One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: one-eyed on August 16, 2007, 03:01:21 AM
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Emerald Isle lure for Aussies
16 August 2007 Herald Sun
Daryl Timms
RICHMOND will investigate an ambitious proposal to launch a footballer exchange program with Ireland.
The Tigers could provide players, who don't reach the top AFL level, to Ireland's Gaelic Athletic Association.
Irish football officials are concerned about the increasing interest from AFL clubs, who want to poach some of the country's best young Gaelic players.
Tigers football director Greg Miller said yesterday the provision of Australian players to Ireland could ease some of the tension.
"At the moment it's one-way traffic, but it could change if Australian players were going to Ireland," Miller said.
While the Irish footballers are amateurs, Miller said a life-style change could lure Australians to Ireland to play Gaelic football.
Miller and player agent Peter Jess, who has been identifying Irish talent for nearly two decades, will investigate the proposal when they travel to Ireland in October.
"It's Peter's idea and I certainly think it has got merit," Miller said.
"We will talk to people over there in October and say that while the traffic is one-way, maybe there could be players over here who aren't totally suited to our game but could be better suited to their game.
"Although they don't pay money in Ireland, the provide career opportunities and players here could be looking for a change."
Miller said tension remained in Ireland over last year's International Rules Series, which was marred by violence.
The Irish called off this year's series in Australia and will only re-ignite further series if the AFL agrees to various rule changes.
And now the presence of several AFL club recruiting scouts in Ireland has the Irish worried about losing more young talent to Australia.
Miller said it would not just be players who didn't make it at Richmond who could be interested in playing in Ireland.
"It's not just Richmond per se, but it could be across the board," he said.
"We might see someone who is on the list of another club who is not totally suited to our game who could be interested in a life change thing or a career change.
"Because we know the talent around Australia, by the virtue of the work you do as a recruiting department, it gives the chance to see who is available.
"We will go over to Ireland and see a few games and talk to the people there and see what their ideas are on the proposal and we will certainly explore the idea."
The Irish were in raptures over the form of former Richmond defender Andrew Kellaway when he toured Ireland with the Australian team in 2002. Irish coach John O'Keeffe said Kellaway, who was Australia's goalkeeper, would get a game with most top Gaelic teams.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,22252802%255E19742,00.html
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The Tigers could provide players, who don't reach the top AFL level, to Ireland's Gaelic Athletic Association.
Apparently half the Richmond team were at Travel World yesterday booking tickets to Ireland :lol
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The Tigers could provide players, who don't reach the top AFL level, to Ireland's Gaelic Athletic Association.
Apparently half the Richmond team were at Travel World yesterday booking tickets to Ireland :lol
;D
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The Tigers could provide players, who don't reach the top AFL level, to Ireland's Gaelic Athletic Association.
Apparently half the Richmond team were at Travel World yesterday booking tickets to Ireland :lol
LOL
Unless the GAA allows professionalism into their game (paying players handsomely) then it's hard to see any AFL player heading to Ireland to play Gaelic footy. State and local suburban footy pays more than the Irish do by the sound of it. The GAA wouldn't lose too many players to AFL either if they were a professional sport.
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If you are not going to make the big league then a trip to Ireland would be a life experience thing. Get a job stay a couple of years and see some of the rest of the world. Pretty much what a number of lower level Rugby Union guys do already
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If you are not going to make the big league then a trip to Ireland would be a life experience thing. Get a job stay a couple of years and see some of the rest of the world. Pretty much what a number of lower level Rugby Union guys do already
That's true Gracie but if it's an exchange program the Irish player coming the other way will stay longer than a couple of years if they makes it. No way would they make $200k plus per year back home. We'll still be taking away their most young and talented players while dumping our offcasts onto them. It'd be great for the RFC as it opens up the talent pool further for us to recruit from but I think it'll be hard to convince the GAA of such an idea.
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Turns out it only costs $1600 to sign up a talented Irish kid a la old form-four style as Carlton have done.
The Tigers should be looking at Irish rookies at that price.
http://realfooty.com.au/news/news/carlton-plunders-irish-teen-stocks/2007/10/23/1192941065450.html
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we're busy being active
hahahaha ;D
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Turns out it only costs $1600 to sign up a talented Irish kid a la old form-four style as Carlton have done.
