National Forum

International Rules

(Oldest Posts First) - Go To The Latest Post


Replying To togoutlads:  "It's really bad. As a Galway man, I have to say I'd have liked to have seen this lad play for Mayo, do his best in your jersey and help drive on the standard in Connacht. We need to hold our future stars in Gaelic Football. I've gone on about this issue before umpteen times in the past on this forum.
I know for a fact and on particularly good authority from people that know what they're talking about in Melbourne that the AFL clubs and their agents are absolutely laughing at us re. just how easy it is to do this. To watch our rising talent from afar, spot the outperformers, swoop in, pitch the oftentimes empty promises of a professional career and the Aussie lifestyle - and they do all this safe in the knowledge that they owe absolutely nothing to the GAA nor to the club that put thousands of collective hours of work into a players development. Not so much as a box or chocolates! It's scandalous. Not very fair on clubs, mentors, supporters."
It is very disheartening. We in Mayo don't produce young talent like Kobe that often . My worry now is the Aussies will go after the rest of our talented under 20s as we have a few very promising young ones coming up. I just hope that the AFL is of no interest to them and would rather stay and play for Andy when he brings us back to being competitive .

S1234 (Mayo) - Posts: 444 - 03/11/2025 16:13:37    2642844

Link

Replying To GDL:  "This is a reasonable decision by his parents. They will have his best interests central to his future and will have considered all the options.There is more to life than joining an intercounty panel at 18. Best wishes to the young fella, I hope he is very successful there."
Highly doubt you would be saying this if it was a young star from Galway. Sure your only delighted for Mayo to loose him .. !

S1234 (Mayo) - Posts: 444 - 03/11/2025 16:35:16    2642847

Link

Replying To GDL:  "This is a reasonable decision by his parents. They will have his best interests central to his future and will have considered all the options.There is more to life than joining an intercounty panel at 18. Best wishes to the young fella, I hope he is very successful there."
Indeed. Best of luck to the lad down under. Better to be getting a few pounds running after a ball down there than getting nothing but abuse from disgruntled Mayo supporters running after a ball in Ireland. The same disgruntled types that can't even come to wish the lad the best of luck in his new venture.

foreveryoung (USA) - Posts: 2395 - 03/11/2025 17:43:46    2642855

Link

Replying To S1234:  "Highly doubt you would be saying this if it was a young star from Galway. Sure your only delighted for Mayo to loose him .. !"
We did with mcdaid left and wished him well

jm25 (Galway) - Posts: 1728 - 03/11/2025 17:50:29    2642859

Link

Replying To S1234:  "Highly doubt you would be saying this if it was a young star from Galway. Sure your only delighted for Mayo to loose him .. !"
He's only played a year of adult football and been compared to Clifford hold your horses

jm25 (Galway) - Posts: 1728 - 03/11/2025 17:51:44    2642860

Link

Replying To togoutlads:  "It's really bad. As a Galway man, I have to say I'd have liked to have seen this lad play for Mayo, do his best in your jersey and help drive on the standard in Connacht. We need to hold our future stars in Gaelic Football. I've gone on about this issue before umpteen times in the past on this forum.
I know for a fact and on particularly good authority from people that know what they're talking about in Melbourne that the AFL clubs and their agents are absolutely laughing at us re. just how easy it is to do this. To watch our rising talent from afar, spot the outperformers, swoop in, pitch the oftentimes empty promises of a professional career and the Aussie lifestyle - and they do all this safe in the knowledge that they owe absolutely nothing to the GAA nor to the club that put thousands of collective hours of work into a players development. Not so much as a box or chocolates! It's scandalous. Not very fair on clubs, mentors, supporters."
The main reason Conor Mc Kenna left GAA twice to go for a future in Australia Rules was the ratio of game time to training. He said in Australia it was a doddle compared to GAA. Plus they have their free time for the night out after matches. Lads can't compete with this, there's more to life even though I can't bare the hybrid game.

Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2456 - 03/11/2025 17:56:39    2642861

Link

Replying To Meridian:  "Maybe I didn't explain my point. The Club develop the player in the hope that in the future they will play on to adult years with the Club. Why should such a club be then penalised and have such a player, who they played a big part in developing, be taken from them without anything in return. For a rural Club, such a player could represent their whole future and that could be taken away in an instant. I think the GAA could do more here in that they could insist that the Club involved should receive compensation for the loss. Even if its something like €10,000. its better than nothing at all."
What I dont get in all of this is that most posters with a negative view of lads going over to Australia to try make a living out of sport view the player as a commodity or piece of meat. And seem obsessed by money.
Our club, a small enough club down here, have had intercounty players head off to Oz, not to play AFL but still over there now, and good luck to them. I'm happy that they are happy. Hopefully they come back to play for the club but thats entirely their own decision. While I didnt coach those lads and they young, if any of the lads I'm currently involved in coaching end up playing professional soccer or AFL I'd be absolutely delighted for them.
As a member of our clubs Executive I know that no individual player has cost us as a club anything to develop. Volunteers like me coach all our underage teams, and we don't put any more time into the strongest as we do the weakest. In fact our u14 manager has probably spent more time working with the weakest.
I coach because I enjoy it. The lads train and improve because they enjoy it also. Its not about money.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17375 - 03/11/2025 18:18:32    2642863

Link

Replying To jm25:  "He's only played a year of adult football and been compared to Clifford hold your horses"
Well he is even better at his his age then Clifford was . How are we getting ahead of ourselves . It's a massive loss to Mayo .

S1234 (Mayo) - Posts: 444 - 03/11/2025 18:48:44    2642866

Link

Why is no one upset about GAA players who have defected to professional soccer and professional rugby?

Kevin Moran, Niall Quinn, Shane Long, Cillian Sheridan, Packie Bonner, Daryl Horgan, Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Tadhg Furlong, Robbie Henshaw, Conor Murray, Shane Horgan, Simon Zebo, David Meyler, etc

Aibrean (Kerry) - Posts: 353 - 03/11/2025 18:49:23    2642868

Link

Replying To Viking66:  "What I dont get in all of this is that most posters with a negative view of lads going over to Australia to try make a living out of sport view the player as a commodity or piece of meat. And seem obsessed by money.
Our club, a small enough club down here, have had intercounty players head off to Oz, not to play AFL but still over there now, and good luck to them. I'm happy that they are happy. Hopefully they come back to play for the club but thats entirely their own decision. While I didnt coach those lads and they young, if any of the lads I'm currently involved in coaching end up playing professional soccer or AFL I'd be absolutely delighted for them.
As a member of our clubs Executive I know that no individual player has cost us as a club anything to develop. Volunteers like me coach all our underage teams, and we don't put any more time into the strongest as we do the weakest. In fact our u14 manager has probably spent more time working with the weakest.
I coach because I enjoy it. The lads train and improve because they enjoy it also. Its not about money."
I can't see how it works say crossmolina say they want 10k for Kobe and afl say no what's their plan?? they have no legal recourse to block move be same as trying to stop him playing rugby for Connacht ballina etc

jm25 (Galway) - Posts: 1728 - 03/11/2025 18:54:41    2642869

Link

Another way to look at it is if this drip drip of top young lads to Australia continues then semi pro or full pro gaelic football players in Ireland are inevitable in order to stop the drain. It is the only way it might be stopped.

alalalalalum (USA) - Posts: 64 - 03/11/2025 19:34:37    2642876

Link

Replying To Aibrean:  "Why is no one upset about GAA players who have defected to professional soccer and professional rugby?

Kevin Moran, Niall Quinn, Shane Long, Cillian Sheridan, Packie Bonner, Daryl Horgan, Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Tadhg Furlong, Robbie Henshaw, Conor Murray, Shane Horgan, Simon Zebo, David Meyler, etc"
In fairness coming from a kerry one you don't understand the loss of such a generational talent like kobe is to Mayo so sorry if we are not more upset over ones switching sports then this !!

