Kerry chairman Tim Murphy admits that it would be remiss of them not to acknowledge the issue of the county losing some of their best talent to the Australian Football League.

Speaking at the County Convention this week, the Kerryman reports that Murphy told delegates that it was difficult to try and stop players from pursuing a professional career in sport.

Dingle’s Mark O’Connor has been making huge strides Down Under, while Na Gaeil’s Stefan Okunbar is another who looks set to have a future in the oval ball game.

Last weekend, another Dingle player, Deividas Uosis, who was Kerry’s 2017 All-Ireland winning minor goalkeeper, seemingly impressed coaches at the AFL’s Europe Combine held in UCD.

“The lure of AFL professional sport continues to be a huge challenge for us. A voluntary organisation such as the GAA simply cannot compete with professional sport,” stated Murphy.

“The AFL and their scouts continue to seek out the best of our football talent and you will be aware of recent media coverage of the AFL Europe Combine held last weekend.

“We are doing everything in our power to create and maintain as attractive an environment as possible here at home and convey to our players the benefits of remaining in Ireland, while also assisting them with educational opportunities, career advice and enhanced employment prospects.”

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