GAA injuries: The Tipping Point

The massive pressures placed on inter-county GAA players could have serious repercussions in the years ahead

The ‘professional amateur predicament’. This is a term coined by the leading Irish physiotherapist, John Murphy. Murphy, a member of the GAA Medical Scientific and Player Welfare Committee, believes no player can expect to train to extreme intensity for a prolonged period of time within the constrains of a second professional life, ie your day job.

Cork footballers John Miskella and Anthony Lynch both retired from inter-county GAA last month. Even though they were amateurs in the strictest sense, they would have been the two of the most professional athletes I would have trained or played with.