Martin Clarke's AFL Debut

[mick999]

Hi There,

For any of you Sydneysiders, I see from today's Australian that Martin Clarke will make his AFL debut tonight at the North Sydney Oval 6.30, Good Luck to him ...

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21232677-5012432,00.html


Sherrin skills now first rate
Jenny McAsey
February 16, 2007

MARTIN CLARKE has only put the oval ball down to sleep and eat since he was recruited from Ireland by Collingwood last October.
But the strategy to fast-track the skills of the 19-year-old Irish rookie has paid off and he will make a surprise debut for the Magpies in the 15-a-side exhibition game against the Swans tonight at North Sydney Oval.
"Some of the coaches devised a plan that if I took the oval ball with me everywhere, around the house, even in the car at the lights to just have it in my hands I would get used to it quicker. That has definitely been a good plan because I can bounce it fairly well at the minute," Clarke said.

He can not only bounce it, but juggle the Sherrin with his feet, a deed that had his Collingwood team-mates clapping and cheering as they inspected North Sydney Oval yesterday.

Clarke, from County Down in the north of the Republic, is the latest arrival in the Irish invasion of the AFL that has gathered pace with the success of Swans' premiership player, Tadhg Kennelly.

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse said the Kennelly "experiment" had prompted the club to scout Ireland and find Clarke.

"The few months we have had him he has progressed to the point where he will play against Sydney, which is a credit to him," Malthouse said.

Clarke's knowledge of the AFL before he arrived was limited to watching a Sunday night highlights package. Like Kennelly, he was a Gaelic football star who impressed recruiting staff with his athleticism and attitude.

Now he is aiming to play at least one senior game with the Magpies by the end of this year.

"The chances of that happening are probably slim but I will work hard and you never know," Clarke said.

He has spoken to Kennelly on the phone and will meet him for the first time tonight. "I just love watching him play and respect what he has done. If I can achieve that it would be amazing," said Clarke, who expects to play off a halfback flank like the Swans star.

Kennelly won't be playing as both clubs rest most of their senior players and trial youngsters and their draft recruits.

"It's mainly for the young guys to see how close or how far away they are from playing AFL footy," Swans coach Paul Roos said.

"It's been the start of some pretty good careers out here.

"It's going to be entertaining with a couple of experienced guys and the future of Collingwood and the future of the Swans running out here."

Sydney will play a handful of senior players including Craig Bolton, Ted Richards, Nick Davis, Adam Schneider and Nick Malceski, while Collingwood will field Shane Wakelin, Scott Burns, Leon Davis, Nick Maxwell, Rhyce and Heath Shaw, Travis Cloke and Fremantle recruit, Paul Medhurst.

http://sydneyswans.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=314083

North Sydney Exhibition Match
2 February 2007
sydneyswans.com.au

When the Sydney Swans take on Collingwood at North Sydney Oval on Friday February 16, it will have been nearly five months since the Swans last outing.

Are you craving some AFL action and ready for the new season to begin?

From Monday, January 22, you can buy your ticket to the North Sydney clash by logging on to www.ticketek.com.au or calling Ticketek on 132 849.

All the details:

Date: Friday February 16, 2007

Time: 6.30pm

Gates open: 4.30pm

Pre-game activity: Coaching clinic at 5pm

Ticket prices: Adult tickets are $15, Concession tickets are $10 and any child under 15 years gains free entry.

Don't miss your chance to see the Swans take on the Magpies at North Sydney Oval - get your ticket today.

[Gnevin]

His skill at AFL is so great now that he's managed to bounce down in to the republic

''Clarke, from County Down in the north of the Republic, is the latest arrival in the Irish invasion of the AFL that has gathered pace with the success of Swans' premiership player, Tadhg Kennelly.''

[full back]

Fearon will be delighted with that statement.
Fair play to the lad

[aontroim]

Clarke, from County Down in the north of the Republic, is the latest arrival in the Irish invasion

Go on the Aussies!

[Onlooker]

Clarke's progress really shows up how poorly the much hyped Setanta has fared in Australia.  Clarke's footballing ability  would appear to be the difference.  Hope he does well.

