Work hard, play hard.
The demands involved with making a commitment to an inter-county panel are increasing year after year. Our GAA players have to make so many personal sacrifices in order to to be the best they can, to satisfy their managers, to obey team-code and to keep themselves involved.
People will say that it’s just the training, and the commute that comes with it. In reality, an inter-county player’s whole life revolves around their dedication to this county team.
They will put holidays on the long finger, their social life will suffer, they will barely ever indulge in unhealthy foods, while others are in bed, these lads will be in the gym, stretching, flexing, working hard.
The beauty of it all is that these lads do it voluntarily, and they’re happy doing it that way, too. They do it for their families, their parishes and most importantly, for themselves and to satisfy that insatiable ambition that they have.
Nobody, then, can begrudge these players when the GPA helps them out with travel expenses, or when they are sponsored or offered ambassadorial roles with the various useful companies that they do.
1. Meals – Time is of the essence for our players. Most of them rush from work to training, to gym sessions. Ready-made meals are ideal for them, and they’re class, too.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYHGFZyAH9S/?taken-by=cleancutmeals
2. Cars – Nobody will cover as many miles of road than an inter-county player based away from home, as they travel back for training twice, three times weekly.
A reliable set of wheels, is key.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXqLU5Gjx07/?taken-by=diarmuid.oc
3. Togs and socks – Just look at the smile on Tipperary footballer, Conor Sweeney’s face. We all love some top quality gear, be it jerseys, socks or togs. You can never have enough of it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BU2Jn2VAiGn/?taken-by=bourkesports
4. Energy drinks – Does anybody have a more tiresome life than an inter-county player? Probably not. An energy drink can be key on the way home for training to spruce yourself up, or indeed, after training to encourage the recovery process.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXqEpNWA6G9/?taken-by=seamiecallanan
5. Equipment – Just like socks and togs, a GAA player can never have enough boots or gloves. Sure you use them once and you need a new pair.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWOLr8ggdNe/?taken-by=niallmorgan01
6 – Recovery – A huge trend has emerged recently of GAA players using compression tights, socks and so on to speed up the recovery process of their tired muscles.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTzkT2YFJI7/?taken-by=pcurran_11
7 – Dapper attire – In this day and age, everybody wants to look slick, who in their right mind would say no to some free clothes?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWnrFY2l6L2/?taken-by=ckkilkenny93
8 – Slick gym and casual gear – Even though they are the ‘County’ man, the majority of them are modest and don’t like strutting around the gym wearing county half-zips, tracksuits and jerseys.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BNH32AqhU7F/?taken-by=deanorock
9. Protein bars – Crucial to getting those gains in after a gym session.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTWuf4sheb9/?taken-by=podge25
10. Protein Milk – Whoever doesn’t love the vanilla flavour Protein milk is a bit of an outlier.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGousZslNoD/?taken-by=mrjackietee
Well deserved.
