Louth centre back Mick Fanning will emigrate to Australia for at least a year on Sunday.

Unsuccessful efforts to find suitable work have left the qualified physiotherapist with no option but to leave Ireland. The Naomh Mairtin clubman will fly out with fellow Louth star Brian White and two other friends and they plan to meet up with another Wee County stalwart, John O'Brien, when they arrive in Australia.

The decision of Fanning, White and O'Brien to leave these shores leaves huge voids for Louth manager Peter Fitzpatrick to fill in the coming year.

Fanning told The Irish Times: "I'm looking forward to it now, can't wait. We're heading away next Sunday. There's a lot of last-minute organisation, but we're almost ready to go. We'll spend a week-and-a-half in Thailand and then it's on to Sydney for January 25th.

"It's something I've always wanted to do since I was a young lad around 17 or 18, even to go to America or travel somewhere else. Football always kept me at home but with my work situation, it's a perfect time to go." Tweet

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