The past two weeks have been a hectic time for the Irish boys in the AFL but the groundwork for this transformation has been made in the pipeline for some time now. To be quite frank, the interest in the Irish "experiment" peaked in those hazy days when I was giving Ricky Nixon disguises so that we wouldn't get attacked as we walked down Tralee Main Street. To explain the transformation I think it’s important to go back to the start of this cycle.
In 1987 Jim Stynes was brought to Australia by the Melbourne Demons and their far seeing coach Ron Baresi. He appreciated that Gaelic Footballers were natural bedfellows of Aussie Rules and that certain players could prosper in the game. After his success - Stynes went on to win the Brownlow (Player of the Year Award) - there was a rush to recruit Irish players. Alas Anthony Tohill, Brian Stynes, Colin Corkery and others came and failed. Thinking the talent had dried up, AFL clubs deserted the Emerald Isle. That was until a certain Tadgh Kennelly burst onto the scene.
I don't know how it happened but the Sydney Swans took the brave decision to go against the grain and recruit an Irish player. This turned out to be one of the best decisions in the club history, as Kennellys strong run and carry propelled the Swans to the 2005 Premiership. His performances encouraged all the other clubs to dust down their passports and travel to Ireland in the hope of finding the next Kennelly much like clubs in the early nineties tried to find the next Stynes. Herein lies the crux of the problem - there is no next Stynes or Kennelly, these guys are superstars of the game and to think that every GAA player is as good as these two is unrealistic.
In 1987 Jim Stynes was brought to Australia by the Melbourne Demons and their far seeing coach Ron Baresi. He appreciated that Gaelic Footballers were natural bedfellows of Aussie Rules and that certain players could prosper in the game. After his success - Stynes went on to win the Brownlow (Player of the Year Award) - there was a rush to recruit Irish players. Alas Anthony Tohill, Brian Stynes, Colin Corkery and others came and failed. Thinking the talent had dried up, AFL clubs deserted the Emerald Isle. That was until a certain Tadgh Kennelly burst onto the scene.
I don't know how it happened but the Sydney Swans took the brave decision to go against the grain and recruit an Irish player. This turned out to be one of the best decisions in the club history, as Kennellys strong run and carry propelled the Swans to the 2005 Premiership. His performances encouraged all the other clubs to dust down their passports and travel to Ireland in the hope of finding the next Kennelly much like clubs in the early nineties tried to find the next Stynes. Herein lies the crux of the problem - there is no next Stynes or Kennelly, these guys are superstars of the game and to think that every GAA player is as good as these two is unrealistic.
