stating that as young as 15/16 players should be made choose football or hurling at inter county level.

I would be in agreement that at IC level you need full commitment to one sport,I would though encourage these guys to continue to be dual at club level.

As lads get older they could change sport at IC level so continuing their development at club level is a must

Hurling & Football are sister sports and alot can be learned from each other.

But i think the day of the inter county dual player is gone

Kerrydude1981 · 30-07-2014 12:32pm

Was listening to this debate on The Sunday Game,have to agree that the days of dual players at the highest level the likes Teddy McCarthy who excelled at both are probably going to die out over the next few years.

The Lost Sheep · 30-07-2014 12:33pm

Only a very small number of players can commit to both and only the very young players IMO can commit to both
I disagree that players should have to choose at 15/16 as that's too early and players should be given at least until they are 21/22 to make the choice
At 15/16 you will barely have played minor at inter county level and I totally agree that players can learn from each sport to make them better players overall

slegs · 30-07-2014 12:39pm

Kerrydude1981 wrote: »

Was listening to this debate on The Sunday Game,have to agree that the days of dual players at the highest level the likes Teddy McCarthy who excelled at both are probably going to die out over the next few years.

Teddy McCarthy was average at best at both codes and was very lucky to be making both teams when Cork won the double. So hardly a case in favour of dualism.

JBM was a star in both codes before he chose hurling. Aidan Walsh is probably the best true dual player currently playing

Fireball07 · 30-07-2014 6:43pm

slegs wrote: »

Teddy McCarthy was average at best at both codes and was very lucky to be making both teams when Cork won the double. So hardly a case in favour of dualism.

JBM was a star in both codes before he chose hurling. Aidan Walsh is probably the best true dual player currently playing

Podge Collins isn't bad. I think he's one of the best hurlers in the country, and although he'll probably never get to prove how good he is at football with Clare, he is very talented.

But yeah, they are a dying breed. I don't think it's impossible, but it is tough.

Boom__Boom · 30-07-2014 7:55pm

slegs wrote: »

Teddy McCarthy was average at best at both codes and was very lucky to be making both teams when Cork won the double. So hardly a case in favour of dualism.

Also on the Teddy McCarthy thing , both the Cork hurling and football teams were among the top teams in the country even with out him. The Cork football team were probably one of the best Cork teams of all time, even without McCarthy.

Out of interest I had a look at the teams Cork beat when Teddy McCarthy did his double.

Football

Cork 4-15 1-3 Limerick 27th May 1990
Cork 2-23 1-11 Kerry 1st July 1990
Cork 0-17 0-10 Roscommon 1st August 1990
Cork 0-11 0-09 Meath 16th September 1990

Hurling

Cork 4-15 1-8 Waterford 3rd June 1990
Cork 4-16 2-14 Tipperary 16th July 1990
Cork 2-20 1-13 Antrim 5th August 1990
Cork 5-15 2-21 Galway 2nd September 1990

Now some may say there are no soft All-Irelands, but you compare the route to winning a double today compared to the pre-qualifier environment and there looks to be a serious gap. 4 games in either code, some against some very limited teams. In the football, that Kerry team was close enough to one of the poorest Kerry teams of the last 50 years. Roscommon and Meath were decent teams but hardly.

iDave · 30-07-2014 9:10pm

Cant help but feel there is some hurling snobbery going on with this. Particularly in Munster, get football out of their system at a young age.

donnem33 · 30-07-2014 11:50pm

alan kerins attempted the double with galway in 2001. He got his football medal and just missed out on his hurling one.

He had been a greater hurler up to that year, but in 2001 he was very poor. Its also acknowledged that he was not the best footballer either.

Ironically, alan focused solely on hurling from 2002 onwards and had a few great years.

david tierney attempted both the year before aswel, but after the lost replayed all ireland to kerry, he focussed on hurling.

