Kieran Collins

Kieran Collins
Institute of Technology Tallaght | TU Dublin · School of Biological Health and Sport Sciences

Doctor of Philosophy
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About

149
Publications
137,326
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Introduction
My specialist research area is the physiology of intermittent exercise with a specific focus on team sports performance. My research is focused on; 1.Development of modelling protocols and the comparison of intermittent exercise patterns. 2.Evaluating the physical demands of match-play and the training and testing of players. 3.The impact of training organization on physiological adaptations and injury occurrence. 4.The nutritional requirements of games players.

Publications

Publications (149)
Article
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Elite rugby union is renowned for its high-intensity running, collisions, and the need to adapt to matches’ unpredictable flow and momentum. Players must also adequately prepare for the specific demands of each competition, which can vary across different competition structures (e.g., United Rugby Championship, European Champions Cup and Internatio...
Article
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The aim of the current investigation was to examine the locomotor performance profile of elite ladies Gaelic football (LGF) players in relation to playing position and quarters of play. Thirty (n = 30) elite LGF players (age: 24 ± 4 years, height: 169 ± 5 cm, body mass: 61 ± 4 kg) were monitored using 10 Hz GPS technology (Playertek; Catapult Sport...
Article
Donnelly, S, Collins, K, Burns, C, O’Neill, C, and Mangan, S. A comparison of elite and sub-elite match-play running performance of Gaelic football players. J Strength Cond Res 38(5): 912–923, 2024—This research aimed to examine differences in match-play running performance between elite and sub-elite Gaelic football players. Global Positioning Sys...
Preprint
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The study investigates the association between internal and external training load on neuromuscular performance (NMP) on elite soccer players. Thirty-five professional soccer players from a single squad participated in the study. Players performed a countermovement jump as a surrogate measure of NMP. Tests were conducted the day prior to a game. In...
Article
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Ladies Gaelic football (LGF) is a traditional , amateur Gaelic sport played by female athletes. LGF is an invasion-based field sport involving high-intensity, intermittent match play. There is currently a paucity of research on intercounty (elite level) LGF despite a growing interest in the male version of the game. This article aims to provide str...
Article
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Purpose The current study compared specific positional and temporal running performance profiles of elite and sub-elite hurling players during competitive match-play. Methods Running performance data were obtained during match-play using GPS technology (GPEXE lt 18 Hz, Exelio, srl, Udine, Italy) from 53 elite and 81 sub-elite hurlers resulting in...
Article
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The current review focuses on Gaelic football literature providing an insight into the physical characteristics of players, the demands of match-play, the injury profile, and nutritional considerations within the game. Since the first review of Gaelic football in 2001, an increased understanding of match dynamics has taken place through the applica...
Article
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The current investigation aimed to understand the differing positional demands across two elite rugby union competitions, with special reference to high-intensity effort (HIE) and repeated high-intensity effort (RHIE) activity. Four hundred and forty-one (n = 441) individual game files from thirty-five competitive games from the European Rugby Cham...
Article
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Background Sports science research in elite female Gaelic team sports has increased in recent years, but still a large disparity exists between the volume of studies involving male and female players. As a consequence of this, it is difficult for practitioners to develop an evidence-based approach when working with female players. Main body In thi...
Article
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Background: Hamstring strains are the most common moderate-major severity injuries in football. The majority of hamstring injuries occur during sprinting, with low eccentric hamstring strength being associated with an elevated risk. Objective: To examine the relationship between sprinting and eccentric hamstring strength by monitoring total week...
Article
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Purpose The current investigation aimed to examine the running performance of elite Ladies Gaelic football (LGF) match-play and establish the within game positional profile, in addition to the running performance of players across halves of play. Methods GPS technology was used to examine the running performance of thirty-three (n = 33) elite LGF...
Article
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Hurling is one of the world’s fastest field sports. Since the last review of science and Gaelic sports in 2008, there has been an increase in sports science provisions across elite and sub-elite cohorts, resulting in increased hurling-specific literature equating to an additional 111 research investigations into the game across all sports science d...
