AFL Invasion

[stephenite]

I'd get notions of being the next Tadhg Kennelly if I was drinking triple Jack Daniels (and I'd have a few years on Tadhg) , never mind someone underage.

There is an outlet for youngsters - I don't think anyone is denying that, all I am arguing is that the outlet will still exist regardless of whether or not the International Rules series is scrapped and that it is my opinon that the outlet will only increase if ties between the two governing bodies were cut.

There are a huge numner of outlets through which we can lose players, soccer is one of the biggest threat but sadly the drink is another.

[carribbear]

I told the lad that he won't be playing much ball in the future if he continued down the triple jack road....already very grown up for a 17 year old!

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

I agree there's no comparison, but if you're going start introducing utter rubbish like subliminal messages,stemming from the current ties being one of the main reasons why young players are more inclined to become pro AFL players than I am challenging you to explain exactly where those subliminal messages draw the line? If a young kid is more inclined towards AFL because of subliminal messages seeping into his subconscious when he sees the International Rules series, how is another young kid not affected by subliminal messages after seeing his County play in an All Ireland final in September and his country playing in the same stadium against the All Blacks a month or two later? You're either an expert on subliminal messages, in which case I'd appreciate it explained to me or you're deliberately introducing obtuse arguments to muddy the waters against attacks on the opinions of Mickey Harte

Simple really, the GAA and the AFL collaborate in an official sporting capacity, they bastardise each other's games to produce a high profile international dimension, which emphasises the superficial and specious similarities in their respective codes. And we're talking here about GAA players, who will be naturally inclined to pick up on perceived overlaps in the respective sports, as there will not exist a natural inclination to be attracted towards obviously different sports like rugby or soccer. We're encouraged to see a harmony between AFL and GAA (by both organisations), that's what sells the tickets for the 'International Rules', and if wizened old cynics can still see enough of a tie-in between the two, how much more will it penetrate the more permeable young mind?

Additionally, rugby and soccer in Croke park is an interim arrangement, not something that is going to be fostered and developed, so his country won't be seen playing the All-Blacks in the same stadium, for much longer.

And Mickey Harte doesn't need anyone to defend his corner for him, not what I'm about.

I have to question that - if you were to take the last 20 years and find out how many current or recently retired professional sportsmen played GAA up to say u-16, and see how many are in the AFL, how many are playing professional soccer and how many are pro rugby players I'd be surprised if the AFL was not last on that list.

Well, given that AFL recruits have to, literally, travel to the other side of the planet, as opposed to down the road or across the Irish Sea, that would hardly be surprising, would it? So, I'd be surprised too if the AFL weren't last, but also amazed that there have been so many.

Edit:
I'm not being facetious here, but since you've been so scathing about subliminal factors, if it wasn't something subliminal that has done Mayo down so catastrophically in the All-Ireland finals against Kerry in '04 and '06, then what was it?

[mountainboii]

I agree there's no comparison, but if you're going start introducing utter rubbish like subliminal messages,stemming from the current ties being one of the main reasons why young players are more inclined to become pro AFL players than I am challenging you to explain exactly where those subliminal messages draw the line? If a young kid is more inclined towards AFL because of subliminal messages seeping into his subconscious when he sees the International Rules series, how is another young kid not affected by subliminal messages after seeing his County play in an All Ireland final in September and his country playing in the same stadium against the All Blacks a month or two later? You're either an expert on subliminal messages, in which case I'd appreciate it explained to me or you're deliberately introducing obtuse arguments to muddy the waters against attacks on the opinions of Mickey Harte

Simple really, the GAA and the AFL collaborate in an official sporting capacity, they bastardise each other's games to produce a high profile international dimension, which emphasises the superficial and specious similarities in their respective codes. And we're talking here about GAA players, who will be naturally inclined to pick up on perceived overlaps in the respective sports, as there will not exist a natural inclination to be attracted towards obviously different sports like rugby or soccer. We're encouraged to see a harmony between AFL and GAA (by both organisations), that's what sells the tickets for the 'International Rules', and if wizened old cynics can still see enough of a tie-in between the two, how much more will it penetrate the more permeable young mind?

Additionally, rugby and soccer in Croke park is an interim arrangement, not something that is going to be fostered and developed, so his country won't be seen playing the All-Blacks in the same stadium, for much longer.

And Mickey Harte doesn't need anyone to defend his corner for him, not what I'm about.

I have to question that - if you were to take the last 20 years and find out how many current or recently retired professional sportsmen played GAA up to say u-16, and see how many are in the AFL, how many are playing professional soccer and how many are pro rugby players I'd be surprised if the AFL was not last on that list.

Well, given that AFL recruits have to, literally, travel to the other side of the planet, as opposed to down the road or across the Irish Sea, that would hardly be surprising, would it? So, I'd be surprised too if the AFL weren't last, but also amazed that there have been so many.

