Leinster Rugby poaches Dublin's Bryan Cullen

Dionysus

What's going on here?

According to RTÉ, Bryan Cullen the captain of the Dublin football team, has just signed up as a coach for Leinster Rugby.

Dublin captain joins Leinster

"The Dublin County Board has confirmed that Leinster Rugby has appointed Dublin's All-Ireland winning captain Bryan Cullen as one of its new coaches.

The news was reported in the Irish Independent on Wednesday.

The 27-year old will begin work with the European champions as a strength and conditioning coach with their academy in the coming weeks."

---

It doesn't say what Cullen's status now is with Dublin GAA. The BBC also covers this story: Dubs skipper Cullen appointed to Leinster Rugby role. Why, at the height of his footballing career, would he move to rugby coaching when it's clear Leinster just want to use him to attract more players in Dublin?

Pete_Cavan

His status now with Dublin GAA is as a player, which he does in an amateur capacity and this hasnt changed. He is taking up a role as a professional coach with Leinster Rugby. I dont see what the problem is, he is free to work for whoever he wishes. He obviously wants to achieve as much as he can in his career (as he does in his sporting life) and working with one of the top professional rugby teams in the world is a good move for him in terms of career progression. For the last year he has had a coaching role with Blackrock RFC and it has nothing to do with attract more players in Dublin to rugby.

Fair play to Cullan for landing such a prestigious role because the Irish rugby provinces can attract the most respected coaches from around the world, eg. Munsters new Head of Fitness Bryce Cavanagh.

Some GAA people really need to lose the chip on their shoulder and realise that GAA players can make decisions for themselves and that has nothing to do with "poaching".

copacetic

Dionysus wrote: »

What's going on here?

According to RTÉ, Bryan Cullen the captain of the Dublin football team, has just signed up as a coach for Leinster Rugby.

Dublin captain joins Leinster

"The Dublin County Board has confirmed that Leinster Rugby has appointed Dublin's All-Ireland winning captain Bryan Cullen as one of its new coaches.

The news was reported in the Irish Independent on Wednesday.

The 27-year old will begin work with the European champions as a strength and conditioning coach with their academy in the coming weeks."

---

It doesn't say what Cullen's status now is with Dublin GAA. The BBC also covers this story: Dubs skipper Cullen appointed to Leinster Rugby role. Why, at the height of his footballing career, would he move to rugby coaching when it's clear Leinster just want to use him to attract more players in Dublin?

This is his job, he hasn't 'moved' to rugby coaching. He has been studying sports science for many years and working with rugby players as part of that. He is an amateur player, they all have jobs.

Do you actually think all the players are professional?

rpurfield

think its a non story to be honest hes spent years studying and according to the indo the other day hes as qualified as you can get in his field so why would he turn down a good high profile job?if anything it will benefit dublin as im sure he would be leading training sessions and thus getting extra training himself!

Conor Bourke

He plays GAA as an amateur, he'll be working with Leinster in a professional capacity. He won't actually be playing with them. I don't see how it will have any effect on his ability to play gaelic football. If he was a teacher being employed by a school where the emphasis is on rugby would you suggest he should seek work in a more appropriate school?

If Bryan Cullen has a qualification in sport science then he should be as entitled to work with Leinster Rugby as the next qualified candidate.

Jimoslimos

No doubt its a publicity coup for Leinster Rugby but a professional top European club wouldn't employ him if he wasn't good at what he does. Its also a tad insulting to suggest the only or primary reason he got the job was because of his AI winning exploits with Dublin.

He's an amateur sportman with professional sports qualifications. FAI and IRFU are the two big professional sports bodies here - highly unlikely that they wouldn't cross paths sometime. Fair play to him, at the end of the day its a job, and those are probably a scarcer commodity than an AI winning medal these days!:eek:

Dionysus

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

Some GAA people really need to lose the chip on their shoulder

There you go jumping to conclusions which reflect your own prejudices more than anything else.

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

and realise that GAA players can make decisions for themselves and that has nothing to do with "poaching".

