‘Payment destroys love of game’

WATERFORD star Austin Gleeson has pleaded with Croke Park not to go down the payfor-play route. A leaked report last week proposed that intercounty players be paid an ‘allowance’ by 2034 (marking the 150th anniversary of the association), but Gleeson insists, if delivered upon, the move would ‘take from the enjoyment’ of Gaelic games. ‘I don’t think it should happen,’ he said of the proposal drawn up by an internal GAA committee to replace the current system of expenses in the future with a defined and agreed allowance.’ But Gleeson believes such a move would dilute the GAA’s amateur ethos. ‘The reason everyone loves hurling is [because] it’s amateurs playing an amateur sport. Everyone wakes up Monday morning and goes into work after playing 70 minutes of a Championship game the day before. ‘It would take away from the love of the game,’ insisted the Waterford star, who claimed that it could lead to the introduction of a professional soccer culture where players would become more interested in money than the sport. ‘If you’re getting paid, you could go training and wander around because “it doesn’t matter, I’m getting paid anyway”. ‘Look at the way soccer has gone — there are players sitting on benches just because the money is there. They don’t really care if they play or not. I don’t think that’s the way the GAA should go,’ added the 2016 hurler of the year. And the Mount Sion clubman also claimed inter-county players are adequately treated under the current expensesbased system. ‘Every team gets their expenses. There are lads up in Dublin who get their expenses and everything is put in place food-wise after training. They get their Championship gear, you get free physio if you need it. ‘There are doctors there if you need doctors so there are always little allowances there for you.’