The Tigers should be looking at Irish rookies at that price.
http://realfooty.com.au/news/news/carlton-plunders-irish-teen-stocks/2007/10/23/1192941065450.html
I hope the AFL decides to count that as salary cap money, they would be at the maximum now after Judd....they'll be in the pooh if they've exceeded the cap again!
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The Irish thing is a fad. It's a way of demonstrating to the football world that you are "leaving no stone unturned to be successful". OK. ::)
But there are hundreds of genuinely good footballers running around in TAC/SANFL/WAFL etc and suburban football teams who deserve just as much scrutiny as Gaelic footballers. Blokes that have grown up playing the game. We need to spend more on identifying these guys, lets not worry too muhc about the Irish grandstanding.
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$1600 is the figure quoted in that article, but the real cost of scouting, bringing them over etc would be quite big.
We are responsibly managing the finances of the club, we don't have a corrupt sugar daddy like Roman Prattovich to pay for everything. Instead we are living within our means, ensuring we have financial stability, and focusing on the most important matters like increasing spend on local recruiting, player development, facilities.
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Bringing over Gaelic footballers is the latest fad but the difference here is with an Irish kid he is yours if you find him whereas a kid in the TAC/SANFL/WAFL would still have to go into the National or rookie drafts and you may miss out on getting him despite using your resources to discover him out there.
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Far from a fad...Started with Jim Stynes back in 87 and is still continuing today. Martin Clarke is a goodun' and Kennelly has been great for sometime. If you call 20 years a fad then I had better pull out my yo-yo's, frisbees and Hula-hoops. I see it as an option but there is a lot of risk. I don't really rate the o'hailpin brothers at all.
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Far from a fad...Started with Jim Stynes back in 87 and is still continuing today. Martin Clarke is a goodun' and Kennelly has been great for sometime. If you call 20 years a fad then I had better pull out my yo-yo's, frisbees and Hula-hoops. I see it as an option but there is a lot of risk. I don't really rate the o'hailpin brothers at all.
LOL I still have my yo-yos :shh
Okay instead of fad let's just say it's become more trendy over the last couple of years since Kennelly won a flag with the Swans.
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No mention of us or our exchange idea in this latest Irish recruiting idea.
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AFL plunder: Grabbing Irish talent
Mark Robinson | February 13, 2008 12:00am
IRELAND'S best young talent is about to be plundered further with the introduction of a national recruiting network specifically for AFL clubs.
The audacious plan, the brainchild of manager Ricky Nixon of Flying Start, has a recruiter in each of Ireland's 32 counties reporting to a national co-ordinator.
That co-ordinator would then feed player information, videos and profiles into a central internet port.
For a fee, believed to be about $30,000 a year, clubs would have exclusive access to the best 14 to 20-year-olds in the country.
It's believed Collingwood, which already has a recruiting system in Ireland, is keen to expand its database.
Clubs such as the Cats, Essendon, St Kilda, the Kangaroos, Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn, along with West Australian and South Australian clubs, will consider the proposal as their first major steps into the untapped riches of Ireland.
Already those clubs trail the Magpies, Carlton, Sydney and the Brisbane Lions in the Irish market.
Full article at: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23205041-19742,00.html
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Clubs sign for Irish experiment
Jon Ralph | June 13, 2008 12:00am
FOUR AFL clubs have committed to Ricky Nixon's controversial national recruiting network for Irish teenagers, with two more clubs close to signing up.
Nixon's brainchild will offer clubs extensive footage and profiles of the top 100 Irish players with potential to transfer their skills to AFL football.
Geelong, Richmond, the Brisbane Lions and St Kilda have all committed to the $30,000 package, with North Melbourne and another unidentified club also extremely interested.
The Flying Start founder also has the backing of the AFL, which will recommend to the Galeic Athletic Association (GAA) it sits down with Nixon to scrutinise his plan.
Nixon has established a network of talent spotters consisting of Gaelic footy coaches, former AFL players now in Ireland, university professors and sports psychologists.
Many of the elite juniors are offered university scholarships, with Nixon to hold a talent camp at one of those universities, most likely in August.
Nixon said yesterday he hoped the scheme could spread to Northern America and Africa.
"It's all systems go. We have all the top 100 players over there and profiles on all of them, with the top 20 ranked 1-20," he said.
"We have new sports technology, a Swedish company called Dartfish which video-analyses players, and tags particular players to watch.
