FORMER ALL-STAR IAN Burke is back in the Galway squad as Pádraic Joyce prepares for his fifth season in charge hoping to go one better than this year, when they were pipped by Kerry in the All-Ireland final.
Burke, who withdrew from the Galway squad two years ago because of work commitments in the financial sector, is among a number of new players included as Joyce and his selectors bid to strengthen their hand for 2023.
Joyce, speaking at the launch of Supermac’s sponsorship renewal of Galway GAA for the next five years in a deal worth a minimum €2.25m – which could rise to €3.25m depending on how successful teams are – said they were going to return to training with a ‘development squad’ as they needed to give players a break after a prolonged season.
Joyce said he is not a fan of the current split season as some county players do not get a break.
“I don’t think the split season is great for the county player when you look back at it. Lads finished up with us on the 24th of July and two weeks later they were back in action with their clubs and we still have lads playing for their club.
And it’s not just lads in county finals or provincial championships. They are playing play-off games and relegation matches. Some players could still be playing for their club in January. It’s very demanding and tiring on the inter-county player.
“So, unless I give them a break now, they won’t get one at all. But they need a break and they need to be able to do a proper pre-season or they will start picking up niggles and injuries,” said Joyce.
Galway returned to training last Thursday night but Joyce knows it will be another month or two before he has his full squad back and in that time nine players, including Corofin clubman Burke, will get a chance to stake a claim for inclusion for 2023.
He was Galway’s first All-Star for 15 years when he was honoured in 2018 but a heavy work schedule impacted on his inter-county career, although he continued to be part of Corofin’s glorious period.
Salthill/Knocknacarra’s John Maher and Evan Murphy, along Barry McHugh from Mountbellew/Moylough are among the players who have re-joined but it will be into the New Year before Michael Daly comes back in after missing almost the entire year for his club with a knee injury.
“We will see how these lads perform for the next few weeks. There is a great bond there in the current squad and we need to be careful as management that we don’t upset that,” added Joyce.
“The lads now know what’s required if we are to get to an All-Ireland and win it. We are looking at up to 18 games if we get to the All-Ireland final next year. That’s some amount of games in less than six months so you need a good squad and they need to be properly prepared going into it.”
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He is one of the better keepers in Loi. The fai are long overdue to address the problem of players being out of work when they finish playing ?a pension trust for players should be in place for a time in their career , maybe kick in at 35 years old ? And the clubs should be made subsidise this payment also ? I know the argument for clubs is they are struggling , but this plan with the main body and clubs should be in place imo. The players also can contribute some payment to the fund .
Paying people a pension when finishing work at 35?
@Robert O’Rourke: saving the tax payer also , not many sportspeople over 35 . And if those people were lucky to get a job , after various courses , then they would be taxpayers also .
@Tricksy: Why should they get special treatment just because they’re sport stars though. I’d like quit my job at 35 and have a pension waiting for me. Maybe a back to education scheme but not a pension.
@Robert O’Rourke: A few people have suggested I retire at 35 and even before that but I know they are only joking regardless of the Mayhem all around me .
@Robert O’Rourke: employer s are not inclined to employ some one in their thirties who never had a previous job ! And by the time they do a few unemployment courses they are older also . So these ex players are getting a welfare payment more than likely from a person like yourself (tax payer) who is in employment from young age , but had no talent to play a sport !
@Tricksy: Not sure how we’re supposed to sympathise here. They have plenty of time to do courses while they’re footballers if they have any small bit of drive or maturity at all about themselves. See the amount of young Irish professional rugby players who are currently doing degrees? Also, employers have no issue taking on people in their 30s with several decades left in their careers. You’d swear they were in their late 50s!