GAA players will not get a better time to demand a proper cut
EPISODE Three of
The Game screened last night on RTÉ, bringing to a close a worthy addition to the sporting documentary canon. In tying the threads of hurling history together into a colourful tapestry, there was something in it for nearly everyone.
Rare, archival footage of Mick Mackey in action, brought to life a figure who bestrode the 1930s but who remained, to most, a dusty and elusive man of secondhand myth and fable. Hearing the man speak had the same startling effect as the A-ha music video when a comic book figure suddenly springs to life.
There was the super slowmotion, frame-by-frame showing of Austin Gleeson’s breathtaking solo goal in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final against Cork. It came against a backdrop of the filmmaker Gerry Nelson’s suggestion that hurling is such a complex, blink-and-you-missed it game, that it should be broadcast in slow-motion after the final whistle.
A recent conversation this parish had with former Limerick manager Richie Bennis revealed an enjoyment of the series, tempered with a regret that clubs — the beating heart of the association — didn’t feature more. Maybe a sequel could tackle just that.
And no doubt, there was some who felt the debate over ‘hurl’ or ‘hurley’ painfully introverted for a minority sport that will always play second fiddle to Gaelic football in terms of playing numbers.
But in terms of charting how hurling is bound up in this country’s social, cultural and political history, how it has contributed hugely to the fabric of Irish society, it stood as a powerful Exhibit A. A similar treatment for Gaelic football would prove a worthy sister piece.
Yet for all the adulation showered on hurling this summer — and the players who are clearly dedicating a large part of their lives to pushing the game to new heights — where is the political will to financially recognise their contribution? In the All-Ireland semi-final double bill and the two extra time games between Clare and Galway and then Cork and Limerick, some of the main protagonists were, quite literally, being carried off the field due to injury or near exhaustion.
Galway’s All-Star centre-back Gearóid McInerney hobbled off with a calf injury. Hurler of the Year Joe Canning jarred his knee. Daithí Burke and John Conlon bounced off each other like bumper cars. Galway’s All-Star full-back came into the game with an ankle problem; Conlon took to the field for the replay with strapping on three different places.
Cork captain Séamus Harnedy was limping by the end of normal time but asked management to put him back on for extra-time; only to eventually give in to the inevitable, his body breaking down a second time.
In this time of political opportunism, when Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross can magic up €1.5 million extra in sports funding — jumping shamelessly on the Ireland hockey bandwagon after their superb silver medal showing at the World Cup — the government funded grants to those very same hurlers were withheld.
The Gaelic Players Association claimed it had been held over barrell over the paying out of agreed inter-county player grants for 2017.
The fine print of an expanded home drug-testing process was only agreed last month with Sport Ireland —– and may well be an important step in maintaining the integrity of Ireland’s indigenous games — but it shouldn’t have been linked to previously agreed payments.
The scheme itself was slashed from its original €3.5 million in 2008 to just over €1 million within a year. The scheme’s value was downgraded and undercut until a new agreement for 2017-2019 was put in place, which sought to restore its value on an incremental basis. It promised funding of €1.6 million in 2017, increasing to €2.3 million in 2018 and €3 million in 2019.
What it means for this summer’s participants is a sliding scale that goes from a minimum of €745 to a maximum of €1,707 for any player who is an All-Ireland finalist.
The bottom line, though, is that 10 years on, the value of the player grant scheme is less than the original. Yet the time, effort and sacrifices of the players have increased hugely since then.
In applies in both codes. Look at the Gaelic football summer and the contribution to the social capital of a county such as Carlow courtesy of its football and hurling teams. Mickey Harte spoke on Sunday of how it was about more than a game for the people of Tyrone.
Perhaps the man who lifts the Liam MacCarthy Cup this Sunday will echo the sentiments of Eddie O’Connor in his speech from the steps of the Hogan Stand. In it, he might demand an upgraded grants scheme where all inter-county participants get a larger cheque than the one currently in place. At least equating to the original scheme.
It’s 25 years since Kilkenny’s renegade leader issued a call for players to be given a cut of the financial action in the shape of a team holiday.
If €1.5m can suddenly be delivered to recognise athletic and team performance across 17 organisations, then the worth of the hurlers and Gaelic footballers of this country deserve to be better recognised.