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« on: February 13, 2013, 02:58:16 PM »
Cream of the crop attend Aussie Rules trials
13 February 2013
Cormac Costello (Dublin), Daniel Flynn (Kildare) and Damien Cahalane (Cork) are just some of the young GAA stars who are attending Tadhg Kennelly's Australian Rules trials at DCU this week.
The cream of the country's young gaelic footballers are being put through their paces by the AFL's International Ambassador.
Dublin pair Eric Lowndes and Shane Carthy were also at the trials which are taking place over yesterday and today.
Paddy Brophy is another emerging Kildare talent attending along with Armagh's Ethan Rafferty and Antrim's James Lavery.
Meanwhile, rising Dublin star Jack McCaffrey turned down a fresh approach from Kennelly to attend the trials.
Kennelly told The Irish Daily Star: "Jack came last year, we saw a lot of potential in him and it's his preference (not to go further). Jack McCaffrey ran a 2.8 for a 20-metre sprint. It blows them out of the water in Australia straight away.
"It's a thing that clubs can look at and say 'there is freaky talent in Ireland. They're not just footballers, they're athletes as well'.
"It's not just Gaelic footballers we're looking for."
Galway's Shane Walsh and Kerry's Padraig Lucey are exciting basketball prospects while English rugby international Cameron Cope is also attending the trials.
AFL trialists - Cormac Costello, Gavin Burke, Shane Carthy, Eric Lowndes, Niall Scully (all Dublin); Paddy Brophy, Daniel Flynn (both Kildare), Damien Cahalane (Cork); Bill Maher, Philip Quirke, Steven O'Brien (all Tipperary); James Laverty (Antrim); Conor Carville, Niall Grimley (both Derry); Shane Walsh (Galway); Ronan Daly (Roscommon); Che Cullen, Lee Cullen (both Fermanagh); Adam Gallagher (Mayo); Ethan Rafferty (Armagh); Hugh McFadden (Donegal); Padraig Lucey (Kerry); Cameron Cope (Wolverhampton); G Leech (Westmeath).