The GAA has a huge opportunity to look to the future, and implement positive changes to the structure of the season, according to Anthony Moyles, who joined Ger Gilroy and Eoin Sheahan, on Monday's OTB AM.
The association has come in for criticism in the past around its failure to be proactive in certain instances, and Moyles hopes that the GAA do not miss the opportunity to make lasting changes to the game at both club and inter-county level.
"There is an enormous opportunity falling out of this that next season and the seasons thereafter could be massively different. The time is rife now for change. There has to be a better way. If anything, the last four months have shown is that things can absolutely be turned on their head," he said.
"Out of crisis comes opportunity. Here is the opportunity to take this now. There's going to be people's noses put out of joint but you know what, it doesn't make a difference."
Much of the discussion in recent weeks has centred around inter-county panels training before September 14th, the date they are allowed to resume group training.
On this topic, Moyles believes that more direction should be given to all parties from the GAA hierarchy, but responsibility also lies with the players and management of each county panel.
He encouraged all the interested parties to increase dialogue amongst themselves, in the hopes that this would breed trust in the long-run.
This, in turn, could allow for more consensus on the changes that could be made to the yearly schedule, benefitting both club and county players.
"Communication, trust between the club and inter-county managers, the county board and the hierarchy of the GAA, that trust has to be there," said Moyles.
In the past, certain decisions made by the GAA with regards to training camps abroad were skirted by some.
In this instance, Moyles feels that if there are clear instructions from Croke Park as to what would happen to inter-county teams that trained before the allowed date, then the majority of people would act in a mature manner, in the good of public health.
If a team were to ignore the GAA, and there was a positive case for COVID-19 following an inter-county training session, then that particular county, the players and the management would feel extremely isolated.
"The first county that is exposed to this will feel pretty isolated I'd imagine."
However, Moyles feels that the majority will act in a mature manner, understanding the risks to public health, and working in the best interests of everyone.
This can only materialise if the GAA comes out and declares what the sanctions will be for those who flout the rules.
"Any time there is any grey areas or any wiggle room with something, someone will find a gap and someone will have a go at it," he said.
The entire discussion with Anthony Moyles can be viewed above.
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