Irish Echo Sport

Collingwood FC has become the latest AFL club to step up its recruitment set up in Ireland.

According to a report in The Melbourne Age, the club’s chief executive Gary Pert is visiting Ireland to meet with several Gaelic football clubs and Ireland’s peak sporting body, the Gaelic Athletic Association.

According to the report, Pert will meet with the GAA, which runs the Gaelic football league to further explore the possibility of the Magpies playing a hybrid rules exhibition match against an Irish club possibly in November at Dublin’s Croke Park.

The match was initially intended as an alternative to the lapsed International Rules series between Ireland and Australia, but Collingwood still hopes to play it despite the other series being revived for October this year.

A Collingwood source told The Age Pert was also making the trip to build a stronger relationship between the Australian and Irish football codes.

The source said that while Collingwood had a keen interest in exploring opportunities in Ireland, it wanted to put its emphasis on building strong relationships and did not want to appear to be simply plundering the Irish league for the best talent.

Collingwood has two Irish players on its list — Down-man Martin Clarke, who debuted with great success last year, and rookie-listed Kevin Dyas from Armagh, who is yet to play a senior game.