"(Recruiter) Stephen Wells can be sitting in an office in Geelong and at any time he can get onto a website and watch the highlights of the best players."
Nixon will arrive in Ireland next week to set up the training camp, which will put players through a series of physical, skill-based and psychological tests.
The participating clubs will be at the camp, assessing the players aged 17-21, and the prospective talent will be given a presentation on the transition to the AFL.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23856436-19742,00.html
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Young Irish players, and parents, to get taste of what AFL offers
Peter Hanlon | June 13, 2008
AUSTRALIAN football's global star search is set to intensify with a virtual draft camp to be held in Ireland in August featuring the best young Gaelic footballers with designs on a career in the AFL.
Player manager Ricky Nixon will this morning meet officials from Geelong, St Kilda, Richmond, North Melbourne and Brisbane Lions, who have paid $30,000 each to be the inaugural member clubs in what is essentially a national Irish recruiting scheme.
Nixon hopes their reward will be almost immediate.
"I'm pretty determined to get each of our original member clubs a good player in the first 12 months; I'm committed to that," Nixon said yesterday.
"If we don't it will be because the system doesn't work and the pool's not there, but I very much doubt that, given the footage I've seen in the last 24 hours. It's very exciting what some of these kids are going to be doing off half-back flanks or a wing in the next few years."
While talent-spotting in Ireland is nothing new to AFL football — nine Irishmen feature on 2008 club lists — Nixon's project would intensify the search to an unprecedented level. When he lands in Ireland in a fortnight, he will join a group of seven heading up the project at that end, including Lion Colm Begley's brother Joe, plus an elite junior coach, a sports psychologist, a university professor, an Australian expat who played in the VFL, and an ex-AFL teammate of Nixon's.
"I've already heard that one club person has heard I'll be in Ireland for a month and jumped on a plane," he said of the concern his plan has created among clubs who have preferred to go it alone.
"Clubs here feel like they've been doing it, but they know they haven't been doing it well. Not only that, they're fearful of who we might have on our list, and that this cartel is going to be far more attractive to a player than just one club going to see them."
A group of 20 to 30 Gaelic footballers aged 17 to 22, but mostly in the 17 to 19 bracket, will be invited to attend a camp in either Dublin or Belfast in August. Their parents will also be invited, with presentations made on all things AFL as well as life in Australia.
"This is a massive step forward compared to one club going over there and saying, 'Come to Australia, we'll look after you'," Nixon said.
The groundwork for drawing up a list of 100 prospective draftees has been made easier by using software from Swedish company Dartfish, which AFL clubs have already used as a teaching tool, but which in this instance has been applied to footage from GAA games to form a database of players.
"The software tags whatever you want — kicks, marks, handballs, shots on goal, etc. It will enable us to call up, say, Bill Murphy from Dublin, and if you click on 'kicks', footage of all of his kicks will come up one after the other. You don't need the whole game.
"We've got 100 players listed, full profiles on them, and we've ranked the first 15 to 20.
"We've identified a No. 1 draft pick — he's very quick, six foot three (191 centimetres), a Tadhg Kennelly type but a bit bigger."
Nixon said he had encountered resistance from GAA clubs and officials fearful of losing prime talent, and he hoped to meet them while in Ireland. He would tell them: "Anyone we take out of there will be a good chance to play AFL footy, as opposed to the amount who come across here now and end up playing VFL or in the suburbs."
AFL clubs are allowed no more than two international players on their lists.
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/young-irish-players-and-parents-to-get-taste-of-what-afl-offers/2008/06/12/1212863840034.html
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Great move from our club. Its about time we started to get involved in this stuff. Hopefully we can find a decent player to develop.
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What about South Africa, aren't clubs looking there as well?
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Hoping for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
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How will this work? Is there a special way of drafting kids from overseas ? If not wont all the clubs have access to any of these kids thought the draft ?
Draft day goes like this
Ess call Calum Murphy, Richmond next pick , DAM , we sunk $30,000 into getting this kid and he got taken before we could.
How do we secure any talent we spot?
Gee I have alot of questions today dont I?
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They're classed as international rookies on your list aren't they? I thought you could have one international rookie per list so if you pick one us then he's treated as any other rookie and other clubs can't touch them. Good initiative by the club to get involved.
Eagles, Freo, Pies and Blues have access to zones in South Africa Moi. Cost them about $200k each.
