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The Talent Drain

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How many fingers have you got? Breffni39 (Cavan) - Posts:11091 - 11/05/2017 link People seem to judge players to a high level when it comes to making it over there. The average career length for an AFL player is only around 5 years and the average number of games is less than 100. Considering guys going over are competing for contracts with lads who have been playing the sport since they were kids I'd consider even getting a pro contract a big achievement. They mightn't all be as successful as Jim Stynes but it certainly doesn't mean they haven't had a good career. if_in_doubt (Kildare) - Posts: 3685 - 11/05/2017 14:44:29 1985968 Link
Replying To if_in_doubt: "Always find it a bit funny how people claim the GAA should do something anytime a high profile player or one deemed to have good potential chooses a career path away from the GAA. A tiny fraction of GAA players are lost to the AFL - even at that many of them end up coming back after a few years. Nothing the GAA can offer could possibly match the chance to be a professional sportsman. The idea of a college scholarship, role coaching kids and an ambassador job for a sponsor doesn't add up at all - how do you decide which players get these? Only the ones tempted by Aussie rules or do we offer them to every kid who plays more than one sport and has a chance to make a living from it? Another idea that gets raised a lot is county boards or the county council looking after the player and setting him up with a job. It's not like councils are equal opportunity employers or anything like that, and sure LSP's don't have to adhere to Sport Ireland guidelines when hiring somebody - nah sure they can just ignore their funding partners and hire who they like. Also people seem to ignore basic employment law, if the GAA did ever manage to move down the professional route then say hello to intercounty transfers becoming the norm. People emigrate, always have done and always will do regardless of whether they're good at a particular sport or not. There's more jobs in bigger towns and cities than there is rural areas. There's nothing the GAA can do about either of those." How do ye in Dublin manage to keep ye'r players from going to Oz ? KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 11/05/2017 14:59:08 1985975 Link
How do ye in Dublin manage to keep ye'r players from going to Oz ? KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts:5108 - 11/05/2017 I'm from Kildare. Over the last couple of years we've lost Paul Cribbin, Sean Hurley, Dan Flynn and Paddy Brophy to the AFL. We also lost Kevin Feely to league football in England. From a Kildare fans point of view I'm happy each of them has since returned. if_in_doubt (Kildare) - Posts: 3685 - 11/05/2017 15:07:50 1985979 Link
Replying To KingdomBoy1: "How do ye in Dublin manage to keep ye'r players from going to Oz ?" Interesting question , answer is haven't a clue , not sure if we produce the type they like bar C Kilkenny , I know there has ben a few trial / camps over the years but honestly think there hasn't been a particular drive to recruit Dubs thankfully Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 11/05/2017 16:14:43 1985996 Link
if this poaching of our players continues we would be as well off not entering a team at Minor or at least not our strongest otherwise our days as an AI Challenger will be a thing of the past Might as well wind up the development squads as well , why spend scarce financial resources and painstaking hours of volunteers coaching them if the AFL is going to steal our best players every time without any compensation KYTotalFootball (Kerry) - Posts: 280 - 11/05/2017 20:24:26 1986059 Link
Replying To if_in_doubt: "How do ye in Dublin manage to keep ye'r players from going to Oz ? KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts:5108 - 11/05/2017 I'm from Kildare. Over the last couple of years we've lost Paul Cribbin, Sean Hurley, Dan Flynn and Paddy Brophy to the AFL. We also lost Kevin Feely to league football in England. From a Kildare fans point of view I'm happy each of them has since returned." Sound I thought you were a dub living in Kildare . and ya ye have lost a lot over the last few years but are they all back now? KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 11/05/2017 20:30:06 1986062 Link
Replying To Damothedub: "Interesting question , answer is haven't a clue , not sure if we produce the type they like bar C Kilkenny , I know there has ben a few trial / camps over the years but honestly think there hasn't been a particular drive to recruit Dubs thankfully" Ya it's interesting damo you'd think with Dublin being a hotbed of GAA with the last 6/7 years they'd have more interest in ye'r boys, maybe ye'r county board warned them off. On another note I see mark O'Connor has already made it on to the geelong senior team after only 7 months, the man is a football genius and was a massive loss to our U21s this year. KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 11/05/2017 20:36:16 1986063 Link
Replying To KingdomBoy1: "How do ye in Dublin manage to keep ye'r players from going to Oz ?" Dublin have lost many a player to soccer who either went on to England or playing LOI Gael85 (Dublin) - Posts: 1433 - 11/05/2017 22:05:20 1986081 Link
Replying To Gael85: "Dublin have lost many a player to soccer who either went on to England or playing LOI" Ya but ye got a bigger playing pool so ye can afford that kind of fall out. KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 11/05/2017 22:34:10 1986085 Link
Replying To Gael85: "Dublin have lost many a player to soccer who either went on to England or playing LOI" Ya but ye got a bigger playing pool so ye can afford that kind of fall out. KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 11/05/2017 22:39:46 1986088 Link
I honestly can't think of any Dublin player, with the exception of Ciarán Kilkenny, that any Australian club was interested in for the last 10 years or so. I could be wrong in that but I never seem to hear about Dublin players at those trials or being offered the chance to go Down Under. Kilkenny went out and it didn't work out for him and was home again very quickly if memory serves. I suppose the emigrant life is not for everyone. Very few players are actually lost to the AFL and Tommy Walsh is the only bona fide star imo. The rest of them are just lads with the potential to become stars. I think it is an issue that isn't as big as is being made out. Young players with potential are lost to the top level for a myriad of different reasons. College and life, just not quite being good enough, career path not compatible with inter-county football and a whole host of other reasons. A lot of players come back and become big players for their respective counties again from what I have seen. MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 12/05/2017 09:21:10 1986116 Link