Article
Objectives To describe the epidemiology of back injury in elite male Gaelic football athletes between 2008-2016. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Injury data from the National GAA Injury Surveillance Database. Participants Elite male Gaelic football athletes. Main outcome measures Incidence of injury as a rate per 1000 hours of exposure...
Article
The aim of the current study was to analyse the distribution of kickouts and the effectiveness of kickouts in sub-elite Gaelic football. A total of 45 competitive sub-elite games from 2 seasons (2020 and 2021) were analysed. Video analysis software was used to code game videos to analyse performance indicators. It was found that 65% of kickouts wer...
Article
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Purpose The current study aimed to investigate the sprint performances of senior Camogie players between halves of play and between positions. Methods Forty-three (n = 43) elite female Camogie players (23 ± 5 years; 174 ± 5 cm; 68 ± 9 kg) wore 10-Hz GPS devices (STATSports, Apex) to record data in 20 competitive matches during the 2018–2020 season...
Article
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The current investigation aimed to understand the positional profile of repeated high-intensity-effort activity (RHIE) across halves during elite rugby union match-play. Forty elite rugby union players (n = 40) were monitored across match-play during a single season. Player’s locomotor profiles were recorded using wearable microtechnology (GPS; Cat...
Article
The lack of sport science research conducted on female sport, makes it challenging for coaches and sport science practitioners to develop an evidence-based approach. Ladies Gaelic football (LGF) is the most popular female sport in Ireland with over 200,000 members, however there has been no research to benchmark performance. The current study inves...
Article
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Analysis of 3926 shots from the 2019 Senior inter-county football championship aims to establish the impact of distance, angle, shot type, method and pressure on shot success. Findings demonstrate that shots from free kicks contribute 20.5% of the total attempts in Gaelic football, with a success rate of 75%, in contrast to 50% success of shots fro...
Article
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Abstract The current study aimed to investigate the differences in running demands between the National Hurling League (NHL) and the Championship, and within playing positions. GPS (10 Hz, STATSports Apex GNSS) were used to analyse the running demands during 34 games (2017–2020 seasons) of the Championship and the NHL. The running demands (total-,...
Article
Objectives To quantify the incidence, location and severity of injuries in Gaelic football and to identify potential moderators of those injuries. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods A comprehensive search strategy of six electronic databases was undertaken independently by two researchers in March 2020. Studies must have prospect...
Article
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Purpose The current study examined the reliability of a novel Gaelic football match simulation protocol (GFSP) that simulates the match-specific activity demands of elite Gaelic football match-play. Methods After familiarisation, 16 male Gaelic footballers performed the GFSP on two occasions, 7–10 days apart to determine the reliability of a range...
Article
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PurposeTo examine the association between the metabolic power paradigm during training and match-play and objective aerobic fitness measures within elite Gaelic football players.Methods Twenty-five elite Gaelic football players completed objective physiological testing for VO2max, vVO2max, Peak treadmill Velocity (PTV), Running economy (RE) and sel...
Article
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There is currently no information available on the variation in anthropometric and performance characteristics of starters and non-starters in elite Gaelic football. The aim of the current study was to determine if variations exist for elite male Gaelic football players with respect to position and playing role (starter or non-starter). One-hundred...
Conference Paper
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The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between GPS metrics and injuries in professional soccer
Article
The aim of the current study was to assess if opposition quality influences the technical performance of lower-ranked Gaelic football teams. Over a three-year period (2016–2018), nine teams from Tier 3 were assessed on their technical performance levels over 50 matches. Teams were split into three groups according to team rating determined objectiv...
Article
Recent studies have identified shot efficiency as a key performance indicator (KPI) in Gaelic football; however, there has been little research into the impact of shot location on shot efficiency. The current study aims to establish a methodology to calculate shot distance and angle reliably and consistently in Gaelic football. Through application...
Article
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The current investigation examined the effect of a periodized small-sided games (SSG) intervention across a 4-week pre-season period on physical and physiological performance measures within hurling players. Twenty-five (n = 25) hurling players were observed across the training intervention with GPS and HR technologies. Players participated in 12 s...
