‘The Lost Boys’
Firstly; am I far too young to be up here? Looking around it felt like I was sitting in a retirement home for ex-GAA players, and at 29 I have to be careful I’m not found to be guilty by association, condemning myself before my sell by date! Secondly, and more importantly, was that so much credit has to be given to those responsible for the success stories that are the Tipperary and Roscommon underage structures.
Over the past number of years, in provinces where both counties have been traditionally overshadowed by a duopoly, Tipperary and Roscommon have bucked the trend by outshining their traditional counterparts.
Cavan’s double success in Ulster this year at minor and U21 level is also a break from the norm, and the trio have provided inspiration for smaller counties nationwide. Tipperary and Roscommon are obviously doing something right at underage level when you consider the longevity of their efforts, and the turnover of players at these grades.
There are some lofty ambitions floating around Tipperary football circles at present. Senior All-Irelands by 2020 have been mentioned. When you consider not only the company they keep, but also the inferiority of the big ball code in the home of the All-Ireland SHC champions surely this is nothing more than a pipe dream? Or is it.
Or more importantly, why should it be! They have won the last two provincial minor titles, with a potential All-Ireland now to follow. They’ve also won the 2010 U21 provincial crown, along with numerous final appearances at both levels in recent years.
Considering such achievements, one could easily argue that the Premier county’s football conveyor belt is in a better state than either of their lofty neighbours, Cork and Kerry. Unfortunately however, more often than not, success at underage level fails to transfer to the senior ranks. If the footballing bosses in Tipperary want to live up to their heightened ambitions, they will have to guard against these young starlets becoming yet another set of ‘Lost Boys’ in the years ahead.
‘The Lost Boys’ of the GAA is a problem that is often discussed but rarely properly analysed within GAA circles.
I am referring to the inter-county minors who show so much promise at a young age, but disappear almost overnight. Winning titles and adoration as they go, they fill everyone in the county with great hope and optimism, but for various reasons they fail to progress and carry that success through to senior ranks. For every bus load of successful underage footballers who replicate their achievement at senior levels, you could fill 10 with those who didn’t even come close.
Why is it that the vast majority of successful minor footballers fail to progress to representing their county at senior grade? Is it because they are too immature to handle success at minor level and let it go to their heads? Is it because they are not patient enough to bide their time on the bench whilst gaining experience and physical development to compete at senior level?
Certainly, many suffer from big juvenile syndrome. We all know plenty of examples of outstanding underage players who are literally and metaphorically head and shoulders above everyone else. However, when everyone else grows up around him, and he loses his physical advantage, he loses his effectiveness as well. Today the GAA does not have the same monopoly on our young men as it once had. Competing sports aside, the social vices of today’s young and restless are very often a bigger source of distraction. Academia and a working life are other commitments that can prove too much to balance alongside that of a senior intercounty career.
For me, one of the root causes behind this problem is the lack of leadership and guidance, at the appropriate level, for players at this age. After minor grade, the GAA landscape can become an assault course for the young.
Between club, county and university, players are badgered by multiple masters, all with their own interests at heart.
So much pressure is exerted and expectations are so high, those responsible fail to remember that this is a young fella who should be allowed to grow up and enjoy what this age in life has to offer. Very often the concept of ‘burn out’ can easily be substituted with ‘pissed off’. Patience is not something modern day Gaels possess in abundance, and more often than not the bar stool analysts are more likely to dismiss a young player as being not up to it rather than allow him the necessary time to develop.
Looking at the way the game has changed and developed over the past 10 years, I think it is time every county had a full-time director of football; a presence in the background, who oversees all grades.
A huge amount of money is being spent by county boards year in year out on underage teams and youth development. Also, in many cases, a lot of money is being wasted at senior level on mercenary coaches and managers, in the hope of trying to secure a quick fix solution. But as the farmer knows, you won’t grow good crops on bad soil.
Considering the level of professionalism expected of players once they represent their county, maybe it is time a more structured professional approach is taken to ensure a better return on investment.
For one thing, the physical development of a young player should be managed and coordinated at county level from when he first enters the development squads right through to senior level.
The majority of clubs simply don’t have the resources to do this. At the moment lads are being handed weights programmes and training schedules by different coaches from different teams at different times of the year!
A player’s progression and development should be monitored at one level and that person should have the authority to dictate when and how a player trains.
It is fair to say that the Tyrone team of the past decade are the great exception to the ‘Lost Boys’ trend.
The generation of O’Neill, McGuigan, Jordan, Hughes, Mulligan, Gormley, Gourley, McGinley and the late Cormac McAnallen are arguably the most unique and decorated set of players to have ever played the game. For so many players of the same age to not only compete but dominate at all grades during their development is unlikely to ever be replicated. The fact that just one man, Mickey Harte, oversaw all of this, is more than just a coincidence.
