Corkery: amateur status hurting GAA

CORK forward Colin Corkery believes the GAA’s determination to maintain it’s traditional amateur ethos is causing an underage player drain to other codes that will inevitably have serious repercussions.

The demands on inter-county players have multiplied enormously in the last decade. Ger Loughnane’s Clare regime back in the mid-90s was credited with bringing the level of preparation for hurling teams to previously unheard of heights; footballing sides, particularly in Ulster, took it a stage further again.

“In fairness to the northern teams, three, four, five years ago, they started bringing a more professional approach to the whole thing and they’re reaping the rewards now,” Corkery said.