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One club (i imagine it was us) tried to have the group of 4 clubs agree to a draft type set up. Sadly this was not agreed. Its every club for itself with the 4 clubs having to battle one another for the signatures of the irish lads.
The irish boys seem most comfortable, in midfield roles, if we could find just one like Marty Clark at Collingwood it would be sensational.
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Ricky Nixon talks a bit more about the Irish venture we're signed up to....
Now you’ve got five AFL clubs signed up for your venture over there – Brisbane, Geelong, North Melbourne, Richmond and St Kilda. How does it work? They pay you a fee and what does that get them?
Number one is we’re tapped into Dartfish software. Stephen Wells at Geelong, for example, instead of him spending a lot of money having to go to Ireland all the time to identify talent, every week in his office he goes onto this site. The top 25 players are on there, he’ll click on their face or name and get information on what they’ve done in the last couple of weeks and also edited-up tagged highlights from their Gaelic matches – kicks, marks, handballs, clearances, whatever you want to see.
You’re also going to run a draft camp.
Yeah, we’re going to run one similar to the one run at the AIS. It’ll just be a two-day camp that’ll involve some physical testing with all the normal stuff; some psychological tests, some skills testing which will involve a fair bit with the Gaelic ball, just to get them comfortable, and then some with the Aussie Rules ball. And then we’ll do some face-to-face interviews with the clubs.
We’ll also do some social activities just to see how they interact with other people and that’ll be a full two days.
Are you hopeful more AFL clubs might come on board?
Yes and no. I certainly don’t think it could work with 16. I don’t think it could work with more than seven or eight.
There’s a couple pending. A couple of clubs, such as Collingwood and Sydney, have or say they already have great networks over there.
The [GAA] president made it very clear that he would like me to put something back to them about the welfare of the players that don’t make it. We already do it, but they weren’t aware of that.
Where have these potential players come from?
We’ve got a list of about 80 or 90 players that we’ve identified as having the potential to play AFL footy. They range from 17 to 23 and have been identified by a former AFL player, Dermot McNicholl who played with me at St Kilda, by three people who are involved in coaching elite junior sport over there and some other people who shall remain confidential.
And are these 80 or 90 players off-limits to the 11 other AFL clubs not involved in your program?
No, not at all. A kid rang me the other day and said, 'I’ve been invited to go to a meeting with this club, what should I do?' and I said, 'I’m telling you, you should go because I’m inviting 25 to my camp, you’ll be lucky if four of you get taken, so you should go to every meeting you can. But what I’m telling you is don’t sign with them, because why wouldn’t you get yourself in front of five other clubs as well and then make a decision after that?'
How will that work?
The minute the camp’s over the clubs are on their own in a competitive environment. So when the camp’s done, I’ve narrowed this down, I’ve tested them, you are now competing against Collingwood, Sydney or anyone else in our co-op and they all understand and know that that’s the case. But they’re getting a bloody cheap recruiting system for $30,000.
http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=63532
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AFL clubs plan recruitment camp
BBC Sport
Thursday, 14 August 2008 20:49 UK
(http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44924000/jpg/_44924905_paul_mccomiskey_203.jpg)
Paul McComiskey is one of the players attracting talent scouts
Ulster counties are bracing themselves for the loss of their best young talent after details emerged of an Aussie Rules recruitment camp.
Five Australian clubs, including the Brisbane Lions and Richmond Tigers, are to be represented at the two-day camp in Castlebar later this month.
It is believed 15 of the 22 players invited are from Ulster teams.
They include Colm Cavanagh, Paul McComiskey and Michael Murphy and Dessie Mone.
Kerry duo David Moran and Tommy Walsh are also on the list.
Down youngster McComiskey has already been offered a trial with the Lions while Walsh is being tipped for the young player of the year award after a string of fine performances in the Championship.
News of the camp comes just weeks after Tyrone minor star Kyle Coney opted for a move to Australia with Sydney Swans
The latest development will be a serious concern for GAA chiefs who fear the amateur game's top youngsters being tempted by big-money deals from Australia.
The talent drain is a major worry for managers as their team-building plans face being thrown into disarray.
In July Cavan officials complained to the AFL governing body after a scouting session for the Australian code was held at Breffni Park without permission.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/7562140.stm
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the fact that we are paying money and sending people over should see us try and sign 2 players from this program. the irish boys seem most suited to midfield roles, midfielders are also easier to develop.