Replying To MesAmis: "I honestly can't think of any Dublin player, with the exception of Ciarán Kilkenny, that any Australian club was interested in for the last 10 years or so. I could be wrong in that but I never seem to hear about Dublin players at those trials or being offered the chance to go Down Under. Kilkenny went out and it didn't work out for him and was home again very quickly if memory serves. I suppose the emigrant life is not for everyone. Very few players are actually lost to the AFL and Tommy Walsh is the only bona fide star imo. The rest of them are just lads with the potential to become stars. I think it is an issue that isn't as big as is being made out. Young players with potential are lost to the top level for a myriad of different reasons. College and life, just not quite being good enough, career path not compatible with inter-county football and a whole host of other reasons. A lot of players come back and become big players for their respective counties again from what I have seen." Kevin Devine from Clontarf played for a year or two. Declan O'Mahony and Kevin Nolan had trials but wasn't for them. Gael85 (Dublin) - Posts: 1433 - 12/05/2017 10:39:40 1986137 Link
Replying To Gael85: "Dublin have lost many a player to soccer who either went on to England or playing LOI" You've maybe lost 3 to players to Aussie rules and two of them are finished ffs , O Conor could be back next year you never know and Clifford hasn't gone anywhere yet. We're competing with soccer and rugby massive numbers play these games in Dublin, kids from working class areas dream of playing for cherry orchard or home farm or then Shamrock Rovers or Bohs before making it in England. The private school kids dream of playing for black rock or Clontarf and then Leinster and then we've a rake basketball teams all over the city and now with McGregor all the kids are doing mma and also unlike Kerry we're football is number 1 and nothing else we have hurling , so to just throw out "ah sure you have the numbers" while you've only lost one player right now to Aussie rules is a crazy statement. Last thing league of Ireland is packed with Dublin players and majority of players making it in Britain are Dublin born players. clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 12/05/2017 11:36:47 1986157 Link
Replying To MesAmis: "I honestly can't think of any Dublin player, with the exception of Ciarán Kilkenny, that any Australian club was interested in for the last 10 years or so. I could be wrong in that but I never seem to hear about Dublin players at those trials or being offered the chance to go Down Under. Kilkenny went out and it didn't work out for him and was home again very quickly if memory serves. I suppose the emigrant life is not for everyone. Very few players are actually lost to the AFL and Tommy Walsh is the only bona fide star imo. The rest of them are just lads with the potential to become stars. I think it is an issue that isn't as big as is being made out. Young players with potential are lost to the top level for a myriad of different reasons. College and life, just not quite being good enough, career path not compatible with inter-county football and a whole host of other reasons. A lot of players come back and become big players for their respective counties again from what I have seen." I don't know mes, I've been watching football all my life and mark O'Connor was the best young midfield player I've Ever seen. He was like a cross between jack O'Shea and Mick O'connell, he has it all and we're all going to miss out on what he could have become I'm afraid . KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 12/05/2017 11:42:58 1986164 Link
My last post was replying to kingdomboy on his "we have the numbers to cope" clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 12/05/2017 11:49:30 1986174 Link
Its not a new phenomena and Dublin were in the vanguard, Dublin lost Jim Stynes to the AFL in 1984 just after he won a minor All Ireland and went of to be Irelands successful export to AFL, he is a legend over there and here. His brother Bryan Stynes went out as well in the 90s and spent his younger career out there, when he returned he went onto win a Senior All Ireland with Dublin. TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 12/05/2017 12:03:53 1986187 Link
A player usually goes abroad to the UK to play soccer when they are well before minor level. I don't know what the age demographic is for afl. To say that a 16 year old is lost to a foreign game is a bit of a stretch as they have never made it as a senior gaa player in the first place. Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 12/05/2017 12:11:49 1986194 Link
Replying To TheUsername: "Its not a new phenomena and Dublin were in the vanguard, Dublin lost Jim Stynes to the AFL in 1984 just after he won a minor All Ireland and went of to be Irelands successful export to AFL, he is a legend over there and here. His brother Bryan Stynes went out as well in the 90s and spent his younger career out there, when he returned he went onto win a Senior All Ireland with Dublin." Jim stynes was poty over there as well in a time when we badly needed him cause of Meath's dominance but you never heard us complaining. clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 12/05/2017 12:36:30 1986200 Link
Replying To clondalkindub: "My last post was replying to kingdomboy on his "we have the numbers to cope"" FYI, we play hurling too! TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 12/05/2017 12:41:43 1986203 Link
You've maybe lost 3 to players to Aussie rules and two of them are finished ffs , O Conor could be back next year you never know and Clifford hasn't gone anywhere yet. We're competing with soccer and rugby massive numbers play these games in Dublin, kids from working class areas dream of playing for cherry orchard or home farm or then Shamrock Rovers or Bohs before making it in England. The private school kids dream of playing for black rock or Clontarf and then Leinster and then we've a rake basketball teams all over the city and now with McGregor all the kids are doing mma and also unlike Kerry we're football is number 1 and nothing else we have hurling , so to just throw out "ah sure you have the numbers" while you've only lost one player right now to Aussie rules is a crazy statement. Last thing league of Ireland is packed with Dublin players and majority of players making it in Britain are Dublin born players. clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts:8516 - 12/05/2017 11:36:47 Big generilisation to say private school kids and virtually none go to play for stradbrook(blackrock college rfc club) when they finish school. i do agree with a lot of your point though ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 12/05/2017 12:52:26 1986207 Link