Donegal’s Murphy considering AFL move
Recently crowned Young Gaelic Footballer of the Year Michael Murphy is considering a move to the AFL, according to a report in the Donegal Democrat.
Murphy, who was Donegal’s top scorer and shining light in this year’s championship, reportedly met with AFL player agent Ricky Nixon earlier this week in Dublin who offered the youngster the chance to try his hand at Aussie Rules.
Up to five clubs are said to be interested in the services of the first-year DCU student, with Murphy reportedly taking time to discuss his options with his parents before making any commitment either way.
Add comment October 23, 2009
Begley quits St Kilda
Laois’s Colm Begley has become the latest Irish AFL player to give up on an Aussie Rules career, with the news confirmed today that he has quit St Kilda to return to Ireland.
The decision comes in the wake of a raft of recent defections, with Martin Clarke and Kevin Dyas both recently quitting Collingwood and Brendan Murphy’s departure from the Sydney Swans over a month ago.
Begley made just one senior appearance for the club last season, although considering the fact that he was attempting to break into the best overall team in the competition, it could be argued that his year hadn’t been an entirely unsuccessful one.
Laois's Colm Begley pictured shortly after signing for St Kilda late last year. The former Brisbane Lion has quit the club to return to Ireland.
His form with the Saints’ feeder club Sandringham had been consistently excellent, while he had also made the team’s list of emergencies on more than one occasion.
However, despite all that, the club revealed today that Begley had decided to call it quits and head back home.
“It has been a mutual decision between the club and Colm for him not to be retained on St Kilda’s list. Colm has expressed an interest to return to Ireland to pursue additional interests and we appreciate his efforts at the club during the past 12 months,” St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said.
The news comes hot on the heels of the revelation that Kerry star Tommy Walsh has signed with the Saints, while Walsh’s Kingdom team mate David Moran is understood to be en route Down Under for a two-week trial.
Elsewhere, Begley’s county compatriot Zac Tuohy is understood to have signed a two-year rookie deal with Carlton, joining Cork’s Setanta Ó hAilpín who recently put pen to a new deal with the Blues.
Cork’s Ciaran Sheehan had also been offered a rookie deal at Carlton but turned it down to pursue a GAA career with the Rebel County.
Meanwhile, a raft of other Irish youngsters are understood to have had trials in recent weeks, with Donegal’s Sean O’Kennedy trying out with Collingwood and North Melbourne offering opportunities to Dublin’s James McCarthy and Cavan’s Barry Reilly.
Down minor star James O’Reilly has also signed a two-year deal with Richmond, becoming the club’s first-ever Irish recruit.
by Aaron Dunne
Add comment October 22, 2009
Storm rages as Tadhg mulls AFL return
Tadhg Kennelly has revealed that he is considering a return to the AFL amid a storm of controversy that has blown up in Ireland in the wake of comments in his autobiography.
An excerpt from his new book, Unfinished Business, which was published in last week’s Sunday Independent, indicated that Tadhg had intentionally struck Cork’s Nicholas Murphy in the opening minutes of the All-Ireland final.
Kennelly received no punishment for the tackle at the time and was promptly cleared by a match review panel, but controversy has again reared its head over the incident due to the comments in his new book.
In a statement released on Monday, Kennelly claimed that the newspaper excerpt had been taken out of context, and that he had been misquoted in the book by Melbourne ghost writer Scott Gullen, but that he took “100 per cent responsibilty” for not proof reading the final chapter himself.
“I’m going to charge in and hit someone at the start,” he is quoted in the book as having said to room mate Paul Galvin on the eve of the decider, while the rest of the controversial excerpt read: “My theory was that I really wanted to set the tone for our side. We wanted Cork to know that we were a totally different animal to the one they’d faced three months earlier.
“As we got to our positions, I looked across at [Paul] Galvin, who nodded, and then positioned myself on the line ready to race in when the referee put the ball in the air. My eyes were almost rolling around in the back of my head. I was like a raging bull.”
In his statement, however, Kennelly tried to distance himself from the remarks, putting the blame on Herald Sun sports journalist Scott Gullen, and the Sunday Independent newspaper for printing an excerpt he claims was out of context.
“The words, ‘while I hadn’t wanted to come in and seriously injure anyone, I was determined to make a statement’ were not included in the extract from the book, even though this sentence followed on. That one line would have clarified my intentions but it was not included in the piece,” Kennelly’s statement read.
The Kerryman also revealed how deeply the furore had upset him and his family, adding that the whole episode has been his worst period since his father Tim’s death in 2005.
“The controversy arising from the incident involving Nicholas Murphy in the All-Ireland final, and an account of which was published in the Sunday Independent, has devastated both me and my family. I have been publicly vilified and I want to tell the truth.
“I admit I have made a mistake and a big one. I should never have allowed the piece regarding the incident with Nicholas to be described in the fashion it was.
“I gave an interview to the Australian ghost writer Scotty Gallon just a couple of days after the All-Ireland. I didn’t read it over as I should have, and the first account I saw of the incident was on last Sunday morning.
