And for once, nearly everyone agreed with him.
You don’t even have to be a GAA fan to know Joe Brolly and to know that he’s not afraid to call it as he sees it or put a few noses out of joint while he’s at it.
The Derry man’s opinions are normally not met with universal approval, but on last night’s Off the Ball on Newstalk, he articulated his thoughts on the current state of the GAA and it was hard not to agree with a lot of what he said.
Brolly compared modern inter-county players these days to ‘indentured servants’ such is the level of commitment required of them, while he also touched on the apparent lack of enjoyment to be gained from Gaelic Football in particular and criticised the way the club scene has been affected under the current system.
The interview lasts about 20 minutes in total, but if you have the time, you should really give it a listen as there are some very interesting points made that will strike a chord with anyone involved in the GAA at the moment (Scroll down below to play).
Brolly’s comments garnered a massive reaction on Twitter last night, although, as Paul Kimmage pointed out, Joe wasn’t afraid to vindicate himself by retweeting a large portion of the positive comments that included his Twitter handle.
Could not agree more with @JoeBrolly1993 comments on @offtheball about starting the league in January and the Championship in April. #GAA
— Oisin Langan (@oisinlangan) January 7, 2015
https://twitter.com/Woolberto/status/552571985675681792
We all know @JoeBrolly1993 is right, we've all known those problems for a long time, but sad reality is that absolutely nothing will change
— Cahair O'Kane (@CahairOKane1) January 7, 2015
@JoeBrolly1993 You're filling my timeline with retweets lauding your genius. Are you familiar with the concept of 'twanking?'
— Paul Kimmage (@PaulKimmage) January 6, 2015
In all seriousness, Brolly’s comments only serve to highlight the apparent mood for change in the GAA and the realisation that the current way of doing things may not be sustainable going forward.
Audio via Newstalk
