DCU pull out amid ‘pressure’ on players

THE simmering row between third-level colleges and inter-county teams finally came to a head yesterday when DCU withdrew from the O’Byrne Shield, and now the pressure falls squarely on the GAA to deal with the thorny question of player burnout.

DCU were one of a number of colleges unhappy they were not allowed to have all their players — some of whom are on GAA scholarships — for the early-season secondary competitions such as the O’Byrne Cup and Shield, the McKenna Cup, and the FBD League. They pulled out in advance of yesterday’s trip to Athlone to play the local IT.

There have been reports of a number of county managers putting pressure on players to line out for the county team in the competition, and DCU were one of the colleges who suffered. Now they have withdrawn from the O’Byrne Shield and thrown open the debate on college-versus-county and player burnout.