‘YOU CAN AND you can’t’ is Joe Canning’s answer when asked whether it is possible for GAA players to have a life outside of the game.
It has been a widely discussed topic in the last few weeks with pundits such as Joe Brolly bellowing that players are now slaves to the inter-county system, and should be given more freedom to develop outside interests.
Canning says he enjoys watching rugby, playing golf and has an interest in fashion. These are the things he must have had in mind during the ‘you can’ part of his answer.
‘You can’t’ comes in the form of Tuesday and Thursday pitch sessions, Monday, Wednesday and Friday gym sessions and a game at the weekend. And that is just his schedule with Galway at the moment. There are also club commitments with Portumna that require Canning’s attention.
The 26-year-old works in the marketing department at Liberty Insurance in Dublin and it is a wonder he even has time to work with such a packed schedule.
“The people at Liberty are very good to me in terms of letting me get back down to Galway for training during the week,” Canning said.
“You would be fairly tired some days but that is what the early morning cup of coffee is for.”
When Canning explains his different hurling commitments throughout the year it makes it clear that the GAA never really stops. Between December 2013 and December 2014, Canning was almost constantly on the go as Portmuna won the All-Ireland club championship.
Players probably don’t feel as tired when they’re winning trophies and that is what drives Canning on. He even admits that it is rare for him to take a complete break from training at any stage during the year.
“I’ve been lucky enough that the club have been involved in the All-Ireland series most years so between that and Galway, you kind just go straight back into it,” Canning said.
“We don’t really get a break. You might take a week or two where you wouldn’t train at 100% but you don’t want to take it too easy or you are going to be behind.”
Canning says he rarely has a free evening around this time of year but doesn’t think that is unique to him.
“There is no down time for GAA players really,” Canning said.
“I love rugby and played it when I was younger. Going to games is very hard though because you usually have training on a Friday. The same with golf. It is very hard to get out and play because it takes up half the day. You can watch them [rugby and golf] on television but it is tough to get out to them.”
Even the universal and simple act of booking a holiday is tough for someone in Canning’s position. Do you take it in the summer? Can’t, Galway might have a game. What about the winter? Nope, the club are in a county semi-final.
There is always something on the horizon that prevents long-term planning. That’s why when a GAA player actually does take a big holiday, it becomes massive news that equates to ’20-year-old college student goes on J1 trip to Boston’.
The leisure plans of the country’s top players are very much dependent on how good their team is.
“You can’t plan a holiday far in advance,” Canning said.
“It’s only if you get knocked out with the county that you might be able to book a holiday and go on short notice for three or four days. Rugby players know at certain times they might be free but it is different for GAA players.”
