New Clare boss Davy Fitzgerald has hit out at winter training ban that all GAA teams have to follow, calling it ‘crazy’.
GAA panels are not allowed to have collective training in either November or December, with the idea being that players are protected and rested over the closed season.
But with the rules widely rumoured to be broken by certain teams, and players undergoing unsupervised individual training anyway, the purpose of it is lost on many, including the former Waterford boss.
“Every player needs a break, but I don’t think there needs to be a rule about it,” he said in the Irish Daily Star.
“Any manager worth his salt will know that his players need a break and make sure they get a few weeks. But being told you can’t train for two months is crazy, ridiculous. There has to be compromise.
“Ideally, you would give players their programmes for five or six weeks and then start training sometime in December. But as it is, we won’t have our first session until January 1.”
Changes to the rules are coming down the line so hopefully this is the last year when this issue will come up, especially for managers taking over new teams like Fitzgerald and Liam Dunne in Wexford.