[Cloc Mor]

Great to see the lad doing well.  He's always was an outstanding talent but to break through to the senior squad and make his debut just shows how good he really is.  To master the oval ball in a matter of months is no mean feat.  Interesting that if he was still here in Down he wouldn't even be playing for the Down Senior team yet, just U.21's at the minute.  Good luck to him.

[Romeo]

Clarke's progress really shows up how poorly the much hyped Setanta has fared in Australia.  Clarke's footballing ability  would appear to be the difference.  Hope he does well.

That's a bit harsh, he played a Senior match in his first year and has been earmarked to make the full back position this year! I'm sure Clarke would be delighted if it worked out that way for him!

[Syd The Sailor]

I met Martin Clarke in a bookies in Belfast in Dec '05. I recognised him from Down minors but he noticed i had a GAA bag and started asking me what club i was from etc. He was a top lad and its great hes doing so well. He seems to be better than Aussie Rules than picking greyhounds !

[DUBSFORSAM1]

Clarke's progress really shows up how poorly the much hyped Setanta has fared in Australia.  Clarke's footballing ability  would appear to be the difference.  Hope he does well.

Setanta came from a hurling background so obviously has more groung to make up but also Setanta is being earmarked for a "key position" role which takes a lot longer to get used to and you don't get many Australians playing these positions at a young age...

He played pre-season the season before last and played a good number of games last year and is due to be fullback this year...

[Onlooker]

Setanta played football as well as hurling in Cork.  His last game for Cork was the 2003 All Ireland Hurling Final.  I still think that he is taking an awful long time to make the grade with a very poor Aussie rules team.   He also played for Ireland at Croke Park in the first test against Australia in 2004 and had a very poor game.  Even though, Ireland won that game easily, he was dropped for the second test.  There has always been an awful lot of hype about him as a hurler and Aussie Rules player, but Sean Og is a far superior hurler and would have been a much better prospect to be a top class Aussie Rules player.  I have always said that Carlton should have signed Sean Og before Setanta.

[ONeill]

What a loss to Down GAA particularly and the nation Clarke is.

[stiffler]

Good to see him making it, didnt think he would have the bulk to compete do soon, but fair play to him

[mick999]

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2007/02/16/1171405443373.html

Look of the Irish has Pies smiling
Samantha Lane
February 17, 2007




COLLINGWOOD has had early success with Irish teenager Martin Clarke, who played an impressive first match of AFL football last night against a club whose punt on Tadhg Kennelly paid dividends long ago.

Former Bomber Ted Richards starred in the practice match played at North Sydney Oval, which was won by the Swans but used by both clubs primarily to trial youngsters and little-knowns. Sydney forward Adam Schneider, one of the few senior Swans fielded in the game, was a casualty.

Schneider, who played in last year's international rules series, limped from the ground clutching his left hamstring.

A scare went through the Magpies camp during the second term when Rhyce Shaw, who bounded back well from a knee reconstruction last season, left the field gingerly. But by the third term, he was back in business, narrowly missing a shot at goal that he took from a wing.

Otherwise, it was a night for the 9500-odd fans to imagine the future of the two clubs — most exciting, for Collingwood, that of a former teenage star of Gaelic football, now an international rookie in line to play a NAB Cup game next week. At 182 centimetres, Clarke was used predominantly on the ball, but also down back, and looked more than composed with the oval ball.

"We were really pleased with Marty, really pleased," Collingwood assistant coach Gavin Brown said after the game.

"He was probably the standout from the point of view that he had never played a game of Aussie rules before.

"It just showed that he has an enormous amount of will and want, and he had put in a lot of hard work. It was fantastic for him today, a good step.

"After tonight's performance, he has certainly put himself in contention (for NAB Cup selection next week), no doubt about that."

Filling the position of Sydney's No. 1 forward, Barry Hall was Richards. He provided a non-stop opening-quarter highlight, kicking each of his side's four goals for that term and finishing the match with a bag of five. All but one of Richards' majors were the products of strong marks taken outside the 40-metre arc.

Richards' February flourish made for quite an initiation for young defender Ben Reid, Collingwood's first pick of the last national draft. Reid spent most of his opening quarter of football in a black and white jumper chasing tail.

Collingwood, facing life without Chris Tarrant, used supersized youngster Sean Rusling at full-forward and third-year player Travis Cloke at centre half-forward. Cloke kicked three majors, all considerable distance from goal, and was his side's best performer.

