Former Mayo boss James Horan believes top county managers would never compel a player to train or take to the field if there was a risk of burnout.
Following on from the debate sparked by Joe Brolly's comments about players being treated like "slaves", we were joined by Horan and ex-Tyrone half-back Philip Jordan to discuss the issue of burnout.
"I think there's a huge awareness from management, medical, S&C professionals and coaching to try and get a work-life-football balance," said Horan.
"I've been involved for the last four years and I'm sure Jim Gavin, Eamonn Fitzmaurice and these guys, the last thing they would do is flog a player. It's no one's benefit to do that."
But it is at underage and colleges level where Horan sees the biggest risk due to conflicting priorities between managers at that level.
Jordan said he never felt training and playing for his county was a chore or punishment, and he believes the majority of players feel the same.
But he highlighted one area of concern for players.
"I think it's just the length of time people are training throughout the year without any rest period to do rehab stuff. I think that's where the main issue is in terms of the long-term health implications for some players," said the 34-year-old.
"As my career went on, the one thing that was the added time was doing the recovery and flexibility stuff to try and keep your body fit to last a championship."
But he does not think the issues can be solved without the GAA taking the lead and enforcing positive changes.
Listen to the full chat via the podcast player:
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