Aussie defeat exposed training flaws

PROFESSOR Niall Moyna has claimed October’s International Rules series defeat to Australia proved there are serious flaws in the GAA’s generic training techniques.

Speaking at a GAA coaching conference in Croke Park, last year’s DCU Sigerson Cup winning manager said under-age coaching has been far too reliant on drills which are turning players into “robots”.

While giving his wholehearted support to the Association’s under-age Go Games initiative, which sees children play 11-a-side or less games, he warned the GAA must stop sanitised under-age coaching — or risk seeing another generation of players turn into uniform athletes.

“We have seen children playing competitive 15-a-side fixtures on adult-size pitches using adults rules and the primary focus has been on winning,” said Moyna.

“I would like to see a situation where no player up to the age of 16 has played in the same position twice.

“Imagine how a midfielder would fare at corner-forward or corner-back? Not alone would he or she have to change the way they play, the rest of the players have to adapt their game as well.

“You get an adaptable team, not one that is strait-jacketed. The teams of the future are the ones built like that.

“And if want a wake-up call all you have to do is remember the Australians against the Irish last year.

“Because of their game-based approach, they were able to adapt to our game very quickly.

“We couldn’t adapt to them because we’ve a very strait-jacketed approach.”

Monaghan native Moyna expressed his disappointment at the obsession with winning at under-age level in the Association, which he believes is not only unhealthy but also short-sighted.

“One of the saddest things in our under-age games is seeing the result of a game being used as criteria in the selection of players.

“Players need more time but it’s not about developing their skills — it’s about winning. Because of that, we tend to select the early developers and neglect those who, if given the opportunity, could turn out to be as good if not better than any of the so-called talented under-age players.

“Because of this, the early developers are picked in more prominent positions and therefore have more possession in these 15-a-side games and as a result other children are excluded and their long-term development goes out the window.”

Dublin senior football selector Mickey Whelan, who spoke alongside Moyna, preached the importance of children being given the opportunity to play in a variety of positions to advance their skills.

“When Italy won the World Cup in 2006 the smallest man on their team (Fabio Cannavaro) was playing centre-back. Could you see England ever doing that?

“Under-age players in the GAA need to know what it’s like to play in different areas around the pitch. The knowledge they can gain from learning what each position entails forms a major part of their long-term development.

Meanwhile, Kilkenny legend DJ Carey has called on clubs around the country to turn their hurling walls into handball “one-walls”.

Carey, also addressing Saturday’s coaching convention, said it makes common sense for every hurling club to incorporate handball.

“Hurling walls are being built all over the country but it wouldn’t take a lot to make them one walls for handball. With a hurling wall, basically all you can do really is hurl up against it to practice your skill. A one-wall wouldn’t be much of a difference, putting in lines here and there. The best thing I thought I had throughout my hurling career was good anticipation and that came from the sport of handball.”

Carey, an All-Ireland winning handball player, played the game in Goresbridge because his own club Young Irelands in Gowran had no handball alley.

But he spelt out just how complementary hurling and handball are, suggesting the latter is an excellent “off-season conditioning sport” for hurlers.

“The biggest thing that I see now with 14, 15, 16 years old is how poor they are with their feet. Their footwork, their co-ordination, being able to turn on the spot and fast.’’

Carey also criticised some of the modern under-age hurling training he’s seen as “boring” and showing “a sheer lack of fun”.