As far as I'm aware most people who are "poached" also make their own "decisions for themselves". Were you under the impression they were kidnapped or something? Why you're so sensitive to the word might indicate you have a formidable chip on your own shoulder against the GAA. But there you go.

And if you really think his being poached has nothing to do with his captaincy of the All-Ireland winning Dublin football team then you're seriously mistaken, to put it mildly.

Dionysus

copacetic wrote: »

This is his job, he hasn't 'moved' to rugby coaching. He has been studying sports science for many years and working with rugby players as part of that.

Fair enough. I wasn't aware of his sports science background, something which neither of the two media reports alluded to.

copacetic wrote: »

He is an amateur player, they all have jobs. Do you actually think all the players are professional?

Thanks for that. I'd be lost without that information, despite having lived in Ireland and played GAA most of my life. With earth-shattering revelations like that I'd say you win every table quiz going. :rolleyes:

SantryRed

Dionysus wrote: »

There you go jumping to conclusions which reflect your own prejudices more than anything else.



As far as I'm aware most people who are "poached" also make their own "decisions for themselves". Were you under the impression they were kidnapped or something? Why you're so sensitive to the word might indicate you have a formidable chip on your own shoulder against the GAA. But there you go.

And if you really think his being poached has nothing to do with his captaincy of the All-Ireland winning Dublin football team then you're seriously mistaken, to put it mildly.

Did you just blatantly ignore everything that was said on this thread on this show or are you just stupid?

Chiorino

"And if you really think his being poached has nothing to do with his captaincy of the All-Ireland winning Dublin football team then you're seriously mistaken, to put it mildly."

He was appointed as he was the best candidate for the job. European rugby champions don't need or want coaches in any capacity simply for PR purposes.

Dionysus

Chiorino wrote: »

He was appointed as he was the best candidate for the job. European rugby champions don't need or want coaches in any capacity simply for PR purposes.

This is naïve in the extreme. Recruiting the high profile Dublin captain of the All-Ireland winners is a coup for Leinster Rugby by any standards. Plenty of people have sports science backgrounds. Few, however, have won an All-Ireland medal, and captained the team which did so. That gives Cullen the edge.

copacetic

You haven't a clue what you are talking about, he was given the job before Dublin won, it just made the papers the week after the win.

You made up a ill informed tabloid headline about poaching to describe the move of a phd sports science student to one of the only big professional sports organisations that let him be local to his amateur sport.

You then start throwing around ignorant comments to everyone who pointed this out. Cop on.

plasmaguy

Dionysus wrote: »

This is naive in the extreme. Recruiting the high profile Dublin captain of the All-Ireland winners is a coup for Leinster Rugby by any standards. Plenty of people have sports science backgrounds. Not all have won an All-Ireland medal, and captained the team which did so. That gives Cullen the edge.

Another poster with an attempt to discredit and throw mud at Dublin and their players I see.

If Dublin hadn't won the AI, would there be half the begrudgery threads opened here? I think not.

Cullen has been a top level inter county player for almost 10 years as well as a Sigorson Cup player. Add to that a degree in sports science from DCU which is recognised as the outstanding sports science institute in the country.

To argue he isn't qualified to be a strength and conditioning coach is idiotic in the extreme. The guy is more than qualified.

And Leinster are competing in the Heinekan Cup every year and other competitions. To suggest they'd hire a strength and conditioning coach who didn't have what it takes is again silly.

markc1184

I doubt the decision to appoint Cullan has been made solely in the last week therefore the winning captain theory can't be used. The reason it has only gone public now is probably because of the attention it would have brought about before the match. I'm sure if Kerry had won, Cullan would still have this job.

An Citeog

copacetic wrote: »

You haven't a clue what you are talking about, he was given the job before Dublin won, it just made the papers the week after the win.

You made up a ill informed tabloid headline about poaching to describe the move of a phd sports science student to one of the only big professional sports organisations that let him be local to his amateur sport.

You then start throwing around ignorant comments to everyone who pointed this out. Cop on.

OP, this is your answer.

I don't see any reason to keep this thread open. This is a qualified professional starting a job as an academy S&C coach with Leinster.