Magpies' Marty Clarke heads home to Ireland

[Jinxy]

Quinn looks very raw but he will have learned a huge amount from this season.
Another pre-season under his belt and he should be a good player next season.

[Sionnach]

I expect Hanley, Dyas and Begley to be home very soon.

Dyas has already told Collingwood he is returning to Ireland.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/rfnews/clarke-opts-for-ireland-over-the-pies/2009/09/24/1253385082164.html

[Madge]

I expect Hanley, Dyas and Begley to be home very soon.

Dyas has already told Collingwood he is returning to Ireland.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/rfnews/clarke-opts-for-ireland-over-the-pies/2009/09/24/1253385082164.html

Not true, thats the article from last week and if you want to check orchard county website and the Iirish News where someone got in contact with Dyas and he rubbished it.

[snatter]

Well, just being reported again here that he IS leaving Collingwood and has gone back to Ireland.
Suppose there's a possibility that he could return to Oz with somebody else.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/85470/default.aspx

[Cúig huaire]

Is it possible to have a thread on the gaa board that doesnt end up about Armagh?

[armaghniac]

Is it possible to have a thread on the gaa board that doesnt end up about Armagh?

Yes.

[goldenyears]

Irishnews - p heaney

THE trouble with talent scouts is that they only talk about where you are going because they don't know what you are leaving behind.

And the AFL reps have an easy sell. A-U-S-T-R-A-L-I-A. It even 'bladdy' sounds good.

It's our new America. A vast and prosperous land. Sunshine and surfboards. Golden beaches with golden girls. Home of the BBQ and the MCG.

And it's true. Australia is a fine country. Martin Clarke would not say a bad word about the place.

He loved the people. He loved the warmth and hospitality of the Collingwood club. His affection for his team-mates, the management staff, and the supporters is entirely genuine.

Clarke embraced his new surroundings. When I last talked to him in November, he'd been in Melbourne for two years.

Life was good. He had established himself as a regular starter.

Outside of football, he had the company of his compatriot Kevin Dyas, and the two of them were popular with their team-mates.

A 'late' day at training would finish at four o'clock. Clarke described the daily routine: "We've got plenty of free time and there are always one or two of the boys that wants to go to the movies, or go out and get something to eat.

"We can walk down the Yarra River or go for a kick in the park. I still feel that sometimes I am on holidays. I like getting out and about, and I am still seeing it as a bit of an adventure."

He went on to reveal how one of his team-mates was from Torquay – the birthplace of Australian surfing. On weekends, Clarke and the boys would drive down the Great Ocean Road to ride the waves.

So far – so very Australian. But while Clarke tried to immerse himself in this new culture, it didn't stop him missing the life he had left in the Mournes.

In the same interview, there were clear signs that he was becoming increasingly sensitive to the fact that he was playing a foreign game in a foreign country.

The pangs of homesickness were evident when he said: "You miss the people who you are closest to, your family and your closest few friends.

"If you have a good day at something like the surfing, or if you have a big win at the MCG, you will see the other players enjoying the win with their family and friends, but you are on your own.

"Obviously you are welcomed in by other people but you would still like the people who mean the most to you to be there with you."

When confronted with these feelings of isolation and apartness, we can presume Clarke developed an acute appreciation of what he was missing back home.

When pressed further on this topic, his comments were both poignant and touching.

Referring to Down's Friday night league matches, he said: "To be honest, the thing I really miss most is the late spring and early

summer evenings when you are down at the local club for a game.

"You know those nights when the sun sets and everyone is in good spirits, those nights when it stays bright until half-10 or 11.

"I have nothing like that because I am living in the city. It gets dark about eight or nine o'clock. You miss those evenings out in the countryside when you play a game and then catch up with everyone afterwards."

Charcoaled meat is poor compensation for the camaraderie of the An Riocht changing room, the craic in a car on the way to a game, and the post-mortem on the journey home.

