Swans Irish connections

[SWANSBEST]

[URL]http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/18/1045330

Swans still keen for a dash of the green
February 19 2003





The cost of recruiting the next big AFL star from Ireland seems to have turned many clubs off the idea.

But, having reaped the rewards with rising star Tadhg Kennelly, Sydney is determined to press on with Experiment Emerald Isle.

The AFL's most famous Irish success is former Melbourne ruckman Jim Stynes, who arrived in Australia in 1984 and won the 1991 Brownlow Medal. In the same era was Scottish-born Sean Wight, who came from Ireland to play 150 games for Melbourne from 1985-95.

But since then, Ireland has remained a largely untapped resource by clubs other than Sydney.

Swans coach Paul Roos said the rarity of outstanding players meant no talent pool should be ignored. "Jim Stynes won a Brownlow Medal . . . I'm not sure how you can put a price on that," Roos said. "But, certainly from our point of view, we'll still explore it because we think it's worthwhile."



Roos understands why more teams don't look overseas. "For the amount of costs, it's probably prohibitive for some clubs."

The latest Irishman snapped up by Sydney is 192-centimetre Declan O'Mahony. Like Kennelly, the 18-year-old Dublin student impressed Swans national recruiting manager Rick Barham at an Ireland-Australia under-17 tournament. He spent two and a half weeks before Christmas trying his hand at the Australian game in Sydney.

O'Mahony has since returned to Ireland but will meet Barham in the middle of the year to discuss moving to Australia.

"We're hopeful that he'll come across at some stage this year," Roos said.

[Grant]

Thats answers everyones questions about O'Mahony then.There is still hope but perhaps he is just not ready yet,and i wouldn't push him either.When he decides he is ready then we see if he is ready to experiment with or not.

[Ajn]

Kennelly at least had the right attitude, scrub Maloney, don't need that attitude!

[penga]

Originally posted by Ajn
Kennelly at least had the right attitude, scrub Maloney, don't need that attitude!
get off your high horse, hes just a kid moving a long way for a sport he has barely played, give the kid some credit!

[vagary]

Originally posted by Ajn
Kennelly at least had the right attitude, scrub Maloney, don't need that attitude!

i think that is a bit harsh. he is afterall only about 18 or 19 and most people including me find it hard to make huge decisons like moving away from your family. his decison probably has the added pressure of moving halfway around the world.

[desredandwhite]

I'd say Kennelly is the exception rather than the rule. For reasons only really known to himself, he decided to give that strange oval ball game a go - luckily for us!

Can't really blame O'Mahony. He has things to consider - Family, studies, friends, does he prefer playing gaelic footy etc etc. Here's hoping he heads back over to have a go.

[vagary]

Originally posted by desredandwhite
I'd say Kennelly is the exception rather than the rule. For reasons only really known to himself, he decided to give that strange oval ball game a go - luckily for us!



and who knows? he may of had the same feelings that o'mahony is having now.

[liz]

It was reported back before the time of the draft that O'Mahoney was two years through a year three building technology course. It would be a big call to drop out of that with no guarantees of a future in a game you've never played before. Maybe once the course has finished he will reconsider.

[swansrock4eva]

wouldn't surprise me if he goes that way with it Liz. It's often quite hard to transfer parts of courses without appropriate means (i.e. student exchange etc). At least he came out here and gave it a go in the first place.

[Ajn]

Ok then, I can agree with most of that, but if he had stated his intensions there would be no way the Swans would pay his rookie wage for a future "maybe I'll come and play in a year or two". He's not that talented! I say good luck in his studies, focus on what your good at.

[LondonSwan]

Lizz

Kennelly's brother reckoned that he wouldnt be back but who knows and he is young. Someone mentioned that Ireland would have a professional league something akin to yours but I havent heard anything along those lines. There isnt the money for it to start with.

[Ajn]

I would have preferred that we gave the PNG kid a chance, at least he would have wanted to try!

[swansrock4eva]

Who's to say O'mahony didn't even want to try? if that's the case, he would have never come in the first place. but turning your back on your studies, which could set you up for life, to try something half way around the world that may not even work - it's a HUGE ask - kennelly had the advantage that he hadn't started uni or anything over there when we snapped him up. O'Mahony wouldn't be able to transfer his degree to complete at a uni over here, no matter how many strings the club tried to pull. There's no telling what his decision will be in a few months. At least he came and tried and had the guts to say no an offer that would probably have been VERY hard to refuse if he was good enough for it. Give the kid a break - in the same position you'd probably be torn in 2 over it as well.

[Ajn]

Surely he was aware he still had studies to do, and anyway I'm sure Sydney could offer him an as good (if not better) avenue to continue his studies. There is more to it than that, it's called ticker.

[swansrock4eva]

There was no way he could come out here and CONTINUE his studies. if he was going to study out here it would be from scratch - why whould you throw away 2 years of time and money invested in your education and your future, especially if the plan was to continue playing the AMATEUR gaelic football (which it would be assumed was the plan until the Swans put forward their offer)? Both the club and o'mahony knew of his studies obviously and the club was well aware of how big a decision he faced, studies aside. There are MANY more things for him to consider than just leaping at an opportunity half arsed because it's there to leap at. Not every foray into new territory is going to be as amazingly successful as Kennelly has been.

[Ajn]

I don't know where you get your facts from but the ability to transfer credits from country to country is not that hard, at worst he would have a extra subject or two to do if their schooling was below our standard. Either way it's a pointless exercise, I doubt he'll never play for us anyway, cause the path to travel to adapt isn't short!