Dessie Farrell: Player burnout issue overplayed

Indentured slaves, Joe Brolly called them.

You’d be hard-pressed to find many inter-county players willing to agree — at least publicly — and even Gaelic Players Association (GPA) chief executive Dessie Farrell believes that the lament for the lot of those he represents has waxed a tad too lyrical.

“I think there has been an overreaction to it, definitely,” said Farrell of what has become the first trending topic of the GAA calendar year. “Is there a modicum of truth in it? There is, for a specific cohort of player. The younger player who is on the county panel and U21 panel and playing colleges — and throw your clubs in on top of that — for a short window of maybe four to six weeks, it is really difficult for those players.”