Such things aren't truly missed until they are gone. But Martin Clarke could have stuck it out.

He could have persevered. He certainly didn't come home because he was homesick. That was only a part of his decision.

Clarke quit Collingwood because he realised that he was never going to be a star in the AFL. He was never going to be an inspirational character, the player who could carry the hopes and expectations of his team-mates.

When Clarke played Gaelic football he accepted and revelled in that role. But he also wanted to develop into that type of player for Collingwood.

It's a measure of the depth of his ambition that he just didn't want to make a living from the game.

He wanted to master the game.

"I always strived to be the best at what I was doing. I never wanted to be just another player in the team.

"Before there was any word of Collingwood, I always wanted to do a bit of extra training.

"I might have been running on the beach when I was at home or just working on my free-kicks after training. I always wanted to be a stand-out," he said.

Clarke was never going to be satisfied by plugging along as a 'good pro,' playing the role of Denis Irwin when he really wanted to be Denis Law.

Let's not forget that Collingwood offered him another three-year contract.

But it would have been three years of marking the best player on the opposition. Such a role runs against the natural instincts of a man who oozes creativity and class on a Gaelic football field.

"My mindset isn't to shut out an opponent," he said. "I want to be creating and moving forward."

By walking way from the AFL, Clarke has made the right decision. For sportsmen of his ilk, football should be a joy, not a job.

As a defender for Collingwood, he would always have felt like a caged bird.

But with An Riocht and with Down, he can soar. By returning to the game that he was coached as a child, his full repertoire of skills can flourish, and he can enjoy the pleasure of playing by instinct rather than intelligence.

Martin Clarke didn't make a mistake when he went to Australia. The experience will stand to him. By going over there, he came to realise what is over here.

It's a lesson many others are going to learn over the next few years.

In the meantime, Clarke can nestle down for the winter and bide the time until next year when the evenings get brighter and another season of Friday night football will begin

[western exile]

Latest from Collingwood website.....   No young fella is safe   

5:59 PM Thu 01 October, 2009

COLLINGWOOD recruiting manager Derek Hine says the Magpies remain committed to recruiting players from Ireland and he has not ruled out Marty Clarke coming back to play for the Pies.

Clarke returned to Ireland at the end of the season after 46 games with the Pies while compatriot Kevin Dyas quit the club after two seasons and no senior games.

Despite their departures, Hine said the Magpies were still eager to add Irish players to their list.

"We've had a program in place now in Ireland for four years and that was in place 12 months before we even took Marty," Hine told afl.com.au.

"We won't be taking an Irish player this year, but we're very close to an agreement with one boy already, who will come on board in 2010. We've got staff in place and we've budgeted for that, so we won't be winding back [our Irish recruiting plans] at all.

"We've got some Australians who know the game and we've been really selective in how we've gone about it. We've haven't brought in players en masse – it's been a two-year process before we look at the player to test him."

"We're certainly not closing the door on Marty potentially coming back. There is a possibility we may [keep him on the list] and that'll be decided in the next week or so."

[SLIGONIAN]

Irishnews - p heaney

THE trouble with talent scouts is that they only talk about where you are going because they don't know what you are leaving behind.

And the AFL reps have an easy sell. A-U-S-T-R-A-L-I-A. It even 'bladdy' sounds good.

It's our new America. A vast and prosperous land. Sunshine and surfboards. Golden beaches with golden girls. Home of the BBQ and the MCG.

And it's true. Australia is a fine country. Martin Clarke would not say a bad word about the place.

He loved the people. He loved the warmth and hospitality of the Collingwood club. His affection for his team-mates, the management staff, and the supporters is entirely genuine.

Clarke embraced his new surroundings. When I last talked to him in November, he'd been in Melbourne for two years.

Life was good. He had established himself as a regular starter.

Outside of football, he had the company of his compatriot Kevin Dyas, and the two of them were popular with their team-mates.

