Mick O’Dwyer’s old-school training sessions are what the modern player is crying out for

Some managers, they never know when to stop, do they?

A modern trend has taken over the game whereby managers can't bring themselves to call training to a halt. Training sessions generally begin with a few drills that are leading into a game. Drills should last for around half an hour or forty minutes, and then a twenty-minute game and stretch down should do the trick. Players don't want to be held at the field for nigh on two hours for every training session. They've personal lives, they've things to do, the majority of them simply don't have the time for that. Besides that, it doesn't make sense. Players come to the field and they should be enthusiastic for training, they're rearing to go. If managers spend too much time talking, and doing silly drills and generally just dragging the session out, it can get boring. The buzz, the excitement, it all just dies. The intensity drops and the players just want to go home. Kerry man Mick O'Dwyer was one of the most famed managers in the game, but he never bored his players, he always had them on their toes and ready for action, according to former Kildare footballer Willie McCreery who was speaking at the GAA Hour Live from Newbridge.

"Training would be an hour. None of this talking crap that they have now. They'd be on the pitch at half seven and they'd be finished at half eight. He might have a five-minute talk and that'd be it. "It's not like the training sessions now where you talk about how you train and all this kind of stuff. That'd do my head in, but like he finished with you and he drove home.

The approach paid off for Micko and his Lilywhites with a Leinster triumph in 1998. Some managers see it as a crucial role of their's to keep their players at the field for as long as they can. The more time their players spend there, the better they will get, sure. As the old saying goes, quality always beats quantity and lots of modern day players will agree. You can listen to the lad's discussion from The GAA Hour Live from Newbridge here from 26"00'. https://soundcloud.com/sportsjoe-gaa-hour/the-gaa-hour-live-from-newbridge