Charlton give Shields Contract

[zoyler]

RTE sport have confirmed that Charlton have given the Cork man a 2 year Rookie contract.  They say he has impressed sufficiently in training to be awarded the contract.  Good luck to him and I wonder as Charlton has a famous brewery will they start selling Murphys & Beamish!

[SeanSouth]

Is it Jack Charlton? Or is it the team CARLTON?

[robertemmet]

Did they sign young Ciaran Sheehan as well.  A great player for the future, he was link with a move to Oz

[zoyler]

Sorry!!! I keep putting in the h!!!!!

[Frank Casey]

Another fella that can't face the shame after the all ireland - self imposed exile to the antipodes.

[Frank Casey]

CORK defender Michael Shields has agreed terms for a two-year international rookie contract with Aussie Rules club Carlton.
The 20-year-old flew home to Ireland today after the 'Navy Blues' lodged his paperwork this morning. Shields impressed coaches
during his three-week trial at Princes Park this month and is expected back in Melbourne after Christmas to continue his pre season
training.  The St Finbarr's player won an All-Ireland U21 medal this season and played in the All-Ireland senior final loss to Kerry,
but is the latest in a stream of young GAA players to join AFL clubs this year. Shields will begin his Aussie rules career in the VFL — a competition for senior reserve squads — but is seen to be a quick learner and will not lack for support with Aisake and Setanta
ÓhAilpín — both senior listed players for 2008 — on hand to encourage him. Carlton officials are reluctant to raise expectations by claiming that Shields could emulate former Down minor star Martin Clarke by making his senior debut in his first year, but they acknowledge that he is as competitive as any rookie to be recruited by the once great club who have won three wooden spoons in the past six seasons. "We lodge Michael's paperwork this morning after he signed a two-year international rookie contract," Carlton
spokesman Steve Wilson told the Evening Echo. "He's going home today and will come back after Christmas to continue his pre-season training." Shields will earn in the region of $30,500 Australian (g19,000) a season as a rookie.

From www.eveningecho.ie

[Onlooker]

Strange the so many Irish players are going to Carlton, one of the worst clubs in the AFL, (3 wooden spoons in 6 years, we are told).  You would think that they would attract interest from some of the better clubs.  Incidentally, will Setanta ever make the grade out there.  It seems to be ages since he left Ireland.

[JimStynes]

Carlton are still one of the biggest clubs in AFL. Although they havnt had much success in the last few years they are definately on the up and they have recently signed Chris Judd and they got the number 1 draft pick this last few years. I would be expecting Carlton to come good by 2009.

Setanta has a real cult following in Australia, he's not doing to bad. He will be a regular in the side next year but i dont see him ever being one of their top performers.

[INDIANA]

shields is a strange one is the sense that he's pretty old to be signed up in aussie rules terms.

[JimStynes]

I thought that to, i had heard very little about Shields before the talk of him moving to australia came up. The aussies must see something in him. They would maybe want him as a 'tagger', which is basically a man marker used to shut down the best players in opposition teams. By the reports i have read though he seems to be going well in training. They cant get over the size of his legs aswell

[AZOffaly]

Was Shields not on the Under 21s for Cork this year? That's hardly pensionable age.

[orangeman]

Time for compensation to be paid to clubs for their loss.

[JimStynes]

Aye i think he is coming 21 in the new year, not that old but they usually take the new recruits in when they are 18. Im sure Shields has alot more footballing ability than Setanta did. Hope he does well

[Kerry Mike]

which is basically a man marker used to shut down the best players in opposition teams.

Billy Morgan tried this tactic in the AI final, and poor old Shields gave the day looking at Gooch's or Donaghy's shadow. The Carlton manager might do well to tell him to stay the feck away from the goal mouth though.

Anyway I would like to wish him well, he'd be a right langer to turn down the opportunity.

[stephenite]

Time for compensation to be paid to clubs for their loss.

Just because you keep saying it over and over, doesn't make it any less of a ludicrous suggestion