A 'late' day at training would finish at four o'clock. Clarke described the daily routine: "We've got plenty of free time and there are always one or two of the boys that wants to go to the movies, or go out and get something to eat.

"We can walk down the Yarra River or go for a kick in the park. I still feel that sometimes I am on holidays. I like getting out and about, and I am still seeing it as a bit of an adventure."

He went on to reveal how one of his team-mates was from Torquay – the birthplace of Australian surfing. On weekends, Clarke and the boys would drive down the Great Ocean Road to ride the waves.

So far – so very Australian. But while Clarke tried to immerse himself in this new culture, it didn't stop him missing the life he had left in the Mournes.

In the same interview, there were clear signs that he was becoming increasingly sensitive to the fact that he was playing a foreign game in a foreign country.

The pangs of homesickness were evident when he said: "You miss the people who you are closest to, your family and your closest few friends.

"If you have a good day at something like the surfing, or if you have a big win at the MCG, you will see the other players enjoying the win with their family and friends, but you are on your own.

"Obviously you are welcomed in by other people but you would still like the people who mean the most to you to be there with you."

When confronted with these feelings of isolation and apartness, we can presume Clarke developed an acute appreciation of what he was missing back home.

When pressed further on this topic, his comments were both poignant and touching.

Referring to Down's Friday night league matches, he said: "To be honest, the thing I really miss most is the late spring and early

summer evenings when you are down at the local club for a game.

"You know those nights when the sun sets and everyone is in good spirits, those nights when it stays bright until half-10 or 11.

"I have nothing like that because I am living in the city. It gets dark about eight or nine o'clock. You miss those evenings out in the countryside when you play a game and then catch up with everyone afterwards."

Charcoaled meat is poor compensation for the camaraderie of the An Riocht changing room, the craic in a car on the way to a game, and the post-mortem on the journey home.

Such things aren't truly missed until they are gone. But Martin Clarke could have stuck it out.

He could have persevered. He certainly didn't come home because he was homesick. That was only a part of his decision.

Clarke quit Collingwood because he realised that he was never going to be a star in the AFL. He was never going to be an inspirational character, the player who could carry the hopes and expectations of his team-mates.

When Clarke played Gaelic football he accepted and revelled in that role. But he also wanted to develop into that type of player for Collingwood.

It's a measure of the depth of his ambition that he just didn't want to make a living from the game.

He wanted to master the game.

"I always strived to be the best at what I was doing. I never wanted to be just another player in the team.

"Before there was any word of Collingwood, I always wanted to do a bit of extra training.

"I might have been running on the beach when I was at home or just working on my free-kicks after training. I always wanted to be a stand-out," he said.

Clarke was never going to be satisfied by plugging along as a 'good pro,' playing the role of Denis Irwin when he really wanted to be Denis Law.

Let's not forget that Collingwood offered him another three-year contract.

But it would have been three years of marking the best player on the opposition. Such a role runs against the natural instincts of a man who oozes creativity and class on a Gaelic football field.

"My mindset isn't to shut out an opponent," he said. "I want to be creating and moving forward."

By walking way from the AFL, Clarke has made the right decision. For sportsmen of his ilk, football should be a joy, not a job.

As a defender for Collingwood, he would always have felt like a caged bird.

But with An Riocht and with Down, he can soar. By returning to the game that he was coached as a child, his full repertoire of skills can flourish, and he can enjoy the pleasure of playing by instinct rather than intelligence.

Martin Clarke didn't make a mistake when he went to Australia. The experience will stand to him. By going over there, he came to realise what is over here.

It's a lesson many others are going to learn over the next few years.

In the meantime, Clarke can nestle down for the winter and bide the time until next year when the evenings get brighter and another season of Friday night football will begin

Great article, Its sounds like he misses home all right, but Im suprised at the ego stuff going on with him, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be the best of yourself, but wanting to be the best of everyone and sulk at that and comehome is seriously immature. I can understand he didnt like being a defender and I do think hes unlucky Didak is so similiar and better at creating , but he lost form when it mattered and Clarke could of stuck it out maybe pushed for a more attacking role. We all miss home from time to time but Id say when he gets back to the cold winter training in the muck he might think what have I done.. How much is a 3 yr contract worth?

