Trust is the key element for Moyles
There is no end in sight to the debate ignited by pundit Joe Brolly a few weeks ago. Speaking on Off The Ball, the Derry man made his now infamous ‘indentured slaves’ comments regarding how inter-county players are treated and everything from players putting careers on hold to the fun going out of the game have been discussed now for weeks by media and GAA players alike.
On LMFM at the weekend, David Sheehan spoke to former Meath player Anthony Moyles and, of course, the topics that Brolly brought up are the main focus of the conversation.
Moyles, who played at inter-county level for well over a decade while working away from his home county, brings some great insight to the subject. He says that in his time the managers he played under trusted him to work on his own, or in Dublin with small groups of players and that the trust element is key to giving players some of their lives back.
Moyles says that if he was 21 and was forced to attend four sessions in Navan at 6,30am each week he would leave the panel. For him, it was motivation to win the All Ireland that drove him but he does acknowledge that players from counties who may not contend will find it harder to put in the demands that some managers make these days.
The fixture list also comes under scrutiny and Moyles identifies it as one of the biggest issues in GAA circles while the threat of other sports is also an area of concern.