Basketball helps keep Dublin on their toes

They call this the silly season in GAA circles. The association departs for New York en masse tomorrow and not much is stirring. So imagine the delight of the national media when presented with a wealth of leading players, managers and officials in Croke Park yesterday - all present to endorse the new Tracker diary.

We happily settled for an interview with Dublin footballer Alan Brogan. It's always interesting to check in on players off-season or, more accurately, lack thereof. They don't officially reconvene as Dublin players until the New Year but the wheels keep on turning.

"A lot of fellas are still involved with their club, like the Vincent's guys, and the leagues are still ongoing. We are still involved in the league so I'm still going. Much as you think you've had a break, I haven't really had any break," said Brogan.

How are the other Dublin players staying in shape at the moment? Basketball is the solution adopted by Paul Caffrey as the Dublin manager enters a fourth year at the helm. "We play basketball in St David's on Monday and Tuesday evenings under Pillar's instruction. It's for fellas whose club commitments have ended so they wouldn't be sitting idle for two or three months. Instead of going back training on the field it's a bit more light-hearted, playing on a basketball court."

This touches upon a constant concern for Gaelic footballers - burnout. "I think it is hard if you are playing football 12 months of the year. You get burnt out and p***ed off. It means fellas are still training but they don't think they are playing football. When February or March comes around and fellas have been playing football for four or five months they have a pain in their arse with it. So I think it freshens it up from that point of view. It's great."

Brogan is warming to the questions so every conceivable topic is rolled out - the progress of his younger siblings, Ross and Bernard; Caffrey and several Dublin players' last stand in 2008 and, of course, the issue of a possible players' strike and grant aid.

"I think immediately after we were beaten by Kerry I said Paul should stay on. He has brought so much to the set-up. If he had gone then it would have interrupted the flow of things. I know we were only a whisker away from an All-Ireland final. I think he will bring a lot next year and he challenges himself every year. He'll improve himself and hopefully that will improve us that four or five per cent that we need.

"I think he started out with a three-year plan at the start and unfortunately that has turned into a four-year plan. With a few of the lads it probably will be the last year. Jason (Sherlock), Ciarán (Whelan) and Coman Goggins - I think it will be the last year that they will play."

Will he strike? "Hopefully it will be sorted out . . . meetings are ongoing. I know there hasn't been much in the media about it in the last week but they are trying to sort it out. And hopefully it will be sorted out before the O'Byrne Cup and the National Leagues start.

"It's not a road any player wants to go down. It's certainly not a road I want to go down. I want to be playing football in January and February.

"I think it is about respect. €2,000 or €2,500 isn't a fortune to anyone in this day and age. I think it is the respect side of things. A lot of lads are still playing football at this time of year and we're talking about burnout.

"Obviously there is monetary value when you are playing at that level, the same as drinking isotonic sports drinks and all that kind of stuff. So I think it is just a respect thing and hopefully they can sort it out and everyone can move on."