[Joe Umbrella (hey)]

Well he's not thinking that way just yet wee lad, he tagged in with 2.04 for his club yesterday afternoon on a nippy and windy afternoon in the mournes.

[INDIANA]

Irishnews - p heaney

THE trouble with talent scouts is that they only talk about where you are going because they don't know what you are leaving behind.

And the AFL reps have an easy sell. A-U-S-T-R-A-L-I-A. It even 'bladdy' sounds good.

It's our new America. A vast and prosperous land. Sunshine and surfboards. Golden beaches with golden girls. Home of the BBQ and the MCG.

And it's true. Australia is a fine country. Martin Clarke would not say a bad word about the place.

He loved the people. He loved the warmth and hospitality of the Collingwood club. His affection for his team-mates, the management staff, and the supporters is entirely genuine.

Clarke embraced his new surroundings. When I last talked to him in November, he'd been in Melbourne for two years.

Life was good. He had established himself as a regular starter.

Outside of football, he had the company of his compatriot Kevin Dyas, and the two of them were popular with their team-mates.

A 'late' day at training would finish at four o'clock. Clarke described the daily routine: "We've got plenty of free time and there are always one or two of the boys that wants to go to the movies, or go out and get something to eat.

"We can walk down the Yarra River or go for a kick in the park. I still feel that sometimes I am on holidays. I like getting out and about, and I am still seeing it as a bit of an adventure."

He went on to reveal how one of his team-mates was from Torquay – the birthplace of Australian surfing. On weekends, Clarke and the boys would drive down the Great Ocean Road to ride the waves.

So far – so very Australian. But while Clarke tried to immerse himself in this new culture, it didn't stop him missing the life he had left in the Mournes.

In the same interview, there were clear signs that he was becoming increasingly sensitive to the fact that he was playing a foreign game in a foreign country.

The pangs of homesickness were evident when he said: "You miss the people who you are closest to, your family and your closest few friends.

"If you have a good day at something like the surfing, or if you have a big win at the MCG, you will see the other players enjoying the win with their family and friends, but you are on your own.

"Obviously you are welcomed in by other people but you would still like the people who mean the most to you to be there with you."

When confronted with these feelings of isolation and apartness, we can presume Clarke developed an acute appreciation of what he was missing back home.

When pressed further on this topic, his comments were both poignant and touching.

Referring to Down's Friday night league matches, he said: "To be honest, the thing I really miss most is the late spring and early

summer evenings when you are down at the local club for a game.

"You know those nights when the sun sets and everyone is in good spirits, those nights when it stays bright until half-10 or 11.

"I have nothing like that because I am living in the city. It gets dark about eight or nine o'clock. You miss those evenings out in the countryside when you play a game and then catch up with everyone afterwards."

Charcoaled meat is poor compensation for the camaraderie of the An Riocht changing room, the craic in a car on the way to a game, and the post-mortem on the journey home.

Such things aren't truly missed until they are gone. But Martin Clarke could have stuck it out.

He could have persevered. He certainly didn't come home because he was homesick. That was only a part of his decision.

Clarke quit Collingwood because he realised that he was never going to be a star in the AFL. He was never going to be an inspirational character, the player who could carry the hopes and expectations of his team-mates.

When Clarke played Gaelic football he accepted and revelled in that role. But he also wanted to develop into that type of player for Collingwood.

It's a measure of the depth of his ambition that he just didn't want to make a living from the game.

He wanted to master the game.

"I always strived to be the best at what I was doing. I never wanted to be just another player in the team.

"Before there was any word of Collingwood, I always wanted to do a bit of extra training.

"I might have been running on the beach when I was at home or just working on my free-kicks after training. I always wanted to be a stand-out," he said.