Article
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Tactical Periodisation is a training methodology, originally developed for soccer, that focuses primarily on the systems of play that a team intends to use in competition. It has been popularised by successful European coaches and subsequently has been proposed as a model to follow for other sports such as rugby union and tennis in more recent time...
Article
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Background: Previous research has reported that elite Gaelic football players' carbohydrate (CHO) intakes are sub-optimal, especially, in the lead up to competitive matches. Despite clear decrements in running performance across elite Gaelic football matches, there are no studies that have investigated nutrition interventions on match-related Gael...
Conference Paper
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The aim of the current study was to compare the running performance of players in a COVID restart style tournament to the regular season
Article
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Nutrition intake plays a crucial role in improving athletic performance, enhancing adaptations to training, and augmenting recovery from exercise. However, research has reported that Gaelic footballers consistently fail to meet energy and carbohydrate recommendations. Sports nutrition knowledge (SNK) can influence the dietary intake of athletes, an...
Article
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The current investigation quantified the training and match-play load of elite Gaelic football players across a two-season period using global positioning system technology (GPS), rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and sessional rating of perceived exertion (sRPE). Total weekly workload variables were collected across GPS, RPE, and sRPE across thir...
Article
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To quantify the rotational demands of elite female field hockey with respect to position. Twenty-eight (n = 28) elite international field hockey players were recruited during the 2018–2020 seasons. Players were monitored with GPS technology and heart-rate monitors. Methods: Activity was categorised into total distance (m), relative total distance (...
Article
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The aim of the current study was to identify the specific differences in anthropometric and performance profiles between elite and sub-elite hurling players with respect to position and level of play. One hundred and thirty-seven (n = 137) hurlers at the elite (n = 61) and sub-elite (n = 76) level completed a series of anthropometric [height, body...
Article
Background: The current investigation examined the association between external training load variables and injury risk within elite Gaelic football. Methods: Workload and injury variables were collected from thirty-seven elite Gaelic footballers (mean ± SD age of 24.2 ± 2.9 yr) from one elite squad across a two-season observational period. Exte...
Article
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The aim of the current investigation was to identify the effects of scheduled carbohydrate (CHO) and caffeine (CAF) supplementation on simulated team sport match-play performance. Ten male hurling players completed three hurling match-play simulation protocols (HSP) performed 7 days apart in a double-blind, randomized design. Supplementation includ...
Article
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There is currently limited information available on the impact of playing time on relative Gaelic football match running performance. The aim of the current study was to investigate the work rate profile in elite Gaelic football match-play with specific reference to substitutes. In this observational study fifty-two elite male Gaelic football playe...
Article
In recent years, backroom coaching staff have relied heavily on the global demands of competitive match-play to monitor running performance within training and match environments. Although, these figures help prepare players for the demands of match-play, they do not account for the physical and physiological stress of the most intense periods of c...
Article
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Hamstring strains are the most common time‐loss injury in elite Gaelic football affecting over 20% of players per season. Thus, there is a need to identify factors contributing to the onset of hamstring injuries in order to inform injury risk management strategies. The current study investigated whether eccentric knee flexor strength and between‐li...
Article
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The current investigation compared the metabolic power and energetic characteristics in team sports with respect to positional lines and halves of match-play. Global positioning system (GPS) technology data were collected from 22 elite competitive hurling matches over a 3-season period. A total of 250 complete match-files were recorded with players...
Article
Introduction: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of pitch size on the physical, physiological and technical demands of small-sided games (SSGs) in a sub-elite Gaelic football setting. Methods: Thirty-four sub-elite adult male Gaelic football players completed tailored Gaelic football SSGs on three different pitch sizes (40x20m, 60...
Article
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Introduction: The current research examines the positional technical and running performance of sub-elite Gaelic football match-play and compares technical and running performance between Division 1 and Division 2 teams. Methods: Sixty eight sub-elite Gaelic football players from two teams were monitored via global positioning system (GPS) microtec...