It should be noted that both continued to play club football however, and alan has the distinction of winning both club hurling and football medals

Grats · 31-07-2014 12:00am

Loughnane and Cusack appeared hell bent on discussing/preaching about this topic on the Sunday Game. In my opinion they went overboard on it in the aftermath of the Dublin dire performance against Tipp. They clearly had it on their agenda to bring up at the earliest opportunity and seized the moment, but the wrong moment in my view. This is the same Dublin team that were very unfortunate to lose to Cork in the AI semi final last year. All of a sudden following poor performances, dual players is to blame! The decline from 2013 to 2014 has nothing whatsoever to do with dual players, their agenda was out of context.

Naux · 31-07-2014 10:40am

How many successful dual clubs are in your counties?

The last team/parish in Galway to win both Senior Football and hurling titles within a few years of each other was the early nineties. That team/parish are now out of the top division in Galway in both codes.

Very rare for a dual club to win either the senior club hurling or the senior club football in Galway nowadays. Says it all I think.

If you want a successful club in my opinion you need to concentrate on one or the other.

Akrasia · 31-07-2014 10:59am

Hurling and football are amateur sports, It's the choice of the players if they want to play both.

If a player wants to put in the extraordinary amount of work required to play both sports at a very high level, then the GAA has no right to tell them they have to choose.

If the GAA want to start paying players then they can write it into a contract that they have to dedicate themselves to one sport, but these are volunteers. If the players enjoy both sports and get personal fulfillment from playing both, then even if it means that they'll not reach their full potential in either code, that's their personal choice.

The Lost Sheep · 31-07-2014 11:10am

Naux wrote: »

How many successful dual clubs are in your counties?

The last team/parish in Galway to win both Senior Football and hurling titles within a few years of each other was the early nineties. That team/parish are now out of the top division in Galway in both codes.

Very rare for a dual club to win either the senior club hurling or the senior club football in Galway nowadays. Says it all I think.

If you want a successful club in my opinion you need to concentrate on one or the other.

Its very rare for clubs that put a considerable effort into both sports to win a county senior club title but Loughmore proved in Tipperary that it can be done. They would traditionally be a strong football club but very strong in hurling in recent years and have done and still do compete in both sports very well. I don't think if you want success on the pitch that you need to concentrate on one code

paddy no 11 · 31-07-2014 11:23am

Akrasia wrote: »

Hurling and football are amateur sports, It's the choice of the players if they want to play both.

If a player wants to put in the extraordinary amount of work required to play both sports at a very high level, then the GAA has no right to tell them they have to choose.

If the GAA want to start paying players then they can write it into a contract that they have to dedicate themselves to one sport, but these are volunteers. If the players enjoy both sports and get personal fulfillment from playing both, then even if it means that they'll not reach their full potential in either code, that's their personal choice.

Absolutely 100%.

Naux · 06-08-2014 10:08am

The Lost Sheep wrote: »

Its very rare for clubs that put a considerable effort into both sports to win a county senior club title but Loughmore proved in Tipperary that it can be done. They would traditionally be a strong football club but very strong in hurling in recent years and have done and still do compete in both sports very well. I don't think if you want success on the pitch that you need to concentrate on one code

It's not very rare for clubs to put a considerable effort into both codes.

It is however rare for them to succeed in one code taking this approach and very very rare for them to succeed in both codes. Fair play to Loughmore, some achievement.

Has the rising profile of football in Tipperary impacted on the hurlers in any way? Tipp definitely have the talent to have won more hurling titles than they have won in recent years.

Carawaystick · 06-08-2014 12:51pm

Leighton Glynn and a few others, are Wicklow co champs with Rathnew in big ball and Gleneally in small ball.

Due to fine scheduling by leinster council and central council, he's had to play on consecutive days.

It's only an issue at the very top level.

As players are volunteers, they should be allowed play if they want, and picked if they're good enough. The gaa tried a failed policy of preventing players playing gaelic games if they played (or even looked at) certain "foreign" games. To try prevent players playing gaelic games for playing another gaelic games????

Prop Joe · 06-08-2014 12:57pm

Carawaystick wrote: »

Leighton Glynn and a few others, are Wicklow co champs with Rathnew in big ball and Gleneally in small ball.