Clarke was never going to be satisfied by plugging along as a 'good pro,' playing the role of Denis Irwin when he really wanted to be Denis Law.

Let's not forget that Collingwood offered him another three-year contract.

But it would have been three years of marking the best player on the opposition. Such a role runs against the natural instincts of a man who oozes creativity and class on a Gaelic football field.

"My mindset isn't to shut out an opponent," he said. "I want to be creating and moving forward."

By walking way from the AFL, Clarke has made the right decision. For sportsmen of his ilk, football should be a joy, not a job.

As a defender for Collingwood, he would always have felt like a caged bird.

But with An Riocht and with Down, he can soar. By returning to the game that he was coached as a child, his full repertoire of skills can flourish, and he can enjoy the pleasure of playing by instinct rather than intelligence.

Martin Clarke didn't make a mistake when he went to Australia. The experience will stand to him. By going over there, he came to realise what is over here.

It's a lesson many others are going to learn over the next few years.

In the meantime, Clarke can nestle down for the winter and bide the time until next year when the evenings get brighter and another season of Friday night football will begin

Great article, Its sounds like he misses home all right, but Im suprised at the ego stuff going on with him, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be the best of yourself, but wanting to be the best of everyone and sulk at that and comehome is seriously immature. I can understand he didnt like being a defender and I do think hes unlucky Didak is so similiar and better at creating , but he lost form when it mattered and Clarke could of stuck it out maybe pushed for a more attacking role. We all miss home from time to time but Id say when he gets back to the cold winter training in the muck he might think what have I done.. How much is a 3 yr contract worth?

Sligonian an international rookie contract is worth about 30k per annum. A first full time pro contract about double that plus bonuses. Its the next contract as they say in AFL that pays off. Clarke was miles off that in terms of spent there- so he probably feels he hasn't lost out on anything. Why worry about a stage you may never get to.

Plus as well you comment about immaturity is a disgrace quite frankly. He's homesick- AFL is not that exciting a game at times top play in believe it or not. At the end of the day you'll always be on your own over there. At least at home if he wins something its with his friends. Sometimes money isn't the most important thing in life. You'll learn that as you get older.

[goldenyears]

An Riocht's Marty Clarke (right) receives some close attention from the Glasdrumman defence at the weekend. Clarke signalled his return with 2-4 of An Riocht's 2-14 in their Down ACFL Division Two victory. Picture: Mal McCann
There is already plenty of evidence to suggest that success, fame and money haven't gone to Marty Clarke's head.

The first sign came when The Irish News rang the Clarke homestead early on Friday morning. The call was made more in hope than expectation.

The former Collingwood footballer had returned from Australia the previous day. He'd spent the previous 30-odd hours in transit, flying from Melbourne to Singapore, then from Frankfurt to Dublin.

We reckoned Clarke would be too jet-lagged to talk. We also suspected that he just probably couldn't be bothered talking to a journalist at nine o'clock in the morning. Who could blame him?

But the call was answered. More amazingly again, it was Clarke who picked up the phone. Bright and chirpy, he was more awake than the man ringing him.

It turns out, after failing to get any shut-eye on every previous flight to and from Australia, the former St Louis', Kilkeel pupil slept soundly on the journey.

He had arrived in Dublin so well-rested that he attended the An Riocht training session on Thursday evening.

"I was going to train, but I just watched," he said. "My back and hamstrings were a bit sore after the flight.

"I went for a bit of a jog after the flight, but I was still a bit sore."

An Riocht were due to play Glasdrumman in the Down All-County League on Saturday evening. On Friday morning, Clarke hadn't decided whether he would confirm his return home with an appearance on the pitch.

"The manager said it was up to me. That it's not really an important game. I would like to start afresh next year. We'll see what happens. I might play 20 minutes if I am feeling alright," he said.

In the end, Clarke did play, scoring 2-4 in the process. He seems he wants to make an equally dramatic return to the red and black jersey.

