Players will do whatever it takes to get deal: Brogan
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Thursday July 09 2009
DUBLIN stars Alan Brogan and Barry Cahill have backed the GPA bid for funding and recognition from the GAA.
The two players and their team-mates will abide by the GPA blackout of TV interviews for Sunday's Leinster final and Brogan warned: "The players won't be afraid to do whatever we have to do to make sure there is a deal done."
Speaking on the issue, Brogan said: "It's about player welfare now. Player welfare is not about two tickets for a match or a meal after training. In this climate, it's about education programmes for players, looking after guys that are injured.
"Despite what the GAA might say, they don't have these player-welfare programmes in place. If they were that serious about it, they would have had them in place by now, so I think they need to pass it on to the GPA.
"The GPA are the experts at it and they have the time and the want to do this kind of stuff, whereas the GAA obviously have a lot of other bigger things to be looking after in their view, so I think it's important a deal is done.
"The players are sick to the teeth of it now. They just want to see an end to it, put it to bed. Let's just deal with it and get rid of it. It's been escalated with the media thing on Sunday. Obviously that's as far as I hope it goes. I hope there is a deal done shortly but the players won't be afraid to do whatever we have to do to make sure there is a deal done."
Barry Cahill echoed those sentiments, saying: "I think all the players are behind the GPA in what they're trying to do. It makes complete sense if the two parties come together and come to some arrangement.
"The GPA have put in a lot of hard work over the last 10 years and they've a lot of expertise that I'm sure they can bring to the party, so hopefully things won't drag on too much longer."
- Liam Kelly
