There are a few GAA players on every team that have a ‘short fuse’.
It comes with the territory. GAA players dedicate large portions of their time to training be it at club or at county level.
When game day arrives for these players, they can be forgiven for being fired up as they attempt to justify the training and sacrifices that they have made.
GAA players are competitive, they have a will to win but sometimes this desire and hunger can lead to problems, however.
Players are human, they make mistakes and they sometimes overstep the mark.
Kieran Hughes didn’t overstep the mark on Sunday when he received a controversial black card against Fermanagh, but he has done so before, for example, his red card for a rash challenge on Mark Donnelly in the Farney men’s 2013 All-Ireland quarter-final loss to Tyrone.
The Scotstown man has a reputation for having a temper on the field, speaking to Colm Parkinson during The GAA Hour Football Show on Monday he revealed the measures he has gone to in an attempt to keep his emotions under control in the pressure cooker that is modern day GAA.
His advice may strike a chord with the GAA ‘bad boys’ around the country.
“I’m trying to have a word with the boys, maybe to get a bit of contact on me in training. Over the last couple of years, I probably haven’t been in the best shape that I wanted to be in and I do believe that you do need the fitness levels to be able to deal with any sort of contact or anything else on the field. So I’ve been trying to get the lungs opened up as best as I can and get the blood pressure settled down a wee bit.”
It makes sense really, if you’re feeling fit after taking a belt or a knock you’ll probably be straight back up on your feet and ready to respond on the pitch, you’ll be mad to get on the ball and show that player that you’re above responding to them.
Sometimes players are provoked. It’s the nature of our players, you will do as much as you can to win a game, and if that means getting under the skin of the opposition, particularly a player that may have a reputation of responding to taunts or sly digs, you’ll do it.
Ryan McMenamin was famed for his rattling of opposition players, and he revealed how he got inside the head of players on The GAA Hour Football Show recently.
Hughes is doing his best to solve his disciplinary issues.
“Again I just have to bite the bullet, I’m old enough and I’ve been around the game long enough now to realise that I’ll just have to get back on board and go again at it,” said Hughes.
So for all you GAA players that have a temperamental individual on your team, taking a few shots at them on the training field will do them no harm at all.
Listen to the whole interview below from 12:45. It is definitely worth it.
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