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Quick Irish results: Nixon
By Ben Broad
Fri 22 August, 2008
LEADING player manager Ricky Nixon believes at least three of the five AFL clubs involved in next week's two-day draft camp in Ireland could have something to show for it next season.
Nixon and officials from the Brisbane Lions, Geelong, North Melbourne, Richmond and St Kilda flew out to Dublin on Friday afternoon.
After their arrival they will watch an All-Ireland second semi-final before heading west to Castlebar for a two-day simulated draft camp featuring more than 20 of the country's best young Gaelic footballers.
There, Nixon thinks AFL clubs on the cusp of finals action are more likely to go hard in the pursuit of international talent.
"At this stage I think that St Kilda, Richmond and possibly Brisbane – who have already got a couple of Irish players – but certainly Richmond and St Kilda will probably take one or two players at this time," Nixon said.
"The Kangaroos are probably a bit like Geelong. They can take it all in the next 12 months and get their head around it and see how it goes."
Earlier this week Cats' recruiting manager Stephen Wells said Geelong would be open to the idea of the reigning premiers trying to entice a talented youngster back to Skilled Stadium but hinted his club was using the trip for more of 'look and see'.
Nixon believes the trip will be a learning experience for all clubs. He says while none can go expecting to find the "next Nick Riewoldt", it will give them a better understanding of the potential fruits that lie across the other side of the globe.
"It's a bit of an eye-opener for them," Nixon said.
"Look, some of the clubs probably won't take any players in the short term because they've got lists that they're happy with.
"But at least it gives them an introduction to Ireland and how the system works and the types of players and all that, which I think is a good idea to be honest."
Who'll be in Ireland?
Brisbane Lions – football manager Graeme Allan
Geelong – recruiter Luke Williams
North Melbourne – recruiter Cameron Joyce
Richmond – strategy and list manager Craig Cameron
St Kilda – chief executive Archie Fraser
http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=66064
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Very strange that the StKilda CEO is going rather than someone from the football department
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Saints, Tigers and Roos interested in Ireland
afl.com.au
By Tim Kirby
11:49 AM Sat 30 August, 2008
ST KILDA, Richmond and North Melbourne are set to rookie-list three Irish youngsters at the end of the 2008 season, according to reports in Saturday’s Herald Sun.
A 195cm midfielder, a forward and a “Marty Clarke-type” were identified as potential recruits among 20 of Ireland’s young Gaelic stars at a three-day camp held at Castlebar, near Galway, on the Irish west coast.
The Melbourne clubs returned from Ireland on Friday and were understood to be committed to inviting one player each to Australia in the post-season. Geelong and Brisbane also attended the camp but made no commitment to recruiting youngsters.
Conducted in the same mould as the draft camp, the exercise was organised by high-profile player manager Ricky Nixon and may help uncover future international stars in the tradition of Jim Stynes and Tadhg Kennelly.
“I’m pretty confident at least three players will be in Australia before the end of the year,” said Nixon.
“They might come out for a week or two, first just to find out if it’s for them, and you’ve got to remember it’s both ways here, the player might get here and hate the place and at the same time the clubs will have a good look at them.”
The camp included skills and psychological testing and interviews with each of the recruiting representatives from the five clubs.
“It wasn’t too dissimilar to the draft camp where recruiters were able to watch how they interact with each other.
“I was surprised how the players adapted very quickly to the kicking and the handball game,” Nixon said.
One of the stand-outs was Niall McKeever, who at 195cm, scored 14.5 in the beep test.
“He is super quick, agile and kept getting the ball [in the handball game]. He is Nick Riewoldt in size but you could play him on the wing.
“The other two vary from a big, strong forward to a small, 5’10”-type player, a Marty Clarke-type, robust and energetic,” said Nixon.
“I think the clubs were excited with what they saw.”
http://afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=66644
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nixon up to his tricks again...wouldnt trust the bloke as far as i could spit. :banghead
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We don't need another flanker so presumably we're after a KPP. This 195cm Niall McKeever with the 14.5 beep test would be a type loved by Terry.
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Recruiters to keep an eye on international rules tour
Tom Arup | October 13, 2008
THE visiting Irish international rules side will include at least one player who could join an AFL team as early as next year when it tours later this month for a two-Test series.
