G-day

Crissy_v

Hi all this is my first post,

I live in Australia and actually mistook this site for a specific GAA forum site, no worries though as I can see that there is alot of talk of GAA here(but if anybody has got alink to a specific GAA forum site that would be great).
Anywho I've been watching Gaelic Football for about a year now(thx to Sentanta sports), and I really do like the game, which has mnay similarities to my fav sport Aussie Rules. I go for Dub's, this is becoz here in Noosa alot of Irish people come to visit and this guy who introduced me to live coverage of the sport was a Dub's fan so I followed suit. Anywho just thought I'd intorduce myself and what not.

PS: Who is everyone tipping for the All Ireland Championship?

and as always COME ON YOU BOYS IN BLUE:D

One Cold Hand

Crissy_v wrote:

I go for Dub's,

Good choice. The rest of them are shovel handed, bog-snorkelling, culchies.

yop

One Cold Hand wrote:

Good choice. The rest of them are shovel handed, bog-snorkelling, culchies.

Is it any wonder :rolleyes:

TomMc

Welcome to the Madhouse.

Up Meath (& The Essendon Bombers).:D

One Cold Hand

Oh yeah and the most important thing to remember OP is that Ciaran Whelan would kick Graham Geraghtys @ss in a naked mud wrestling fight.

TomMc

Two recent newspaper articles:


A SUMMIT between GAA and Australian Rules officials to try to thrash out their differences is on hold until after the All-Ireland finals. Despite reports that both sides would meet in America this week, efforts to set that up fell through and they are unlikely to convene until after their respective championship finals.

And while the future of the International Rules Series is ostensibly on the agenda it looks likely to be overtaken by the GAA's harsh questions about the widespread AFL recruitment of Irish youngsters, amid heavy speculation that several Australian Rules clubs intend to join forces and run a week's recruitment camp Down Under next autumn, to which the cream of Ireland's young Gaelic players will be invited.

A similar camp took place at the University of Limerick last year but if this latest ploy takes place in Australia in October it would be particularly ironic, because that is the month usually reserved for the International Rules matches, which were suspended after the violence of last year's Tests.

Heavy recruitment in Ireland by AFL agents has been noted in recent weeks.

Approaches

At least one youngster - towering Carlow minor midfielder Brendan Murphy - has revealed he has been approached.

New Meath senior full-forward Shane O'Rourke has also been targetted, though his father - former Meath great Colm - has stressed the DCU student is not interested.

Two of the managerial staff of Brisbane Lions, the club who signed Laois star Colm Begley, have spent the best part of the last fortnight talent-spotting in Ireland.

As many as 10 AFL clubs, like Collingwood, Melbourne and Carlton, are believed to have scouts working here year-round.

The Aussies' accelerated recruitment drive has come about for two reasons.

The changes in Footy - from a power to a running game - has made Gaelic players much more adaptable but it is the markedly quick progress of Ireland's recent exports that has really rocketed AFL interest.

Since Tadhg Kennelly, who won a Grand Final with Sydney, there have been four more Irish signings and four of those five are already playing senior, with Aisake Ó hAilpín (Carlton) the only exception, although he too is expected to soon make the breakthrough.

His older brother Setanta played one senior game for the Carlton Blues in 2005 and 11 last year but is now their first-choice defensive ruckman.

Former Laois minor star Colm Begley progressed more rapidly, playing senior just twice last year but now a regular with Brisbane.

But all have been outdone by the astonishingly rapid progress of Down's Martin Clarke, described by local media already as 'Collingwood's wonderkid'.

The 19-year-old only went to Australia in the New Year and is already playing for their seniors.

GAA President Nickey Brennan had hoped to meet his AFL counterpart in America this week, where he is attending the Continental Youth Championships, the US GAA's version of 'Féile', but AFL officials were unable to make the trip and a date for their next meeting has yet to be finalised.

Resentment

Brennan is well aware of the deep-seated resentment from GAA county boards to the poaching of their young talent.

Australia's International Rules Chairman of Selectors Gerard Healy even commented this year that Ireland is "one of the great untapped areas of (AFL) talent".

However, Healy also conceded it was not fair of the AFL to build a relationship with the GAA while "simply pillaging their stocks of young players".


***********

Roos’ poaching warning

THE GAA and the AFL are on a collision course over the continued poaching of young Irish talent for the Australian game.

Yesterday the coach of the Sydney Swans’ Paul Roos warned that wealthy clubs down under are preparing for a mass raid on these shores to get around the AFL’s restrictive draft and salary cap rules.

