Evans: Big ask of our GAA stars

VETERAN inter-county manager John Evans accepts GAA players will struggle to maintain their fitness levels training on their own.

The former Roscommon, Tipperary and Wicklow manager feels players need the competitive edge of working together to bring out the best in them so the lockdown presents a very tricky challenge.

The Kerry native – who is training the Glenbeigh/ Glencar football team in his own county this year – said: “Like all club managers and county managers you are hoping that the players are keeping themselves in some bit of shape.

“Interacting with them through various social media is the only thing you can do at the moment.

“It does allow you to be personal with them because you can see how they are going.

“Even inter-county players, you are hoping they will take up the initiative themselves and do their own bit.

“If they maintain their fitness they will be doing very, very well.

“Very few people are going to exceed where they are now. Once you take the competitive element out of it you take away the drive and desire and you are just hoping people maintain their levels of fitness.”

Evans is proud of the way the GAA is contributing during this crisis and how members are putting their shoulder to the wheel.

“Irish people and GAA people, we are very resilient and in particular all sports people are resilient,” he added.

“We are starting from a good block. We are active and we are creative, we come up with wonderful ideas to keep ourselves right.

“Home training and home development, we are able to adapt to it.

“Once you have the health and the will and desire you can do a lot of things to keep yourself in shape and be ready for when the whistle blows and the game starts again.”