Preliminary evidence is emerging to suggest that up to 50 per cent of inter-county footballers have taken creatine, the controversial training supplement.

Yet, although half the footballers to feature in a current survey said they were taking or had taken creatine, most said they had stopped because it wasn't benefiting them.

Sports medicine specialist and former Dublin player Dr Noel McCaffrey is conducting a survey of the uses of creatine. Although his findings aren't complete and won't be published for some months, certain interesting issues have already been raised.

"At the moment the project is not complete, but preliminary results based on an incomplete sample of inter-county footballers suggest that 50 per cent of those surveyed are using or have used creatine but that the majority have stopped doing so. The most common reason given for this was that it wasn't working."

McCaffrey believes that the use of the supplement by adults in a controlled fashion is a reasonable element of a training programme, but he also points out that research in athletics has indicated that the substance is of greatest benefit to athletes who do not enjoy a high level of fitness. Consequently inter-county footballers - many of whom would have elite levels of fitness - might not benefit significantly from taking creatine.

"There are a number of factors here," he says. "One, does it work; two, is it safe; three, is it cheating? Creatine is a naturally occurring foodstuff which is the source of rapid release of energy. It provides rapidly-available energy. This fuel store facilitates intense exercise so if the levels are supplemented, you can go further before depletion.

"It's really the same theory that applies to carbohydrate-loading in endurance sports and, I would contend, the very same thing ethically. Evidence would suggest it's of most use to those who are unfit and of less to those who are. "But in terms of Gaelic games, its effectiveness has yet to be proved. What might disappoint players is that it won't make it easier for them to put the ball over the bar."

On the question of the substance's safety, McCaffrey believes that there has been a certain amount of sensationalism. "When taken in recommended doses by healthy people, there is no evidence yet that it is dangerous. The various anecdotal evidence of adverse reaction may well occur in those who exceed the recommended dosage. This is true of many things: too much iron will kill you; too much oxygen will kill you."

Ethically, he believes that the negative context in which creatine is frequently discussed has had an impact on its image. "If people took carbohydrates in pill form, there might be more concern about carbohydrate loading. Is it a form of cheating? The minister wants to ban it, but if a mature adult uses it in recommended doses, does that mean they should be prohibited?

"There is a reasonable concern that the taking of it by young people particularly can lead on to the abuse of other, illegal and dangerous substances. In other words, if they get used to taking one supplement for fear of being left behind, will they not take others?

"If evidence is found that such is the case, I would be in favour of making creatine illegal, but that research hasn't been undertaken yet."

Pat Daly, the GAA's Coaching and Games Development Manager, is also secretary to the association's Medical Workgroup which has responsibility for combating the use of illegal substances and co-ordinating the response to drug abuse within Gaelic games.

He is dismissive of the controversy surrounding the use of creatine and sees it largely as a fad.

"It's like asking what is our official attitude to vitamins. It's not a banned substance. There's no substantial research on the effects of creatine, so on one level, there's exaggeration about its putative benefits and, on the other, a lack of evidence supporting the view that it's caused problems. Anything taken to excess can cause problems - even vitamins and herbal extracts like ginseng.

"I see it as being a nine-day wonder. Guys have been taking cocktails of various substances for as long as sport's been organised. I wrote a piece years ago in Coaching News (internal GAA publication) about the theories of Captain Barclay in the 1840s. His training regimes were unorthodox but highly thought of at the time."

The Kilkenny hurlers' winter holiday to Orlando in Florida was nearly overshadowed by a serious car accident yesterday. Paddy Mullally, the former county football captain who played so well in last year's Leinster hurling final at wing back, and his companion Siobhan Cody were nearly killed in a collision at Knockmoylon while on their way to Dublin airport.

Mullally survived unscathed but Ms Cody had to undergo treatment for a fractured thumb.

"We were extremely lucky," said the player. As we were travelling slowly I had time to react. Otherwise we might have been killed as the car ended up under the lorry."

Both will fly out today to join up with the official party.