Roos, whose side is backboned by Listowel man Tadhg Kennelly, believes that the only thing preventing large-scale recruiting from the Gaelic game now is the relationship between the AFL and the GAA.

However, if that relationship breaks down, as it threatens to do, Roos said clubs would feel unrestrained in their attitude to plundering Ireland’s talent.

“That’s going to be a big debate,” Roos said yesterday.

“One of the things that has probably stopped teams tapping in to Ireland with a lot of finance is respect for the hybrid game of international rules.

“If that’s not going to go on I’d say there’s going to be a mass approach by all clubs to get all the best kids out of Ireland.”

Good Irish recruits are a real bonus for AFL clubs because they do not have to go through the draft. They are simply listed as rookies. So Collingwood attracted teenage star Martin Clarke, who has made a dynamic AFL debut this season, at what would have been equivalent to about the 120th pick in the draft system. Yet he is so talented he probably would have been ranked in the top two dozen prospects if he were Australian, a valuable first-round or second-round draft choice.

Collingwood’s chief recruiting officer, Derek Hine, who brought Clarke to Australia, said the system created “a fair incentive” for teams to go after Irish players.

Much will hinge on a meeting between the AFL and the GAA in October.

The AFL is keen for the combined international rules concept between Australia and Ireland to continue each October.

Officially the series has been suspended while the Irish look at revising the rules on tackling and physical contact but the AFL has yet to see any proposals.

“It’s our view the series is extremely worthwhile,” an AFL spokesman said yesterday.

“If the series doesn’t go ahead I think all clubs, and certainly the wealthy clubs, will put more resources into Ireland,” Roos said.

Brisbane football manager Graeme Allan, who returned from Ireland only last Wednesday after a two-week mission, claimed it was a fertile recruiting ground.

“There are a lot of players over there. What Roosy says is totally right,” Allan said. “Their game is very similar to our game so they’re really brought up playing our game. It’s not that hard to adjust.”

The development comes as the Brisbane Lions admitted Carlow’s Brendan Murphy is their number one priority after a talent-spotting trip to Ireland.

Allan, who was spotted at the Leinster minor final with recruiting manager Craig Brittain, spent several days approaching rising stars from around the country.

“Yes, we have invited him over to have a look at our facilities and spend some time over here,”

Brisbane chief executive Michael Bowers said yesterday.

And the Lions, convinced Ireland is a fertile recruiting ground, are poised to invite others for testing.

“There are a couple of other people we’ve talked to and said ‘you should pop over and say hello’,” Bowers added.

One of those is Mayo teenager Pierce Hanley who admitted in an interview with the Mayo News yesterday that he had been approached with an offer of a two-year contract by the Brisbane club. The Ballaghaderreen man, who made his senior debut for Mayo against Cavan, could travel to Australia in late October/early November to sign a deal.

“I’ve no final decision made. It’s not guaranteed that I’m going out but it is probable,” said Hanley.

“The chance of being a full-time professional athlete is hard to turn down. It’s hard to believe that I will be paid to play football. You grow up in Ireland playing football as a hobby and expect to be working in an office or wherever during the week.

“They (the Brisbane Lions) came to me last Thursday week and it really came as a surprise,” he added. “I was shocked. A coach/scout came from Australia and called to the house and showed me a DVD. I had had no other contact with any club up to that point and I was very surprised when it came along, from nowhere.”

Hanley won the Ron Barassi medal with the under 17 Compromise Rules team two years ago when he was voted player of the series and has been attracting interest since then.

Nalced_irl

Crissy_v wrote:

Hi all this is my first post,

I live in Australia and actually mistook this site for a specific GAA forum site, no worries though as I can see that there is alot of talk of GAA here(but if anybody has got alink to a specific GAA forum site that would be great).
Anywho I've been watching Gaelic Football for about a year now(thx to Sentanta sports), and I really do like the game, which has mnay similarities to my fav sport Aussie Rules. I go for Dub's, this is becoz here in Noosa alot of Irish people come to visit and this guy who introduced me to live coverage of the sport was a Dub's fan so I followed suit. Anywho just thought I'd intorduce myself and what not.

PS: Who is everyone tipping for the All Ireland Championship?

and as always COME ON YOU BOYS IN BLUE:D

Hi there. Was just in Aus at the end of last year/start of this year. My first day there was actually Dublin v Mayo...not a good way to start a holiday! Anyway, welcome to the board and enjoy.

Dublin and St Kilda all the way!!