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AFL Combines Now An Annual Thing

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Madden from Boden is over there, Kilkenny went and came home.

No interest in anyone else, either way.

All the lads who went want to be there more than they want to be at home.

Nothing any County Board can do about that.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13704 - 10/12/2019 22:10:50    2254215

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Replying To KingdomBoy1:  "Have dublin got the kind of players that the Aussies are after Mes?

McCarthy mccaffery o'callaghan Fenton mannion how did these guys escape their clutches , how did yer county board fend off the men from Oz ?"
It's easier keep a player when you can promise his a good shot at an AI medal. I bet Tadgh Kennelly wouldn't have bothered to come home for a year if he was a Limerick footballer rather than walking into an AI winning Kerry side

Breezy (Limerick) - Posts: 1236 - 10/12/2019 22:26:27    2254218

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Replying To GeniusGerry:  "You are looking at it from purely a numbers point of view and that is fair enough. Yes it will only be a handful that will go each year, and yes they are looking for a particular type of player, elite athletes with strong ball winning ability etc (coincidentally the type of player that thrives in modern football).

I would argue that the guys that are going like Nash, McKenna and O'Connor would have had a very good chance to be stars of the game, the future Cavanaghs and O'Se's if you like. If you think losing that kind of talent from the game is not an issue then that is your right. The point I was trying to make about Murphy is that just one player of that caliber can make an enormous difference to a team and be the difference between success and failure.

To be honest I doubt there is anything that can be done in any case and it's a great opportunity for these lads.

@Dubh_Linn I'd agree Kerry are in a much better position than most to absorb the loss of players. I'm not trying to make it about Kerry, it's something that is impacting everyone"
To be fair Gerry the lad who's unavailable is always the best player ever. I'm not doubting these lads talent but it's something to take into account as well.

My point about Murphy staying is that the vast majority of lads who have the opportunity/ability to go to Australia don't actually go.

If Mark O'Connor had stayed maybe he'd be burned out from club, University and county football by 23. That's something we see with talented young players the whole time, every county loses way more players to that than they do to Aussie Rules.

My point is that Aussie Rules takes so few players and that there are far more players being lost to a host of other reasons.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13704 - 10/12/2019 23:07:10    2254224

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Replying To MesAmis:  "To be fair Gerry the lad who's unavailable is always the best player ever. I'm not doubting these lads talent but it's something to take into account as well.

My point about Murphy staying is that the vast majority of lads who have the opportunity/ability to go to Australia don't actually go.

If Mark O'Connor had stayed maybe he'd be burned out from club, University and county football by 23. That's something we see with talented young players the whole time, every county loses way more players to that than they do to Aussie Rules.

My point is that Aussie Rules takes so few players and that there are far more players being lost to a host of other reasons."
Yes I understand that there are other reasons that players fall away, disinterest, injury etc etc. Normally happens long before they get anywhere near a senior inter county panel though. The AFL is coming looking for the best young talent right before they make the breakthrough to senior, and sometimes afterwards. Surely you can see the distinction, and recognise why it is frustrating for fans and people involved with the teams in question.

I also haven't heard of any players turning down offers in the recent past, the trend now seems to be to go which is a personal decision of course, and the players are probably right to take the chance as they will only ever get it once.

GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 2105 - 11/12/2019 00:40:18    2254227

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Replying To KingdomBoy1:  "We have 2 at the moment Mark O'Connor and Stefan Okunbar, but now it looks like Uosis is going also Colm Moriarty and David Clifford's cousin Paul O'Shea who was also a Kerry minor captain of 1 of our 5 in a row winning teams.

