Pat Spillane believes GAA clubs should be compensated by Aussie Rules clubs who sign their players.

The Kerry legend’s comments come after it was confirmed that rising Gaelic football stars Kobe McDonald (Mayo) and Ben Murphy (Kerry) have signed for St Kilda and the Brisbane Lions respectively. He feels the clubs who produced them should receive a monetary fee in the same way as soccer clubs do.

“The only gripe I see is the Australians are getting these young fellas scot-free and without paying compensation to the club that nurtured and developed them,” Spillane wrote in The Sunday World.

“Let’s take a look at the process in soccer, where once a transfer goes through, a player’s schoolboy club benefits financially. The recent example of Caoimhín Kelleher going from Liverpool to Brentford saw £3 million in compensation make its way to his childhood club, Ringmahon Rangers.

“This is the way we should go in the GAA.

“The GAA and the AFL must put an agreement in place that financial compensation is paid not to the county board, but to the club who nurtured the player.”

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