Edit:
I'm not being facetious here, but since you've been so scathing about subliminal factors, if it wasn't something subliminal that has done Mayo down so catastrophically in the All-Ireland finals against Kerry in '04 and '06, then what was it?

Thats the thing, there really isn't that many. There's only 11 at present, and of that 11 I wouldn't be at all surprised if 4 or 5 of them return in the next 2 or 3 years. Over the last 25 years of the International Rules series the GAA has lost about 5 or 6 players (if that many) permanently to Australia. There have been very few Tadhg Kennellys or Jim Stynes.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Eleven?...

Colm Begley (Laois)
Conor Meredith (Laois)
Zac Tuohy (Laois)
Pearce Hanley (Mayo)
Nicholas Walsh (Cavan, injured)
Setanta O'hAilpin (Cork)
Aisake O'hAilpin (Cork)
Martin Clarke (Down)
Kevin Dyas (Armagh)
Tadhg Kennelly (Kerry)
Brendan Murphy (Carlow)
Kyle Coney (Tyrone)
Brian Donnelly (Louth)
Michael Quinn (Longford)
Christopher Mc Kaigue (Derry)
James Kielt (Derry)
Niall McKeever (Antrim)

[County Player]

Some ofthoe fellas you've named near the bottom only went for trials and came home

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Some ofthoe fellas you've named near the bottom only went for trials and came home

OK, wasn't 100% sure, which ones?

[youbetterbelieveit]

Colm Begley (Laois) - Still there with St. Kilda (former Brisbane Lion)
Conor Meredith (Laois) - New this year with Kangaroos
Zac Tuohy (Laois) - trail ?, but gone home
Pearce Hanley (Mayo) - Still there with Brisbane Lions
Nicholas Walsh (Cavan, injured) - Home long time, was with Melbourne Demons
Setanta O'hAilpin (Cork) - Still there with Carlton
Aisake O'hAilpin (Cork) - Got dropped from Carlton, no club at present
Martin Clarke (Down) - Still there with Collingwood
Kevin Dyas (Armagh) - Still there with Collingwood
Tadhg Kennelly (Kerry) - Still there with Sydney Swans
Brendan Murphy (Carlow) - Still there with Sydney Swans
Kyle Coney (Tyrone) - New this year with Sydney Swans
Brian Donnelly (Louth) - New this year with Adelaide Crows
Michael Quinn (Longford) New this year with Essendon
Christopher Mc Kaigue (Derry) - trail, but gone home
James Kielt (Derry) - trail, but gone home
Niall McKeever (Antrim) - trail, but gone home
Michael Sheilds (Cork) - Got homesick and left Carlton

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Sláinte ybbi.

I would still count Nicholas Walsh, however, since he was lost to Gaelic Games by the AFL, and could conceivably still be playing football for Cavan were it not for the AFL.

[mountainboii]

Fear, I think you've just proven this point that I made a couple of weeks back.

I thought it was more than 11   

There seems to be a lot of talk about a lot of players but then they never actually head - guys like Walsh, Moran, Kielt, McComiskey. Maybe all this speculation tricks a lot of people into thinking the problem is greater than it actually is.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

True AFS, but it's still some of the very best players the association has, and for that it can only be the worse off, and by much more than just the raw number of individuals involved.

And, I prefer to look at it as 1 in every 3 counties has lost a top player 

[thejuice]

Tuohy joins exodus

CARLTON HAVE swooped again to attract one of the the brightest GAA talents, signing Laois's Zach Tuohy on a two-year contract.

The versatile Portlaoise clubman will join Ciarán Sheehan from Cork at a four-week training camp with the Melbourne-based outfit in the middle of July as the club aims to fast-track the duo's Aussie Rules education ahead of pre-season training in November.

The 20-year-old Tuohy is the fourth Laois player to have taken the plunge in Australia, with Colm Begley, Brendan Quigley and Conor Meredith the others, though Quigley has since returned.

[BallyhaiseMan]

Re Nicholas Walsh, He is still playing for Cavan, was injured last year,but came on in the qualifiers against Kildare and made a big difference at Midfield
I believe(and i might be corrected) that Nicko's problem when he was over with Melbourne was that he packed on too much muscle with all the gym work too quickly, and as a result when the hard running/conditioning aspect of training took centre stage, He got injuries as his legs werent fit to take the increased weight.
Hes still a beast of a man.

[laoislad]

https://twitter.com/fotoole13/status/1573571339516010496?s=46&t=4Up3jZkmVOuvKB2mxNEz7w

[Helix.]

https://twitter.com/fotoole13/status/1573571339516010496?s=46&t=4Up3jZkmVOuvKB2mxNEz7w

Great to see a few more Irish winners. Swans were awful one way traffic all the way through.