That's probably going to be 5 blue chip players gone out of a team of 15, we can't withstand those kind of losses and hope to topple ye on yer home patch."
To be fair KingdomBoy Uosis definitely isn't a blue chip player, he won't ever make a Kerry Senior panel either as a goalkeeper or an outfield player. I'm not sure if Colm Moriarty is a blue chip player although I think he could make it. I'd see him as the same level as a couple of other young full backs in the county. I doubt either Moriarty or O'Shea will be offered a contract. Okunbor and especially O'Connor are huge losses. O'Connor is an unbelievable footballer, he was a better minor than Sean O'Shea and just a small bit off Clifford. If we had him I don't think Dublin would have done the 5 in a row. Okunbor is also a very big loss, I think he could have developed into a class full back.

Kerry15 (Kerry) - Posts: 957 - 11/12/2019 16:00:41    2254308

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Here, which one do you prefer, Ukunbor or Uosis?

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12115 - 11/12/2019 17:17:43    2254325

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Replying To The_Fonz:  "An AFL combine? Never heard of them. I have a New Holland one meself."
Deutz Fahr for me

essmac (Tyrone) - Posts: 1141 - 11/12/2019 17:39:17    2254332

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Replying To GeniusGerry:  "Looking at it in pure numbers is understating the impact at senior level. The Aussies are only interested in the very elite players.

I'll put it like this to you. Michael Murphy had opportunities to go play in the AFL but he turned them down. If he had gone do you think Donegal would have won that all Ireland in 2012? I very much doubt it. That's the kind of impact losing these blue chip players can have.

Looking at it through the prism of my own team Mark was the best underage midfielder I have ever seen, he was absolutely dominant at every level he played and given how his career is evolving down under I don't think it is a stretch to suggest he'd be a top midfielder had he stayed at home, the kind of player Kerry need to push them over the top. Others counties have lost very promising players as well obviously.

I don't for a second blame the lads, they were presented with an excellent opportunity and they took it and good luck to them. But to say it doesn't matter because there are 99 other players to pick from is a bit disingenuous when they just don't have the same level of ability."
Agreed. I saw McKenna play a couple of times and reckoned he was exceptional - better than every other forward we currently have. In a parallel universe, he'd be teaming up with McShane, but like everyone says, fair play to them. Getting paid to stay fit n healthy in good weather is a no-brainer

essmac (Tyrone) - Posts: 1141 - 11/12/2019 17:45:36    2254333

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Replying To Breffni39:  "Here, which one do you prefer, Ukunbor or Uosis?"
Okunbor is the better footballer.

Kerry15 (Kerry) - Posts: 957 - 11/12/2019 21:21:02    2254351

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Replying To KingdomBoy1:  "Have dublin got the kind of players that the Aussies are after Mes?

McCarthy mccaffery o'callaghan Fenton mannion how did these guys escape their clutches , how did yer county board fend off the men from Oz ?"
Kingdomboy it's true that Dublin do have players that the AFL would be after and how Dublin manage to keep the wolves from the door is baffling . If Kilkenny had decided to stay he would have been a huge loss and they probably wouldn't have won the 5 without him.

gallarus14 (Kerry) - Posts: 127 - 11/12/2019 21:50:39    2254355

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GAA expressing moral outrage today about the exodus to the AFL, 10 players a year but because they are the elite players, cue the outrage. No embarrassment though that thousands of players are exiting at club level every year as they are not being catered for, leaving GAA & having no involvement. Where is the outrage for those players, I counted 24 players in one club coming from minor over two years, dropping out & not playing again, replicate that over a few thousand clubs, no wonder people have lost all faith in GAA hierarchy.

moc.dna (Galway) - Posts: 1212 - 12/12/2019 01:38:48    2254371

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Replying To gallarus14:  "Kingdomboy it's true that Dublin do have players that the AFL would be after and how Dublin manage to keep the wolves from the door is baffling . If Kilkenny had decided to stay he would have been a huge loss and they probably wouldn't have won the 5 without him."
Exactly, maybe the country lads just have more football ability, maybe that's why the Aussies pick our boys off.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 12/12/2019 07:47:17    2254374

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It's in culchies blood to be the first on the boat

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 12/12/2019 08:44:09    2254379

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I don't know if this has been said before but there should be a fee payed to each players clubs by the AFL team that signs them. It would soften the blow of losing a star player and would reward them for their efforts in coaching these kids the whole way up along.