During the course of the conversation, it was abundantly obvious that his entire focus will be devoted on reacquainting himself with a game that he hasn't played for three years.

The challenge will not daunt him. His meteoric rise to the Collingwood first team came as a result of the love affair he struck up with a sherrin – the Aussie Rules ball. Wherever Marty went, the sherrin went with him.

It seems he is going to adopt the same approach to an O'Neills size five. "That's the good thing about having three or four months on my own. I will be able to get myself right. I will have a gaelic ball with me all the time and get used to the skills again."

Clarke could have enrolled in a university course. He is interested in becoming a primary school teacher and St Mary's would have put out the red (and black) carpet for him.

The move could also have assisted his rehabilitation as a gaelic footballer as the St Mary's management team of Paddy Tally and Brian McIver are also part of James McCartan's backroom staff.

But Clarke has other plans. He wants a bit of space, some time off, and the room to tailor his own comeback.

His three years at Collingwood will have left him with a nest egg. He also has a newspaper column which should cover a few expenses. There is also speculation that the Down County Board is planning to offer him a coaching post.

Such a role would probably appeal to him because it was while coaching young children in Australia that Clarke realised he would like to be a primary school teacher.

"I did some coaching over there," he explained. "When you have a few days off you are asked to go out to schools and junior football clubs. Every player has to do seven or eight clinics a year. You have an option to do more and I did a few more. It's something that I liked doing," he said.

However, while Clarke is fully prepared for a return to life in the civilian lane, he's not ready to embrace full-scale reality just yet. He said it will be "at least a year" before he contemplates starting a university course.

"For the last year my typical day started at 10 o'clock and ended at three o'clock. When I came home from training, I could do whatever

I wanted.

"It would be very different going straight to university. You would have essays and exams and everything else. I'm not ready for that yet."

Clarke clearly enjoyed his life of a professional footballer. His decision to come home wasn't an easy one, particularly when his Aussie

team-mates spelt out in stark terms what he would be giving up if he quit Collingwood.

"They said to me: 'Do you understand how easy we have it here? We don't actually have to work for the money we get, which is obviously a lot better than what most people get.'

"I know Melbourne was a bit of a dream world. I am aware of that," he added.

Ultimately it was the desire to play the game in which he excelled that prompted Clarke to decline the offer of another three-year contract.

"I could easily have stayed. But I think this is what I want to do more. I am more passionate about playing for Down than playing for Collingwood," he said.

By carrying St Louis', Kilkeel to the MacRory Cup final in 2005, Clarke established himself as the best player to have emerged in colleges' football since Dermot McNicholl and James McCartan.

He further cemented his reputation by leading Down to the All-Ireland minor title the same year.

Having been tracked by Collingwood for two years, he made his debut after just nine months in Melbourne. He was there for three seasons, and could have stayed for another three. The club have left the door open for him to return.

But Clarke has come home, and during the next three months he will return to the place where it all started – the beach in Kilkeel – his training ground and sanctuary.

"I know what I have to do and that will definitely be the place to do it. I have always liked going there.

"It gets me straight, and it gets me thinking about the game.

"Apart from that, I just like the place in terms of scenery and I like running there."

The sand he's about to tread doesn't exactly hold the same allure as some of beaches in the country he has just left. But it's the beach he knows best. And it's the place he's mostly likely to be found during the next few months.

[Doogie Browser]

He is such a likeable hoor too!  So annoying.

[Daicos Mullets]

Gutted that Marty has left, he was well loved at the Pies, a real favourite with the Collingwood faithful.

Good luck to the young bloke whatever he turns his hand to.

Don't forget, the door's open at the Magpies if you ever want to return Marty!

[5 Sams]

Gutted that Marty has left, he was well loved at the Pies, a real favourite with the Collingwood faithful.

Good luck to the young bloke whatever he turns his hand to.

Don't forget, the door's open at the Magpies if you ever want to return Marty!

Any chance youse could take him back before next Thursday night