The player, who doesn't wish to be named, is part of player representative Ricky Nixon's Irish recruitment program and is being looked at by Richmond, the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda.
Nixon yesterday told The Age four players were likely to spend time with AFL clubs in November but only one would play for Ireland in the relaunch of the international rules competition.
"The thing is most of the players we are looking at over there play in the minor Gaelic competitions, they have a very successful under-20 competition," Nixon said.
"We are not looking at senior Gaelic players because they are too old to convert into AFL players because you need to be taught how to kick a drop punt when you are 16 or 18 at the latest."
Nixon held a training camp in Ireland in August at which the Tigers, Bulldogs and Kangaroos were joined by Geelong and Brisbane in considering the Irish talent.
Nixon said Geelong and the Lions had since decided against recruiting.
St Kilda chief executive Archie Fraser said yesterday the club was looking at the Irish representative in Nixon's program but was unsure of his desire to come to Australia.
The Saints will certainly consider another player, Niall McKeever, who will spend a week with St Kilda in early November.
McKeever, an athletic 190-centimetre player, has gained the interest of at least one other AFL club.
Fraser said the Saints were particularly keen on McKeever because he didn't come from a successful Gaelic club and was less likely to return to Ireland hoping to win an all-Ireland final.
"There is a slightly different opportunity for the kids who are from the south of Ireland, as opposed to the lure of kids from up north, who maybe have less of a chance historically of securing a chance of an all-Ireland final," Fraser said.
The first international rules Test will be played on October 24 at Subiaco, followed by the second Test on October 31 at the MCG.
Nixon said the Australian team, which would be much younger than the Irish outfit, could get a "rude shock" compared to the 2006 series, which Australia won comfortably.
"The two games (AFL and Gaelic football) have come so close to the way they're played now it's not funny," Nixon said.
"Watching Gaelic games over the last few months, the style of play is very similar to AFL with guys running from the back line and hitting up a forward and getting it back and scoring. It is very similar to the style of play we use now.
"They'll (the Irish) take it right up to the AFL players. there is no doubt about that."
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/recruiters-eye-irish-tour/2008/10/12/1223749843644.html
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Going by Nixon's criteria of them needing to be young to convert to Aussie rules and looking at the Irish IR squad, there's one Irish bloke Tom Parsons of Mayo who played U21s gaelic footy earlier this year also made his senior debut which by all reports was impressive. Sounds like our man. The only other info I could find is he is over 6 foot which all but half a dozen of their IR squad are and he's a midfielder.
(http://mayogaablog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/tom-parsons-goal-v-kildare.jpg)
"i just fear where this all could lead. Hanley is gone [Brisbane Lions]. O Shea and Parsons could follow and if they do our [Mayo's] all ireland aspirations with travel with them. I know if i was a scout i would have been parked outside the oshea household when in breaffy. Of course scouts are now not required for Parsons..the gaa will be funding that particular “viewing” themselves."
http://mayogaablog.com/?p=1063
The Irish in this blog aren't too fond of us Aussies btw :lol
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Ch 7 mentioned during the telecast that Parsons had 5 AFL clubs after him (one being us). He didn't look out of place as far as awareness in tight situations and decision making but his kicking wasn't too flash based on last night's game.
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I started to watch the international game but found it to be boring so I went and fill out a survey by our local council.
And I think that they should change the rule and make half the game with the soccer ball and the other half with the real football.
This would even it up a little they don't have to change much the way they play.
This puts them at the advantage. So to bring in our football would even things up.
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The Irish wouldn't last 5 minutes with a Sherrin. The round ball has a predictable bounce so you can read it easily. The oval ball would bounce every which way and the Aussies would read it whereas the Irish would be left looking perplexed.
The IR game is really gaelic footy with really only marking and tackling added from Aussie rules. The AFL players also have a fitness advantage which is why the Aussies always charge home in the last 5-10 minutes. It needs to favour the Irish to balance the game up so the scores stay close.
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I really believe this irish experiment is pretty hair brained TBH. No-one can tell me that our junior stocks are that depleted that we need to recruit someone that needs to be taught how to kick just for starters...There would be countless kids that have fallen out of U18 comp into the suburbs that with the right guidance would be a much greater prospect than any of these ...For every Marty clarke there are a dozen fizzers and countless hours wasted that could have been put to much better use ???
