Most club teams reach their peak fitness wise around the May Bank Holiday I would say.
Then its nearly impossible to hold a weekend training session with full attendance until mid August.
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Different but similar ish scenario often had me metaphorically raising my eyebrows in relation to the inter-county scene. Itās more mindset related than your club example but Iād see squads doing all the heavy pre-season stuff, going hard at the league, plenty of talk about the huge levels of commitment etc. Then they lose a championship game & just let their season finish with a whimper by basically giving up before their qualifier game. You might have some squad withdrawals & then you see a team sleepwalking into the next game. Theyāre not tuned in at all & youād wonder what was the point of the effort for the previous 6 months.
When the days are long and thereās fuck all else to be doing lads are happy to go training and torture themselves; I think thereās a serious correlation between the first Tit Monday of the year and drop off in training numbers and commitment levels
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Youād often hear of lads who were playing 18 holes of golf on a Friday tear their hamstring 10 minutes into a match on the Saturday.
The Clarinbridge thing is obviously ridiculous but the Golf thing is definitely worth consideration.
Its obvious golf should be banned.
I thought drink bans had gone out with the Neutron diet.
It was one of the reasons I was so keen to go training of a Thursday night was the bag of chips in Beshoffs after and the feed of pints in the Sheds.
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Iām already getting sick of all the twitter Gaa lads commenting on the club rules thing.
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Take the social aspect out of it, and the gaa is done. Iād say the vast majority of players are primarily there for the fresh air and the laugh and the odd few games.
What you do in the 48-72 hours before a game is most important.
Iād love to hear Kevās opinion on it but youād be better off drinking all weekend the week before a match than playing golf or going for a day out sunning yourself on the beach in Lahinch the day before playing a game yourself.
Larry Tomkins was a nawful divil for the sunbathing before a big game.
Youād be amazed seeing lads out shopping and walking all over town day before a match.
Professionals can drink after games but theyād be in bed most of the day of or before a game.
Twas a great story alright 
Maybe @Bandage could give us a synopsis of Brian Fentonās routine in the days leading up to a big game
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I suppose its all about routine.
Lads years ago would drink a few pints before All Ireland Finals. Oisin McConville always ate a big fry. Jack OāShea used to play pitch and putt the morning of a game.
If you arenāt used to doing something then its probably not a good idea.
Years ago the games were played at a walking pace versus the games nowadays so somebody like Jacko who was gifted, naturally fit and built like a shit house could do as he pleased.
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True that.
The Examiner used to do All Ireland Diaries with a few players a few years ago, and generally they all did nothing the day before. Going to the barber or watching Premier League games on TV was the height of it.
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Davy Fitz would have been an avid golfer but never played week of a game. Banning in entirely is silly. Iāve played golf (badly) 2 days before a game. Would have used a buggy though. Biggest thing I found was getting used to contact from striking a sliothar again after hitting a tiny white ball around.
In Cnoc Sion we were encouraged to watch the telly with our feet up the morning of a big match.
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We had a manager once when I was only a chap starting out in the 90s who imposed a drinks ban 4 weeks out from Championship. Laid it all out, in no uncertain terms. Then he turned to the biggest sow on the team and said āthat doesnāt apply to you Tommy, shur your system would collapse if you were to go off it.ā
Ahead of his time so he was.
And that most certainly did happen.
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