All I want for Christmas is (access to) you

EVERY now and then Irish sports journalists of a certain vintage get wistful.

They recall the days of open access, of dressing-rooms so open you practically handed the soap to players in the shower; then they add, sorrowfully, that those days are gone forever.

The reason for the closed door is simple — in professional sports like rugby and soccer the dressing-room is sacrosanct, and GAA teams have followed suit.