Recruiting Irishmen for AFL...WHY??

Question

Just heard Carlton have secretly recruited 3 irishmen from Gaelic football league in Ireland. Collingwood have recruited 2 Irishmen....

Is it because they have better skills or there is a shortage of talent in Australia??

I have nothing against it personally, just dont understand why!

Answer 1

Jem good point but it can work in reverse too eg Tyghe Kennelly is under extreme pressure to go home and win a local football premiership (they play for pride in Ireland not cash).

Also the Irish are such good drinkers that maybe......... no wait the AFL is really clean cut so that can't be the reason.

Answer 2

This has happened before with Jimmy Stynes when Melbourne recruited him.

He was a great asset to them.He also won the Brownlow in 1991.

So they have potential.It will take them a while to adjust to our game.

Lets see what Carlton and Collingwood are looking for.

Rucks or just a good kick which the Gailec football have.

Good Luck to them,I think it's a fantastic idea.

Answer 3

They can be moulded into very good AFL players.

A young Irish kid who is a good athlete and handy at GAA could be a better proposition than an Australian kid who is outside the top 100 in terms of football ability.

Answer 4

Because they are bloody good footy players.

I love the irish guys, they are tough nuts too!

I know that Taidgh Kennelly isn't what you'd call rough but he sure can play!

Answer 5

Interesting Rogue, I guess that the clubs may be able to get these guys on the cheap, and they already have football skills that don't differ much from Aussie Rules.

Most of the  present players have a British Isles background, so it's probably only extending the recruiting boundary zones.

Just a theory. If a recruit comes from overseas, he is less likely to want to go running off home if there is a dummy spit, knowing he has made a commitment. Where a country lad is closer to home if he can't make the cut,so if things don't work out,  he can pick up threads again without the long and complicated upheaval of heading back overseas to Ireland.

To be sure, To be sure.

Answer 6

Better skills I think....look at Marty Clarke from Collingwood, only been playing a short while & he is a gun. Skillful, tough & fast. The Irish have been very succesful in the AFL, thats why clubs keep recruiting them.

Answer 7

When Stynsie went to Melbourne a while ago there was great excitmenr in Ireland.

Lately two other brothers have joined (Collingwood.) Correct me if Im wrong please.

They are the O'Halpine brothers from the west of Ireland and are true legends in the GAA league.

They have dark skin and look like Islanders. Their mum is a torres Strait Islander which accounts for their colour.

The AFL looks for good prospects in Ireland for many reasons but there are a great bunch of straight kickers to choose from.

Getting them to emigrate is another days work but!

Cheers Rogue.

Answer 8

kennelly and marty clarke, has demonstrated that they have this capacity for extreme pace and skill.

Answer 9

because its the un- tapped resource outside our usual drafting places,with quick skill full athletes that play a similar game who only need to learn how to handle the oval ball and our rules

Answer 10

Just a theory but the draft is rather restrictive.  Are there such restrictions on Irish players.  If a team desperately wants more than its likely 2-3 decent young players in a given year, then renting a few paddy's might be the only way they can do it.

And besides they have some good footballers.