Support needed for injured club GAA players, says delegate

Clubs in Westmeath are responsible for the welfare of their own players if they pick up injuries, County Committee chairman Frank Mescall advised at the January meeting in the Mullingar Park Hotel.

Castlepollard’s John Rabbitt raised the issue, explaining how the club had two serious injuries last year and criticising a lack of support from Westmeath. He asked if there is a welfare committee in the county to support clubs in this regard.

“It is the responsibility of the club to look after your player. You put him out there to represent your club, so you have an onus to support him, immediately, and through his injury. There is a players’ injury (scheme) and I recommend that each club have one person on their executive to look after this. It’s quite demanding,” replied the chairman.

A county player is different and it falls on the county committee to support the injured party. To this end, physios are made available, he explained.

Mr Rabbitt felt there should be a connection between county and club players.

“The club player is equally important to the GAA,” he said.

Mr Mescall said there will be support from Westmeath in terms of guidance and help, with Patrick Doherty, head of operations, and Brendan Shaw, secretary, available to contact.

However, Mr Rabbitt highlighted a very serious injury his club player incurred last year and criticised the current practice, claiming TEG Cusack Park has no crutches available for injured players to walk out: “they are carried out,” he added.

“There was a time an ambulance would be on the field; now players have to either walk off, or someone links them off.

They are left, then, to fend for themselves.” He said quick action is necessary to prevent long-term problems for injured players.

From his experience, it took three weeks to arrange a scan to get the proper diagnosis. “I had to arrange it through Belfast,” he said, praising the work of his physio, who had put a brace on the injured player which proved beneficial. The physio feared ACL (knee ligament) damage, but this was averted.

The surgeon confirmed the brace had prevented ACL damage and Mr Rabbitt felt, based on this, a pathway is needed for clubs regarding injuries.

The chairman advised there are two sets of crutches available at TEG Cusack Park, but using them on a pitch is not recommended.

“It’s the club’s responsibility. Patrick is at the end of a phone, Brendan is at the end of a phone, generally I’m at the end of a phone, for advice. You put them out there to wear the club colours; you have got to support them and look after them,” he said.

“From what I see, every club now has a physio, or a well-trained person.”

Mr Rabbitt said the welfare of the player is important and he is merely trying to improve this with the committee.

“I see almost every club with a physio; how do they respond? That is not our business. We talked about it at length last summer because we had an incident with a club who we believed were not looking after the welfare of their player. It fell to members of our management, which is not our responsibility,” said the chairman, who advised that players are covered by insurance. Injured players may need to go private for treatment.

Mr Rabbitt offered to support other clubs who may need guidance with the procedure.

Meanwhile, the senior hurling championship will begin first in Westmeath (July 14), with football championships a week later.

“Hurling will come first, but if the Westmeath senior hurlers are successful enough to get to the Joe McDonagh Cup final, it’s played on June 8. Then we have to wait and see when our senior footballers depart the championship,” explained Keith Quinn, secretary of the CCC (Competitions Control Committee).

“If Westmeath are successful in the Joe McDonagh Cup, they play in an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final the following week: if we are successful in that, which would be brilliant to everyone’s ears in this room, the senior hurling championship will be pushed out then.

Chairman Frank Mescall said the Tailteann Cup is the nightmare scenario for fixture planning.