S1234 (Mayo) - Posts: 444 - 03/11/2025 20:30:43    2642887

Link

Replying To alalalalalum:  "Another way to look at it is if this drip drip of top young lads to Australia continues then semi pro or full pro gaelic football players in Ireland are inevitable in order to stop the drain. It is the only way it might be stopped."
There are c.1700 GAA Clubs in Ireland, so say 1500 football ones.
Say 2,000 Minor teams x 28 = 56,000 players.
Even 10 per year heading to try AFL isn't worth panicking about.

Seanfan (Roscommon) - Posts: 206 - 03/11/2025 20:31:24    2642888

Link

Replying To Seanfan:  "There are c.1700 GAA Clubs in Ireland, so say 1500 football ones.
Say 2,000 Minor teams x 28 = 56,000 players.
Even 10 per year heading to try AFL isn't worth panicking about."
I think you are missing the point - Kobe is a generational talent...

At this rate every county that produces a talent like this, will lose them to AFL...

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 4715 - 03/11/2025 21:50:55    2642894

Link

Replying To Seanfan:  "There are c.1700 GAA Clubs in Ireland, so say 1500 football ones.
Say 2,000 Minor teams x 28 = 56,000 players.
Even 10 per year heading to try AFL isn't worth panicking about."
Fair enough coming from a Rossie the Aussies don't bother with ye.. but they come and take our beat in men & womens !

S1234 (Mayo) - Posts: 444 - 03/11/2025 21:55:41    2642896

Link

Replying To Aibrean:  "Why is no one upset about GAA players who have defected to professional soccer and professional rugby?

Kevin Moran, Niall Quinn, Shane Long, Cillian Sheridan, Packie Bonner, Daryl Horgan, Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Tadhg Furlong, Robbie Henshaw, Conor Murray, Shane Horgan, Simon Zebo, David Meyler, etc"
Good point. Seamus Coleman is another off the top of my head.

WeGoAgain (Donegal) - Posts: 103 - 03/11/2025 22:34:52    2642898

Link

Replying To S1234:  "In fairness coming from a kerry one you don't understand the loss of such a generational talent like kobe is to Mayo so sorry if we are not more upset over ones switching sports then this !!"
There's another lad signed going yday where is he from ?

Ever hear of mark oconnor?

jm25 (Galway) - Posts: 1728 - 04/11/2025 02:24:26    2642907

Link

Replying To Seanfan:  "There are c.1700 GAA Clubs in Ireland, so say 1500 football ones.
Say 2,000 Minor teams x 28 = 56,000 players.
Even 10 per year heading to try AFL isn't worth panicking about."
56,000 players....how many of those are genuinely elite that you'd pay to go watch.

alalalalalum (USA) - Posts: 64 - 04/11/2025 07:43:31    2642911

Link

Replying To Aibrean:  "Why is no one upset about GAA players who have defected to professional soccer and professional rugby?

Kevin Moran, Niall Quinn, Shane Long, Cillian Sheridan, Packie Bonner, Daryl Horgan, Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Tadhg Furlong, Robbie Henshaw, Conor Murray, Shane Horgan, Simon Zebo, David Meyler, etc"
I'd always argue in that case that the irfu is a direct competitor to the gaa and should not be facilitated by allowing irfu professional teams to use gaa grounds. Likewise there should be no good relationship with the afl

alalalalalum (USA) - Posts: 64 - 04/11/2025 07:46:04    2642912

Link

Replying To S1234:  "Well he is even better at his his age then Clifford was . How are we getting ahead of ourselves . It's a massive loss to Mayo ."
No he isn't Clifford was scoring 4-4 in all Ireland minor finals at that age and far more developed

He is an outstanding talent but still very young

Michael Meehan was better at that age and he ended up not hitting heights expected of him in senior IC

What happened that archer chap who played underage for Dublin must be mid 20s now and not come through

jm25 (Galway) - Posts: 1728 - 04/11/2025 08:23:08    2642915

Link