Article
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The current study assessed the effect of anthropometry and physical performance measures on selection in under-20 (U20) Gaelic football players. Fifty-four (n = 54) U20 players (40 elite and 14 sub-elite) were assessed for measures of stature, body mass, sum of 7 skinfolds (SUM), estimated bodyfat percentage (BF%; Withers equation), countermovement...
Article
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Purpose The current study aimed to investigate the ball-in-play (BIP) and ball-out-of-play (BOP) differences between U17, U21 and senior hurling matches. Methods Video recordings of matches (n = 36) were coded and analysed for BIP and BOP. Time when the ball was continuously in-play was considered BIP, whereas any stoppages were considered BOP. R...
Article
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The typical sprint profile in elite hurling has yet to be established. The purpose of this study was to investigate the sprinting demands of elite hurling competition and characterize the sprinting patterns of different playing positions. GPS (10-Hz, STATSports Viper) were used to collect data from 51 hurlers during 18 games. The total sprint (≥22...
Data
Sprint analysis GPS data from a full elite competitive hurling game. (XLSX)
Article
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The aim of the current study was to investigate whether carbohydrate mouth rinsing works synergistically with caffeine to augment high-intensity running in a fed state. Eight participants completed a total of three trials; (1) placebo (PLA) trial (placebo capsule + placebo mouth rinse), (2) caffeine (CAF) trial (400 mg caffeine + placebo mouth rins...
Article
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There is currently a lack of research into the energy demands and associated nutritional intakes of elite Gaelic football players during the pre-season period, which is a crucial time of year for physical development. The aim of the current study was to investigate the dietary intake and energy expenditure (EE) of elite Gaelic football players duri...
Article
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The current observational study quantified players' activity profiles during a major international female field hockey tournament and determined whether an association exists between well-being measures and running performance within elite female hockey players. Elite female field hockey players (23 6 3 years; 162.6 6 13 cm; and 66 6 6 kg) particip...
Article
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Introduction: The management of sport-related concussion has become a major issue in modern-day rugby union. As there is currently no objective diagnostic measure for concussion, there is an obligation on athletes to self-report any potential concussive events. Aims: To apply a behavioural model to understand the barriers that affect the honest d...
Article
Objective: The objective of the research was to screen male and female adolescent athletes on their concussion educational histories and preferred future methods of education in terms of educational messenger, modality, and concussion-related areas of interest. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Examination setting within the classroom. Pa...
Article
Malone, S, Hughes, B, Collins, K, and Akubat, I. Methods of monitoring training load and their association with changes across fitness measures in hurling players. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-The aim of the current investigation was to assess the dose-response relationship for various methods of monitoring training load (TL) and change...
Article
Objective: To examine the self-recalled concussion and bell ringer (BR) prevalence, reporting rates, and reporting behaviors in adolescent rugby players. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: School classroom. Participants: Adolescent male rugby players aged 12 to 18 years (n = 866). Main outcome measures: Concussion and BR prevalence,...
Article
Objective: Report eccentric knee flexor strength values of elite Gaelic football players from underage to adult level whilst examining the influence of body mass and previous hamstring injury. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Team's training facility. Participants: Elite Gaelic football players (n = 341) from under 14 years to senior...
Article
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Competition related dietary intake has not yet been investigated in Gaelic football. The present study examined the pre-competition macronutrient intake of elite male Gaelic football players. Forty players from two teams completed a food diary on the two days preceding competition (DAY-1 & DAY-2) and on match date pre-match (MATCH-DAY). Carbohydrat...
Article
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Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate potential moderators (i.e. lower body strength, repeated-sprint ability [RSA] and maximal velocity) of injury risk within a team-sport cohort. Design Observational Cohort Study. Methods Forty male amateur hurling players (age: 26.2 ± 4.4 yr, height: 184.2 ± 7.1 cm, mass: 82.6 ± 4.7 kg) were recr...
