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AFL Combines Now An Annual Thing

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I see Marty Clarke and his AFL buddys were back in UCD at the weekend. Scouring the country for the best young GAA athletes. How are they still being let come over here with their AFL Combines? It's become an annual event in Dublin. It looks like Kerry are going to lose another youngster to Aussie Rules too.

GalwayMan (Galway) - Posts: 91 - 09/12/2019 15:21:25    2253953

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Replying To GalwayMan:  "I see Marty Clarke and his AFL buddys were back in UCD at the weekend. Scouring the country for the best young GAA athletes. How are they still being let come over here with their AFL Combines? It's become an annual event in Dublin. It looks like Kerry are going to lose another youngster to Aussie Rules too."
They can't be barred from Ireland. The GAA doesn't own UCD so the AFL can come and go as they please. It's no different than soccer clubs in England scouting Irish talent.

Hawkeye9212 (Donegal) - Posts: 266 - 09/12/2019 15:26:51    2253955

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I don't think it's possible to stop them renting a training facility and inviting young lads to try out.
Just looked up the news article. I never realised Deividas Uosis was so athletic, I've only ever seen him play in goals where he is superb.

And of course it's an annual thing. The success of recent recruits like McKenna and O'Connor is beating a path to the AFL for the very best young players here. This is going to be an ongoing issue for the GAA imo and there is nothing they can do about it. Good luck to any of the lads that get a shot out of it.

GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 2105 - 09/12/2019 15:38:17    2253958

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Replying To GalwayMan:  "I see Marty Clarke and his AFL buddys were back in UCD at the weekend. Scouring the country for the best young GAA athletes. How are they still being let come over here with their AFL Combines? It's become an annual event in Dublin. It looks like Kerry are going to lose another youngster to Aussie Rules too."
Kerry or the GAA as a whole don't own players. It's a trial being held by a professional sporting body to assess if they can offer guys a professional sporting career and a life in Australia. I don't really see an issue with it - lets be honest it would be a great lifestyle if you're good enough to make it - not every talented player would choose an amateur career in Ireland over a professional one in Australia. Thankfully though most decide to remain at home but the choice shouldn't be seen as a problem.

sam1884 (UK) - Posts: 999 - 09/12/2019 15:58:26    2253964

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Replying To Hawkeye9212:  "They can't be barred from Ireland. The GAA doesn't own UCD so the AFL can come and go as they please. It's no different than soccer clubs in England scouting Irish talent."
It's not the same as English soccer scouts coming over though is it? The AFL Combine in Ireland is about trying to poach the best young talent from another sport. I think it's too easy for the AFL to do this. They are exploiting the GAA. I don't blame a player going for the chance of playing professional sport but it's their GAA club who are the biggest losers. The club has invested a lot of time in developing the player's athleticism and skills but its the AFL club who benefit from their hard work. Yes a lot of young GAA players never make it and come back.

GalwayMan (Galway) - Posts: 91 - 09/12/2019 16:06:25    2253965

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Replying To GalwayMan:  "It's not the same as English soccer scouts coming over though is it? The AFL Combine in Ireland is about trying to poach the best young talent from another sport. I think it's too easy for the AFL to do this. They are exploiting the GAA. I don't blame a player going for the chance of playing professional sport but it's their GAA club who are the biggest losers. The club has invested a lot of time in developing the player's athleticism and skills but its the AFL club who benefit from their hard work. Yes a lot of young GAA players never make it and come back."
It is the same. What do you want to the GAA to do about it? It's a free country. The AFL can come and go as they please and individual players are free to choose a sport which they want to play.

Hawkeye9212 (Donegal) - Posts: 266 - 09/12/2019 16:41:04    2253976

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Replying To GalwayMan:  "It's not the same as English soccer scouts coming over though is it? The AFL Combine in Ireland is about trying to poach the best young talent from another sport. I think it's too easy for the AFL to do this. They are exploiting the GAA. I don't blame a player going for the chance of playing professional sport but it's their GAA club who are the biggest losers. The club has invested a lot of time in developing the player's athleticism and skills but its the AFL club who benefit from their hard work. Yes a lot of young GAA players never make it and come back."
You can't have it two ways meaning we can't shout about being the best amateur sporting organisation in the world and volunteers giving their time to local parish teams and then say clubs shouldn't have their volunteers poached by a professional sporting organisation. We're amateur not even semi professional so if a volunteer decides to step into his/her local club facilities it doesn't mean that club is allowed to dicate the rest of their lives. What happens if a club player wants to take a non sporting job somewhere in the world, can the club or county also say no!? It's the same principle, of course the AFL would see the GAA as a cheap and very successful scouting network but there is nothing the GAA can do to stop it.

sam1884 (UK) - Posts: 999 - 09/12/2019 17:02:26    2253979

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Replying To Hawkeye9212:  "It is the same. What do you want to the GAA to do about it? It's a free country. The AFL can come and go as they please and individual players are free to choose a sport which they want to play."
Agree with Hawkeye.

Also it should be noted that they're not taking the best young talent in the country. They're having a look at certain types of players, some will go and the vast majority will stay at home.

It's a tiny fraction of players at the end of the day. The player has to firstly be of a certain type, secondly good enough at adapting and thirdly want to go and live on the other side of the world.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 09/12/2019 17:41:49    2253988

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Replying To GeniusGerry:  "I don't think it's possible to stop them renting a training facility and inviting young lads to try out.
Just looked up the news article. I never realised Deividas Uosis was so athletic, I've only ever seen him play in goals where he is superb.

