Post by Mickmack on Nov 2, 2007 22:42:10 GMT
By Gaelic Games
Friday November 02 2007
GAA's so-called 'brawn drain' to Australia continued apace yesterday with the surprise U-turn by Laois senior Brendan Quigley who has decided to give Aussie Rules football a second try.
The Laois midfielder is expected to join a rapidly- expanding group of young Irish at Carlton Blues inside the next fortnight in what will be his second stab at AFL glory and his move Down Under again comes fast on the heels of Cork U-21 star Michael Shields who has just agreed to take up a three-week trial with the same club.
Laois football officials, who lost county star Colm Begley to the Brisbane Lions two years ago, are also shocked by speculation that county minor star Zach Tuohy has already been approached and is believed to have given Carlton first refusal when he looks at his options in a year's time.
Carlton already have Cork brothers Setanta and Aisake O hAilpin on their books and Begley's move brings to a possible 10 the number of young Irishmen signed by 'footy clubs' in an unashamed recent recruitment drive in Ireland which has infuriated some GAA officials.
Quigley has already had a short stint in the Australian Football League (AFL). He and fellow Laois minor star Colm Begley both signed for the Brisbane Lions in the autumn of 2005 but Quigley is believed to have suffered badly from homesickness and returned to Ireland after a couple of months, subsequently starring for the Laois seniors and contesting the All-Ireland U-21 final last year.
Michael Miller, secretary of Quigley's club Timahoe, says that he has been aware of the speculation surrounding the 21-year-old in recent weeks but does not know if any deal has been signed. "He would be some loss to us though," he conceded.
Only last week there were reports in the Australian press that the Melbourne side had ramped up a new aggressive recruitment campaign in Ireland and secretly made offers to four young Irish teenagers (aged between 16-17) in Cork, Galway, Armagh and Laois.
Carlton's 'operations manager' Steven Icke confirmed he was recruiting in Ireland last week but said that he was only involved in preliminary talks and firmly denied the allegation that he was offering AUD$1,600 (€1,000) apiece to Irish teenagers who would give them 'first option' on any future AFL offers.
The GAA president Nickey Brennan made the GAA's objections to under-age recruitment clear to the AFL when he met their chiefs in Paris recently but has admitted that there is nothing Irish officials can do to stop it.
Three counties have already lost under-age stars this summer. Carlow minor Brendan Murphy (18) has has committed to the Sydney Swans while Mayo's Pierce Hanley is trialing with Brisbane and Collingwood have already secured rising Armagh star Kevin Dyas.
Regulations
The quick progress of former Kerry minor Tadhg Kennelly, coupled with a change in AFL drafting regulations in 2006, has opened the recruiting floodgates in Ireland, increased further with the rapid transition of Colm Begley and Martin Clarke.
Laois officials, who have already lost Begley and now possibly Quigley once again, will be further annoyed at the possibility that they may next lose Zach Tuohy, who caught the national limelight when scoring two goals in the drawn All-Ireland minor semi-final against Derry this summer.
Tuohy has since starred for Portlaoise in both the county minor and senior finals and been called into the county senior squad.
Speculation that any AFL club has approached players as young as 16 and 17 looks certain to be investigated by the GAA who have promoted an U-17 international rules series with the Australians in recent years.
Kennelly was first spotted playing U-17 for Ireland against the Aussies, as were Begley and Hanley, and Mayo senior boss John O'Mahony is one of those who believes that the experiment was a mistake as it provided a recruitment ground for the Aussies.
"Much more than the senior series this is the place where talent is most identifiable to Australian clubs because the players are at the age that they want them. Most of the senior players that play the series would be considered too old to cross codes," said O'Mahony.
- Gaelic Games
Friday November 02 2007
GAA's so-called 'brawn drain' to Australia continued apace yesterday with the surprise U-turn by Laois senior Brendan Quigley who has decided to give Aussie Rules football a second try.
The Laois midfielder is expected to join a rapidly- expanding group of young Irish at Carlton Blues inside the next fortnight in what will be his second stab at AFL glory and his move Down Under again comes fast on the heels of Cork U-21 star Michael Shields who has just agreed to take up a three-week trial with the same club.
Laois football officials, who lost county star Colm Begley to the Brisbane Lions two years ago, are also shocked by speculation that county minor star Zach Tuohy has already been approached and is believed to have given Carlton first refusal when he looks at his options in a year's time.
Carlton already have Cork brothers Setanta and Aisake O hAilpin on their books and Begley's move brings to a possible 10 the number of young Irishmen signed by 'footy clubs' in an unashamed recent recruitment drive in Ireland which has infuriated some GAA officials.
Quigley has already had a short stint in the Australian Football League (AFL). He and fellow Laois minor star Colm Begley both signed for the Brisbane Lions in the autumn of 2005 but Quigley is believed to have suffered badly from homesickness and returned to Ireland after a couple of months, subsequently starring for the Laois seniors and contesting the All-Ireland U-21 final last year.
Michael Miller, secretary of Quigley's club Timahoe, says that he has been aware of the speculation surrounding the 21-year-old in recent weeks but does not know if any deal has been signed. "He would be some loss to us though," he conceded.
Only last week there were reports in the Australian press that the Melbourne side had ramped up a new aggressive recruitment campaign in Ireland and secretly made offers to four young Irish teenagers (aged between 16-17) in Cork, Galway, Armagh and Laois.
Carlton's 'operations manager' Steven Icke confirmed he was recruiting in Ireland last week but said that he was only involved in preliminary talks and firmly denied the allegation that he was offering AUD$1,600 (€1,000) apiece to Irish teenagers who would give them 'first option' on any future AFL offers.
The GAA president Nickey Brennan made the GAA's objections to under-age recruitment clear to the AFL when he met their chiefs in Paris recently but has admitted that there is nothing Irish officials can do to stop it.
Three counties have already lost under-age stars this summer. Carlow minor Brendan Murphy (18) has has committed to the Sydney Swans while Mayo's Pierce Hanley is trialing with Brisbane and Collingwood have already secured rising Armagh star Kevin Dyas.
Regulations
The quick progress of former Kerry minor Tadhg Kennelly, coupled with a change in AFL drafting regulations in 2006, has opened the recruiting floodgates in Ireland, increased further with the rapid transition of Colm Begley and Martin Clarke.
Laois officials, who have already lost Begley and now possibly Quigley once again, will be further annoyed at the possibility that they may next lose Zach Tuohy, who caught the national limelight when scoring two goals in the drawn All-Ireland minor semi-final against Derry this summer.
Tuohy has since starred for Portlaoise in both the county minor and senior finals and been called into the county senior squad.
Speculation that any AFL club has approached players as young as 16 and 17 looks certain to be investigated by the GAA who have promoted an U-17 international rules series with the Australians in recent years.
Kennelly was first spotted playing U-17 for Ireland against the Aussies, as were Begley and Hanley, and Mayo senior boss John O'Mahony is one of those who believes that the experiment was a mistake as it provided a recruitment ground for the Aussies.
"Much more than the senior series this is the place where talent is most identifiable to Australian clubs because the players are at the age that they want them. Most of the senior players that play the series would be considered too old to cross codes," said O'Mahony.
- Gaelic Games