Article
The current study aimed to characterize the positional match-play demands of elite Gaelic football players with special reference to acceleration utilizing predetermined 5- min periods (epochs). Thirty-five male Gaelic players (Mean ± SD, age: 24 ± 6 years; height: 180 ± 7 cm; mass: 81 ± 7 kg) across five playing positions (full-back, half-back, mi...
Article
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The aim of the current study was to compare positional differences in running demands and technical performance variables among elite Gaelic football teams from separate Divisions. Data were obtained from a Division 1 (26.7 ± 2.9 years, 179.2 ± 21.3 cm, 89.9 ± 21.2 kg) and a Division 3 (25.7 ± 3.5 years, 183.0 ± 4.7 cm, 84.4 ± 6.5 kg) team. Match-p...
Article
The aim of the current investigation was to quantify the physical and physiological demands of elite international female field hockey across the quarters of match-play. Twenty-seven elite International female field hockey outfield players (23 ± 3 years; 162.6 ± 13.0 cm; 66.0 ± 6.0 kg) participated in the current observational study during the 2016...
Article
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Managing injury risk is important for maximising athlete availability and performance. Although athletes are inherently predisposed to musculoskeletal injuries by participating in sports, etiology models have illustrated how susceptibility is influenced by repeat interactions between the athlete (i.e. intrinsic factors) and environmental stimuli (i...
Article
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The current study aims to identify if mouth rinsing with a 6% carbohydrate mouth-rinse (CMR) solution and mouth rinsing and ingestion of caffeine (CMR+CAFF) can affect exercise performance during steady-state (SS) running and high-intensity intervals (HIIT) in comparison with a 0% control solution (PLA) when in a fed state. Eight recreationally tra...
Conference Paper
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Introduction: Carbohydrate mouth rinsing has shown to be an effective ergogenic aid during high intensity training. The expansion of this area has seen researchers investigating the co-supplementation with caffeine to further enhance these effects. Aim: To investigate whether carbohydrate mouth rinsing with caffeine to improves high intensity runn...
Article
It is currently unknown how team rating influences running performance in Gaelic football. GPS technologies were used to quantify match-running performance within 5 elite Gaelic football teams over a period of 5 years (2012-2016). In total 780 player data sets were collected over 95 matches. Running performance variables included total distance, hi...
Article
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The current investigation compared the effects of specific small-sided games training versus generic continuous aerobic training on team sport related exercise performances. Forty-eight hurling players (age: 25 ± 6.4 years; height: 180.2 ± 20.4 cm; mass: 80.5 ± 3.2 kg; V · O 2 max : 58.78 ± 3.05 ml·kg·min⁻¹) completed either traditional continuous...
Article
The aim of the current study was to assess whether technical performance relates to positional running demands of elite Gaelic football players. Over a period of three years (2014-2016), 4 elite Gaelic football teams were monitored using GPS technologies. Four hundred and thirty-two individual player samples were collected from 52 competitive match...
Conference Paper
Purpose: To measure the extent of concussion prevalence and underreporting in adolescent rugby players and to identify the barriers that restrict their honest disclosure of concussion. Methods and materials: A concussion survey modelled from Register-Mihalik and colleagues was delivered to three secondary schools in Ireland under supervision of th...
Article
Time of season influences performance in many team sports, however, the anomaly has not yet been examined with regards to elite Gaelic football. Global Positioning Systems (4-Hz, VX Sport, Lower Hutt, New Zealand) were used to monitor 5 elite Gaelic football teams over a period of 5 years (2012-2016). In total 95 matches equated to 780 full player...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Introduction: There is currently a lack of research into the training demands and nutritional intakes of elite Gaelic football players during the pre-season period, a crucial time of year for physical development. The aim of this study was to investigate the dietary intake, energy expenditure and external training load of elite Gaelic football play...
Presentation
An investigation into how technical performance variables correlate to running performance variables.
Article
Match outcome has been linked to running performance in many sports; however, the association has not yet been examined in Gaelic football. GPS technologies (4-Hz, VX Sport, Lower Hutt, New Zealand) were used with 5 elite Gaelic football teams over a period of 5 years (2012–2016), amounting to 95 matches. In total, 780 full match data sets were col...