And of course it's an annual thing. The success of recent recruits like McKenna and O'Connor is beating a path to the AFL for the very best young players here. This is going to be an ongoing issue for the GAA imo and there is nothing they can do about it. Good luck to any of the lads that get a shot out of it."
It's going to be an on going issue for some counties and not others Gerry,

I see Matthew Ruane is being looked at as well, how are Kerry Mayo Tyrone Donegal supposed to catch up with the dubs if we keep losing our best players and they don't?

Uosis played out the field a fair bit for the school, he's an excellent kicker as well.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 09/12/2019 18:01:08    2253991

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I think it's disgusting the AFL offering these lads good jobs in a sunny country

Breezy (Limerick) - Posts: 1236 - 09/12/2019 18:45:30    2253997

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Replying To KingdomBoy1:  "It's going to be an on going issue for some counties and not others Gerry,

I see Matthew Ruane is being looked at as well, how are Kerry Mayo Tyrone Donegal supposed to catch up with the dubs if we keep losing our best players and they don't?

Uosis played out the field a fair bit for the school, he's an excellent kicker as well."
Keep losing your best players....???
Come back to me when O'Shea and Clifford are snapped up and then we can discuss....

Dublin lost one of our best prospects this year or did you forget....???

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 3727 - 09/12/2019 19:52:03    2254005

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You couldn't begrudge any one giving a go, with the money and lifestyle benefits. Not just looking at minors or U20's, 23 Matthew Ruane being looked at.

An average Irish rookie receives 80K annually, three return trips a year, free rent and use of a car for two years.

An average AFL players salary is 371k.

The best paid players earn over a million a year.

Almost but not quite as much as the Dublin players. ;)

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 09/12/2019 20:38:34    2254012

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Replying To Fionn:  "Keep losing your best players....???
Come back to me when O'Shea and Clifford are snapped up and then we can discuss....

Dublin lost one of our best prospects this year or did you forget....???"
Who?

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 09/12/2019 20:41:40    2254013

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Replying To MesAmis:  "Agree with Hawkeye.

Also it should be noted that they're not taking the best young talent in the country. They're having a look at certain types of players, some will go and the vast majority will stay at home.

It's a tiny fraction of players at the end of the day. The player has to firstly be of a certain type, secondly good enough at adapting and thirdly want to go and live on the other side of the world."
With our populations in Kerry Mayo Tyrone Donegal we can't afford to lose any of our talented players if we're to catch up and it looks like my own club will have lost 2 top players now with Uosis being courted.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 09/12/2019 20:49:28    2254016

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Replying To KingdomBoy1:  "With our populations in Kerry Mayo Tyrone Donegal we can't afford to lose any of our talented players if we're to catch up and it looks like my own club will have lost 2 top players now with Uosis being courted."
So what should the GAA do please tell us.
Its either the GAA goes pro or we get over it and even if the GAA did go pro many lads might like to try the life in Oz anyway

Breezy (Limerick) - Posts: 1236 - 10/12/2019 01:57:27    2254047

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With our populations in Kerry Mayo Tyrone Donegal we can't afford to lose any of our talented players if we're to catch up and it looks like my own club will have lost 2 top players now with Uosis being courted.
KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 9984 - 09/12/2019 20:49:28

Your club, as all clubs, have bigger issues than the AFL.

It's just one of a number of things that your club loses players too.

It's probably the smallest and least likely to happen factor that clubs have to deal with in terms of player retention.

Best of luck to anyone who goes over and gives it a go.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 10/12/2019 09:55:43    2254060

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Replying To GalwayMan:  "I see Marty Clarke and his AFL buddys were back in UCD at the weekend. Scouring the country for the best young GAA athletes. How are they still being let come over here with their AFL Combines? It's become an annual event in Dublin. It looks like Kerry are going to lose another youngster to Aussie Rules too."
An AFL combine? Never heard of them. I have a New Holland one meself.

The_Fonz (Westmeath) - Posts: 213 - 10/12/2019 10:08:24    2254061

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Replying To Breezy:  "So what should the GAA do please tell us.
Its either the GAA goes pro or we get over it and even if the GAA did go pro many lads might like to try the life in Oz anyway"
The GAA can't or won't do anything unless it starts to effect dublin, which for some reason it doesn't seem to happen them.

How many young dubs were at this combine?

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 10/12/2019 10:37:47    2254063

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Replying To KingdomBoy1:  "The GAA can't or won't do anything unless it starts to effect dublin, which for some reason it doesn't seem to happen them.

How many young dubs were at this combine?"
The same amount of young lads that Kerry had it would seem. 1.

https://www.the42.ie/afl-combine-dublin-deividas-uosis-4923823-Dec2019/

Jackeen (Dublin) - Posts: 4097 - 10/12/2019 11:08:40    2254068

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Replying To KingdomBoy1:  "The GAA can't or won't do anything unless it starts to effect dublin, which for some reason it doesn't seem to happen them.

How many young dubs were at this combine?"
The GAA can't do anything full stop.

There were the same amount of Dubs at this as Kerrymen.

It has affected Dublin in the past and will again in the future.

Out of the the 5 Kerry minor All-Ireland winning panels, that's at least a 100 different players, how many have decided to take an opportunity in Australia?

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 10/12/2019 12:03:34    2254079

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