ONE CAN only hope that the powers that be in Croke Park are keeping a weather eye on the present situation in the rugby union game. That is more than mere hope one trusts since Jack Boothman is no stranger to the game and, no doubt, keeps in touch with developments both on and off the field.

His reasons for doing so have become seriously important because of the way in which professionalism has taken a firm grip on the game of rugby union and already many within the game are having reservations about the move to "open" rugby and are in mortal fear of the future.

So What has that do with the GAA Well it would appear that already there are many players who are attracted by reports that some of the top rugby players are due to make considerable sums of money for playing and following on from that, many players are being lured to join some of the richer clubs by offers of money and career opportunities.

Needless to say there are already rumours afoot in the GAA world about players being lured from some of the smaller poorer clubs to some of the more powerful and richer clubs and while that may well be inevitable, and difficult to stop it is only a very short step from the club to the county and it is there that the real danger lies.

The great strength of the GAA is that it maintains the age old rivalries which have existed both at club and county level. Any serious interference with this would be, in, the opinion of this writer, the death knell of the GAA.

From time to time there have been instances of players switching from one county to another. Players like John Nallen, who played for both Galway and Mayo many years ago, and more recently Larry Tompkins and Shea Fahy, both of whom played for Kildare and Cork. More recently still Eamon Morrissey has switched from Kilkenny to Dublin.

There will always be instances of that nature which were dictated by circumstances such as a change of job or a promotion within a job. The danger doesn't lie in such legitimate moves but in unscrupulous clubs and counties who can always find their way around obstacles.

Only last week there stirrings in one county about players being lured away by promises of cash and jobs. Earlier in the year there were similar rumours about a transfer from one club to another in Dublin.

The GAA has been remiss so far in dealing with this kind of traffic. For many years the flight of players to the United States to play for money was frowned upon but little was actually done to tackle the situation.

Then came the revolution in the team manager system and the supporters' club influence which allowed for important and crucial decisions in regard to the game being taken away from the county boards and passed on to the supporters clubs and to, sponsors.

At first this seemed a good development which allowed the county board to get on with it's business of running its club competitions but it soon became evident that in many cases, the supporting tail was wagging the county board dog.

More recently we have heard of sponsors wishing to have an influence on team selection which seems to me to be a very dangerous development indeed and one that must be resisted at all costs, including the loss of the sponsor's money. Needless to say this is not to suggest that major sponsors involved at top level are involved, rather is it a case of smaller companies with managing directors on an ego trip.

The GAA must, therefore, act on all of these issues before it is too late. The "carpetbagging" trips to the United States, have been a constant thorn in the side of GAA administration and at its height a few years ago were responsible for a threat that a team was going to pull out of an all Ireland hurling semi final.

That "carpetbagging" (John Kerry O'Donnell's phrase) now seems to be starting here at home if the rumours have even the smallest element of truth in them.

What is needed therefore, is a coherent, clear cut policy aimed at preserving the integrity of clubs and county boards. The rules which now exist and which can be invoked were drafted for very different conditions. New regulations and strict rules are now needed to protect the fabric of the games of hurling and football.

Nobody living in the real world has any objection to players being well treated and compensated generously for out of pocket expenses and so on. The idea of players going on sunshine holidays is an excellent one and has the dual effect of rewarding the players for their efforts on the one hand while helping to cement social relationships on the other.

The danger lies in the ambitions of some individuals, not always players and elected officials, who see opportunities for pursuing personal agendas without reference to the consequences. This is the kind of situation which leads rich businessmen in the United States to invest large sums of money putting ad hoc teams together under spurious names posing as Irish counties to contest competitions which are of no value to the future of the game.

It would be unrealistic to expect that many young players of Gaelic games would not take a curious look at the developments in the rugby union situation and ask themselves questions about their own future. Success at Gaelic games requires just as much, commitment and dedication as success in any other game and players are entitled to take a realistic view of their situation.

But it is the responsibility of those charged with preserving the game to establish protective measures which will defend the games to the fullest extent. These games are different from others because they are confined to all intents and purposes to Ireland.

That fact will not protect them from predators who may detect the possibility of a "fast buck" without care for the overall good. It therefore behoves Croke Park to put in place whatever form of protection is deemed appropriate. Nothing short of urgent and decisive action is needed.