LarryOBrother (Wexford) - Posts: 409 - 12/12/2019 09:09:46    2254381

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Replying To KingdomBoy1:  "Exactly, maybe the country lads just have more football ability, maybe that's why the Aussies pick our boys off."
Lol, yeah, if you said it then it must be true. That's a lot of maybe's hun.

Dubsfan28 (Dublin) - Posts: 2509 - 12/12/2019 10:13:23    2254386

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Replying To KingdomBoy1:  "Have dublin got the kind of players that the Aussies are after Mes?

McCarthy mccaffery o'callaghan Fenton mannion how did these guys escape their clutches , how did yer county board fend off the men from Oz ?"
The promise of making history playing for an historic team was probably a good carrot to stay I would imagine.

Dubsfan28 (Dublin) - Posts: 2509 - 12/12/2019 10:17:08    2254388

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Replying To LarryOBrother:  "I don't know if this has been said before but there should be a fee payed to each players clubs by the AFL team that signs them. It would soften the blow of losing a star player and would reward them for their efforts in coaching these kids the whole way up along."
That has been suggested in the past. I wouldn't be in favour myself, it would amount to formalising the arrangement and could even be seen as facilitating the recruitment of Irish players to the AFL.

The only thing I'd like the GAA to do is to pull out of that awful compromise rules series.

On a broader point I would also agree that the GAA should be doing more to facilitate club players and keep them involved. Im not as involved with my club as I was due to moving away but the biggest issue as I see it is that the structure of club competitions across the country is absolutely all over the place. Other sports are able to give much more definite dates for games and competitions and it allows players to actually make plans for weekends and to have a life. How you could even begin to streamline it is a much bigger and broader question than can be addressed in this thread though.

GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 2105 - 12/12/2019 10:41:56    2254396

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Replying To moc.dna:  "GAA expressing moral outrage today about the exodus to the AFL, 10 players a year but because they are the elite players, cue the outrage. No embarrassment though that thousands of players are exiting at club level every year as they are not being catered for, leaving GAA & having no involvement. Where is the outrage for those players, I counted 24 players in one club coming from minor over two years, dropping out & not playing again, replicate that over a few thousand clubs, no wonder people have lost all faith in GAA hierarchy."
This is an excellent point and a far bigger issue than a handful of players being taken to play AFL.
Also, lots of promising young GAA players also play soccer and get called over to England. Far more than are going to Australia. Some very talented players in both codes have been lost to the GAA by managing to carve out a professional soccer career. Fair play to them if they manage it, and I'll say the same for any lad who makes it in Australia.

WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 2034 - 12/12/2019 11:34:38    2254407

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Let the aussies come and let them take the handful of lads they take. They are going over to be a professional sportsperson paid a good wage nice climate. I do not understand how anyone could begrudge a young lad from going. Majority go between 19 - 22 thats some experience to have for a young lad or girl.


Gaa is amateur its a hobby a very serious one but a hobby all the same if a young lad is wanted by the aussies and they would like to travel they should go instead of looking out the window working in a bank at the pissing rain here.

You only regret the opportunities you dont take.

All the kerry people here saying they would have won all irelands if they had so and so thats hindsight and that is BS.

The gaa offer zero incentive for lads to stick around

Tarismelting22 (Roscommon) - Posts: 760 - 12/12/2019 11:53:50    2254411

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'Cause I've got a brand new combine harvester and I'll give you the key
Come on now, let's get together in perfect harmony
Oh, I got twenty acres and you got forty-three
Now I've got a brand new combine harvester and I'll give you the key

The_Fonz (Westmeath) - Posts: 213 - 12/12/2019 11:54:46    2254412

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