Scrutiny of players gone too far, says Donaghy

The level of scrutiny Gaelic footballers are subjected to is taking the enjoyment out of the game, according to Kieran Donaghy.

On stage at yesterday’s Balance Expo in Killarney, the Kerry forward says it is impossible for inter-county players to escape what is being said about them before and after games.

Attempts to ignore the headlines by stepping back from social media, he added, has become a futile exercise.

“Thirty years ago, there might have been three newspapers that would have carried news on the Monday after a game.

"If you made a balls of yourself at the weekend or kicked 10 wides, people might read about it on the Monday but by Tuesday it was forgotten.

"Now, you are being hit with it on Monday, you are being hit with it on the radio, you are being hit with it on Joe.ie. It is non-stop,” the 34-year old remarked.

“Even if you stay away from social media, everyone else you know is on it, are being hit with it. Someone is going to come up to you and say, ‘you got a nice touch for throwing a punch there at the weekend, what were you doing’.

"That negative, energy sapping stuff is, maybe, taking away from the enjoyment of the game.”

Away from television analysis, newspaper columns and radio discussions, escaping football chat remains an arduous task.

Donaghy was basically a sitting duck when previously working in the bank. Every customer in off the street only wanted to discuss Kerry. He changed jobs two years ago and reckons his football has improved as a result.

“It is almost impossible for GAA players to shield themselves from analysis and opinion. Mourinho and the boys drive to training, train their team, do their press conference and go home again. It is very secluded. GAA players are out there. It is very hard to get away from it.

“I was in the bank, sitting at the counter serving 200 people a day. If I had my hand in a sling because I had damaged my shoulder, I would have every person asking, ‘when are you coming back’.

"I’d tell them I’d be back in six weeks for the Clare game. I’d be repeating that all day and you might find the other ladies behind the counter would have to move away from me because they couldn’t listen to me give the same answer to every single person.

"One person asking you that question doesn’t know that 200 people have already asked the same question.

“That is why the mental health side of it is so important, to make sure guys get to talk and have avenues for them because of the pressures we do feel.

"We are out there, we are on the television, but we are just a normal person at the end of it. The balance with the social media is definitely making it a bit harder.”

During a lengthy discussion, Donaghy cited the proliferation of tactics and planning as another drain on enjoyment where inter-county life is concerned. Similar to media coverage, it was a different story 30 years ago.

“The Bomber [Eoin Liston] would always slag me, saying himself and Mikey [Sheehy] had a great time of it; bate the defender, handpass the ball over the goalkeeper and into the top corner. Then he’d add, ‘you catch a ball and you have four fellas punching you, you give it to Gooch and he’s three fellas around him’.

"The Bomber was saying it was far more enjoyable and far easier to prepare back in the day.

“Nowadays, there is a lot more thought going into games. There is a drain there before the game, we’re saying this crowd are going to have two or three back, where am I going to get space. We played Tyrone in 2015 in the All-Ireland semi-final.

"Justin McMahon was on me. Colm Cavanagh was in front of me. There was another sweeper too. Wherever I ran, there was somebody. I was taken off at half-time.

“Coming back down the road that evening, I was thinking that that wasn’t enjoyable for me. That was for me, though. The team got a great win in the end so they are all bubbling going down and I remember saying to myself on the bus, ‘don’t dare feel sorry for yourself, don’t be that person’.

"When things are going against you, stay on the positive side because things will turn a bit quicker if you stay there rather than going into the negative.”