Due to fine scheduling by leinster council and central council, he's had to play on consecutive days.

Well in fairness they are 2 separate clubs and Rathnew aint even a sister club to them Ashford is

keep going · 06-08-2014 1:00pm

Its amazing how much debate is going on about this when everyone quiet happily roast a good minor by playing him on every team they canno talk of how its effecting him or his game and suddenly when he becomes an adult we think he cant do both.

megadodge · 06-08-2014 1:03pm

Akrasia wrote: »

Hurling and football are amateur sports, It's the choice of the players if they want to play both.

If a player wants to put in the extraordinary amount of work required to play both sports at a very high level, then the GAA has no right to tell them they have to choose.

If the GAA want to start paying players then they can write it into a contract that they have to dedicate themselves to one sport, but these are volunteers. If the players enjoy both sports and get personal fulfillment from playing both, then even if it means that they'll not reach their full potential in either code, that's their personal choice.

Am I missing something here?

When have the GAA started telling players they have to choose?

enda1 · 06-08-2014 1:06pm

They're volunteering their services to the county. The county can take their level in either hurling or football or both as they want. But remember the direction of this relationship in an amateur (for pleasure) sport.

Maybe a player would be an all-star if they gave up one, and a decent but unspectacular regular in both if not. But what of it? It's their choice!

bucketybuck · 06-08-2014 1:11pm

Any player can choose to try and play both codes at the same time, no problem with that.

But the fact is that they are just fooling themselves if they think it isn't having an effect on their performance.

I'd tell kids that they can play both all they want, but if they want to be the best they can be then they need to make a choice.

Vanolder · 06-08-2014 4:43pm

Why would any self respecting hurler want to play footbal??

Naux · 06-08-2014 5:20pm

Vanolder wrote: »

Why would any self respecting hurler want to play footbal??

A Kilkenny man wades in ......;)

eigrod · 03-10-2014 2:28pm

Carawaystick wrote: »

Leighton Glynn and a few others, are Wicklow co champs with Rathnew in big ball and Gleneally in small ball.

Due to fine scheduling by leinster council and central council, he's had to play on consecutive days.

It's only an issue at the very top level.

As players are volunteers, they should be allowed play if they want, and picked if they're good enough. The gaa tried a failed policy of preventing players playing gaelic games if they played (or even looked at) certain "foreign" games. To try prevent players playing gaelic games for playing another gaelic games????

Leighton Glynn has gone the hurling way, for next year at least :

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2014/1003/649740-glynn/

Could be contenders for Christy Ring Cup now.

Carawaystick · 03-10-2014 3:10pm

He was playing the year we got to the final, and a bunch of Cockneys came over from Norf Lahndan and 'ockeyed us

keeponhurling · 03-10-2014 7:54pm

Naux wrote: »

How many successful dual clubs are in your counties?

Cratloe are in both county finals in Clare , probably favourites in both too

klairondavis · 03-10-2014 10:33pm

Naux wrote: »

How many successful dual clubs are in your counties?

Celbridge are playing in the Kildare senior football semi final tomorrow and the Kildare senior hurling final on Sunday.

keane2097 · 07-10-2014 12:13pm

I think Portlaoise have lost a bunch of hurling finals in the last few years while dominating the football as well?

bruschi · 07-10-2014 12:58pm

The senior hurling final in Wexford will be contested by St Annes and Shelmaliers, both in the quarter finals of the senior football still, and expected to get through to the semi finals.

letowski · 07-10-2014 1:15pm

Aidan Walsh to pick a code in the coming weeks.

On his AISF apperance: "I was lethargic and tired and I just wasn’t up to the pace of it."

Should be interesting what he chooses.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2014/1007/650594-walsh-dual-role/

zetecescort · 07-10-2014 1:19pm

Will all depend on whether JBM stays on. Football team going nowhere under Cuthbert.

Pudders · 07-10-2014 2:13pm

Naux wrote: »

A Kilkenny man wades in ......;)

He's from Limerick....

Dual Player debate

Can you play both Hurling & Football at Inter County level? 36 votes

Comments