“Scotty used an expression ‘cop that’ to describe my feelings immediately after I connected with Nicholas. I said no such thing.
“The Wednesday after the All-Ireland was a rush. We had a deadline to meet. Books don’t get formatted and printed overnight. I was on a high and the last thing I wanted was to talk to Scotty over the phone. Looking back on it, I should have read a proof of the finished chapter. I didn’t and I paid the price. My fault 100 per cent.”
The Echo has approached Mr Gullen for comment but is yet to hear back from him.
Meanwhile, the former Premiership-winning player’s return to the AFL may be just around the corner, as he revealed yesterday that he has just 10 days to make a call on his future. The list deadline for AFL club’s is October 31.
“The offer was always there [to return to the Swans]… It’s no secret that Sydney are looking to recruit and they see my experience counting with some of the younger players… It’s obviously a huge decision but it’s one I have to make in the next 10 days.”
Kennelly also revealed that a coaching role could be part of his brief if he did return.
“There would be a coaching opportunity there at some stage. I’d say at the most I’d have two years left in me as an AFL player, maybe three. There are a lot of things to consider and obviously financial security is one. My girlfriend Nicole is also living there. But I honestly haven’t made up my mind. I’m torn on it.”
Kennelly is due in Sydney in early November for the launch of the book at which time a decision on his future is expected.
Add comment October 22, 2009
St Kilda sign Kerry star
St Kilda Football Club has signed 21 year old Kerry star Tommy Walsh.
The Club has signed Walsh, one of Ireland’s most credentialed Gaelic Athletic Association players, as an international rookie for two years.
Standing at 195cm and weighing 95kgs, Walsh demonstrates a strong brand of bustling Gaelic football, where he has outstanding pace and agility for a player of his size.
A talented and dominant forward in the GAA, Walsh recently competed in the winning All Ireland final for County Kerry, scoring four points and was also the winner of the 2008 GAA Young Player of the Year.
A player of Walsh’s calibre is a significant coup for the Saints and the Club believes he can effectively make the transition to play AFL football and be an exciting prospect in 2010 and beyond.
Ironically, Tommy Walsh is the most likely Irishman to emulate Tadhg Kennelly’s feat of winning both an All Ireland and an AFL Premiership.
St Kilda General Manager Football – List Management, Matthew Drain said, “Tommy Walsh is one of the most credentialed players to come out of Ireland. While he faces hard work to adapt to AFL at the highest level, we are confident that what we have seen of him proves he has enormous talent to become an important player for St Kilda.
Essentially, we see that Tommy Walsh, in addition with Andrew Lovett, has taken place as a first round draft pick, based on his size, ability and credentials.”
Add comment October 20, 2009
Irish draw France in World Cup
The Republic of Ireland will meet France in the World Cup play-offs after the draw was made at FIFA headquarters in Zurich this afternoon.
The two legs will be played on Saturday, 14 November and Wednesday, 18 November, with the Republic at home for the first leg. Manager Giovanni Trapattoni, who did not attend the draw, had expressed a strong desire to play the first leg of the play-off away from home.
In the other play-offs, Portugal will play Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece will face Ukraine and Russia take on Slovenia. Trapattoni had criticised FIFA for seeding the play-offs – the Republic, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine and Slovenia were all unseeded meaning they could not play each other. The Republic, who last played in the finals in 2002, had hoped for an easier fixture against Greece but in the draw in Zurich, Everton’s South African midfielder Steven Pienaar drew them first out of the hat against the French. Trapattoni at least can feel relieved that his side do not have to play Russia on the artificial pitch at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.
Draw for the European World Cup play-offs: Republic of Ireland v France Portugal v Bosnia-Herzegovina Greece v Ukraine Russia v Slovenia
Add comment October 15, 2009
Irish Melbourne Cup hopes end with Weld withdrawal
Ireland’s sole remaining challenger in this year’s Melbourne Cup has been ruled out of the November showpiece.
Highly rated Irish mare Profound Beauty has been scratched from next month’s race after her owners decided to give her a break after a long season.
Trainer Dermot Weld said the mare had no injury problems but her owners had decided a long season’s racing would have taken its toll, given their decision to keep her in training next year.
Profound Beauty resumed on June 27 with a win in the Group Three Curragh Cup, on that occasion defeating Alandi which won the Group One Prix Du Cadran recently in France.
On her last appearance, the Irish-trained marey finished fourth in the Irish St Leger on September 12 where she was beaten 24 lengths on unsuitable ground.
Racing Victoria spokesman Leigh Jordon said the news was a major disappointment.
“Dermot has been a major supporter of the carnival and would have been attempting to win the Melbourne Cup for the third time after his breakthrough win in 1993 with Vintage Crop and again in 2002 with Media Puzzle,” Jordon said.
Profound Beauty had at one point been a well-backed favourite for the race, but her withdrawal means there will now be no Irish interest in the big race on November 3.