"He was very pleasing," Brown said of Rusling, who was knocked late but cleared of injury.

Former Docker Paul Medhurst had stints in each quarter familiarising himself with a new attacking line-up, but had an uneventful outing.

It was an unconventional game in more ways than one.

The clubs swapped teamsheets days before the game, Sydney's senior coach wasn't even in the coach's box (Paul Roos put assistant John Longmire in the hot seat), 15-man sides were played, Collingwood had a 13-man bench and the first two quarters were 20 minutes long without time-on.

The next two lasted only 15 minutes each so the Magpies could get their plane home to Melbourne last night.

DETAILS
COLLINGWOOD

GOALS

Sydney:

BESTMathews, Malceski, Dempster, Richards, White, Bevan. Collingwood: Cloke, Johnson, O'Brien, Rusling, Cook, Dick.

Sydney:

INJURIESSchneider (hamstring), Moore (ankle).

Sydney:

UMPIRES: Head, Kamolins, Ryan.

CROWD: 9560 at North Sydney Oval.


SYDNEY4.1 6.3 9.4 10.6 (66)2.3 3.6 6.7 7.9 (51)Richards 5, Schneider, Mathews, White, Dempster, Currie. Collingwood: Cloke 3, Cook, Dick, Burns, Reid. b

[Cloc Mor]

Irishman on Pie senior list
30 May 2007   Herald-Sun
Michael Horan

COLLINGWOOD yesterday elevated 20-year-old Irish rookie Martin Clarke to its senior list.



The strongly built left-footed midfielder was chosen ahead of fellow rookies Brent Macaffer and Sharrod Wellingham by the Magpies match committee after Chris Egan was placed on the long-term injury list with knee trouble.

Egan has posterior cruciate and medial ligament damage. Despite not needing surgery, he is in a brace and will miss 10 to 12 weeks.

Clarke had never played Australian rules a year ago. Since being taken as the Pies' third pick and 40th overall in this year's rookie draft, he has astounded his coaches at how quickly he has adapted to the game.

"He's an interesting player. He's amazing in his learning capabilities," Williamstown coach Brad Gotch said. "You only have to tell him once and he gets it straight away.

"It's amazing, he just has a natural feel for the game."

Anyone watching the quick, 182cm Clarke close out training yesterday, doing leading and kicking drills with Nathan Buckley, would think he's been playing the game all his life.

Gotch said there was every chance Clarke could play senior football this season and that he could become a topliner down the track.

"He's genuinely quick and has great endurance -- Paul Licuria-type endurance," Gotch said.

"At Williamstown he's been one of our most consistent players this year. You step him through something and he gets it straight away. He's quite a talent."

When spotted by the Magpies, at Gaelic football under-18 level in Ireland, Clarke was their version of Chris Judd in his age group.

Collingwood already has played five first-gamers this year. It is reasonable to expect Clarke will be a sixth before the season is through.

Sporting the No. 43 jumper made most famous at Collingwood by Ricky Barham, Clarke has quickly become a popular figure at the club.

"He's a real character. He's got that typically sunny, optimistic Irish personality," Gotch said.

Clarke is the second rookie to be elevated by the Pies this season. Danny Nicholls was brought up after Sean Rusling injured his shoulder.


What would you give to have him in the red and black on Sunday?

[rodney trotter]

Martin Clarke has yet to decide on his future with Down after opting to quit the Australian Football League and return home to Ireland.

The 2010 All Star has spent six seasons with AFL giants Collingwood in two spells, having also played football for the Mourne county in 2010 and 2011.

The 2005 All-Ireland minor winner will not make up his mind whether to commit to Down until later in the year.

A new manager will be in place in 2015 following James McCartan's departure.

Clarke made a big impact when he last quit Aussies Rules football for gaelic football, playing a key role in Down reaching the All-Ireland final in 2010.

He played 46 games in three years at Collingwood before quitting at the end of the 2009 season, spending two years with Down before resuming his AFL career with the Magpies in 2012.

Injuries and a failure to secure a first team place this season have contributed to his decision to return home after completing a second three-year contract.

There is speculation he will play Sigerson Cup football for Jordanstown next year as he is keen to begin a degree in teaching.

Also been reported that Caolan Mooney will also leave Collingwood and return to Down.