Add comment October 7, 2009
Marty Clarke leaves Collingwood for Ireland
Down-man Marty Clarke has ended the speculation over his future by revealing that he will leave Collingwood FC for Ireland.
The 24-year-old will pursue a teaching career and play Gaelic Football for Down.
He becomes the fourth Irishman to abandon AFL for Ireland in the past year after Tadhg Kennelly, Brendan Murphy and Michael Shields.
Here is the open letter he wrote to Collingwood fans explaining his decision:
After three wonderful years in Australia with Collingwood, I have decided to return to Ireland. From the very first day Derek Hine (National Recruiting Manager) came to my house on the north east coast of Ireland, in his black and white Magpie jacket, I knew that Collingwood was a special organisation.
After a four week trial at the Lexus Centre in July 2006, I decided to come and try and be part of the club’s huge tradition. The high-tech facilities, daily training, the chance to be professional, and the club’s home ground all represented utter quality. But the deciding factor in my decision to leave friends, family, the Gaelic Athletic Association and life in Ireland behind was the quality of the people who made up the heart of the club.
Everyone from Eddie McGuire, Mick Malthouse and Nathan Buckley to the youngest one-eyed supporter on the street treated me with a lot of respect. The fact that such a huge organisation could feel so personal was hard to believe and a credit to the club.
The challenges I faced when I first came over were huge. With the help of fitness and development coaches my progress was fast tracked and I was able to play my first game of AFL in Round 12, 2007. I pulled on the famous black and white stripes a further 45 times and I am proud of how I represented the club on each occasion. Playing with Collingwood helped me truly understand the beauty of being part of team sport.
My decision to return home was not an easy one. But I simply miss my home and the people close to me too much. I also have a burning desire to be a teacher and I want to start that stage of my life as soon as possible.
I am also looking forward to playing Gaelic football again. I strongly believe my best moments of my sporting life are ahead of me and at this stage and I want to show them on the GAA stage.
The latter stages of this year were forgettable ones on a football level. I suppose the uncertainty in my mind didn’t help.
I hope I provided the fans with some good memories and I would like to thank you for all your support.
I would like to thank Derek Hine and his wonderful family for their love and support over the past three years. I would like to thank all the coaching staff who each contributed to my development in no small way. All the backroom staff and volunteers who made the biggest sporting club in Australia seem like my local team in County Down.
And finally I’d like to thank all my teammates. The memories of running out to play with you in big games will remain with me for a long time. I have no doubt that I will be reading about a Premiership success in the very close future.
Led by a great coach and a magnificent captain I wish you boys and the whole club every happiness in the future.
Thank you Collingwood.
Slan Go Foill,
Marty C
Add comment September 25, 2009
Tadhg to stay in Kerry: report
The Irish Times is reporting that Tadhg Kennelly has ruled out a return to Australia.
Amid all the speculation regarding his future, Kennelly has moved to quell fears that he will return to Aussie Rules with the Sydney Swans. Just over 24 hours after winning his first All-Ireland medal, Kennelly said he will be back in search of a second next summer.
After dedicating the majority of his career to the Australian code, Kennelly returned this year to emulate his father, Tim, and brother, Noel, in getting his hands on the Sam Maguire.
And, having got his first taste of All-Ireland glory, it would appear the the 28-year-old is clearly hungry for more.
“I am committing (to Kerry),” Kennelly said. “I’ve had a great time at Sydney. I haven’t really thought about it at the moment but I will sit down and have a good think about it.
“My head is truly, truly set on Kerry. And my heart. That’s probably the main thing that has come out here.”
Add comment September 22, 2009
Kennelly completes dream double
Kerryman Tadhg Kennelly has completed a unique sporting feat.
As the final whistle blew at Croke Park last Sunday Kennelly became the first man to have won both an AFL Premiership Medal and an All Ireland winners’ medal. He also completed a life-long dream of lifting the Sam Maguire trophy above his head, as his late father Tim had done on five occasions, most memorably in 1979 when he captained the Kingdom to victory.
Kerry won the match 0-16 to 1-9, defeating neighbours and fierce rivals Cork in the process.
An emotional Kennelly told RTE immediately after the game that his first thoughts were of his dad.
“It’s very emotional,” Kennelly said, fighting back tears. “I’m very lucky to have come back and achieved this in my first year. My family have been through a lot. Personally, the years haven’t been too kind over there [in Australia].”
The 28-year-old had spoken recently of how, for a time, he resented Australia after his father’s premature death at the age of 59 in 2005.
He felt that his decision to play Aussie Rules had robbed him of time with his dad during those final years.
Of his unique AFL/GAA double, Kennelly said that the significance of it had yet to sink in.
“Just thinking of my father today,” he said.
In the stands at Croke Park to watch Tadhg achieve ths rare feat were Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos and at least 15 other players and officials from the club who had travelled over to support him.
GAA and AFL fans around Australia watched the match live via Setanta Sports.
Add comment September 21, 2009