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Ch 7 mentioned during the telecast that Parsons had 5 AFL clubs after him (one being us). He didn't look out of place as far as awareness in tight situations and decision making but his kicking wasn't too flash based on last night's game.
maybe he's been practicing with the sherrin too much :thumbsup and can't kick too well with the round ball anymore..hahah
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I really believe this irish experiment is pretty hair brained TBH. No-one can tell me that our junior stocks are that depleted that we need to recruit someone that needs to be taught how to kick just for starters...There would be countless kids that have fallen out of U18 comp into the suburbs that with the right guidance would be a much greater prospect than any of these ...For every Marty clarke there are a dozen fizzers and countless hours wasted that could have been put to much better use ???
The next J.Brown, Voss or Hird aren't in Ireland but AFL clubs see Kennelly, Clarke and Begley walk into AFL sides after 6 months of AFL training and then think of how many Aussie rookies either don't make it at all or at best take years to develop and they go the Irish option. The other benefit is you can pick and choose the Irish player you want (just like the old S4 form days) whereas any home grown talent has to go through the raffle of the drafts. With clubs now allowed to have 6 rookies do you go with an Irish bloke whom you can work with in private for just a $20-50k outlay or an Aussie kid who is 6th pick in the rookie draft picked by chance (which equates to about the 160th draft pick with all drafts combined).
I do agree though bj there's deserving home grown talent that misses out on AFL. What I find unfair is that guys like Podsaidly at Werribee are effectively banished from ever playing AFL again just because they were on a AFL list when they were younger. What a stupid reason. Whatever your age, if you're good enough, nothing should prevent you from being on an AFL list. There should be at least some rookie spots open to anyone. There are always late developers and it would keep people in footy longer.
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Emerald Isle is gold for recruits
Mark Robinson | November 01, 2008
IF anything, Ireland's amateurs' clean sweep of Australia's professionals reminds us the Emerald Isle remains the plumb recruiting ground off-shore.
Player manager Ricky Nixon has embarked on an ambitious program with his Irish academies and its success could be measured shortly.
It is believed a young fella headed for St Kilda in the coming weeks has Nixon and the Saints very excited.
Richmond is preparing for its first Irish experiment. Carlton, Collingwood and even Essendon have men on the ground.
If any club finds a Canty or a Cavanagh, it will be money well worth spent.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24584616-19742,00.html
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These Irish are great athletes and they sure seem to be able too run faster and longer than us, but the use of the round ball exenuates that even further.
The advanage they get from the use of the round ball is a lot more than some like to admit, but that is my opinion.
Too hard to tell from this semi hybrid game, one thing I can tell is they are a bit sooky and cant cop a hit.
Good game all the same, enjoyed Friday night, but I must say Firito burito is a dud goalie, pretty funny to watch his lame ars attempts.
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Irish young guns here to try their AFL luck
Dan Silkstone | November 9, 2008
IRELAND'S international rules team may have left Australia's shores but the Emerald Isle's racehorses are not the only interlopers visiting Melbourne this week.
Today, two of Irish football's most gifted youngsters touch down at Tullamarine, hoping that the adventure of a lifetime can be translated into a contract with an AFL team.
The pair — Conor Meredith and Niall McKeever — are the first batch from player agent Ricky Nixon's Irish recruiting experiment and arrive as clubs say they are increasingly looking offshore for talent as the addition of two new franchises means future AFL drafts will be severely compromised.
The young Irishmen were seen among hopefuls at a mini-camp organised by Nixon in Ireland in August. They arrive for a two-week trial funded by three AFL clubs to see if they enjoy the city and have the necessary attributes for a career in Australian football.
Meredith, 18, will trial for a week each with North Melbourne and Richmond, while 17-year-old McKeever will trial for a week each with Richmond and St Kilda.
A third player — James Kielt — will arrive in a fortnight for trials with North Melbourne and possibly St Kilda. Another two players will arrive for trials later in the month but Nixon would not reveal their names.
The pair arrive as it emerges that another Irishman — one of the Gaelic games' hottest young stars — is also in Melbourne with hopes of landing an AFL contract.
Tom Parsons was the youngest member of the Irish international rules team that twice defeated Australia last month. The 20-year-old has remained in Melbourne after the series and is scheduled to meet with Nixon to discuss the possibility of an AFL career. Nixon said there had been "significant interest" in the tall, athletic onballer from several clubs.
Meredith is a tall full forward in Ireland but — with good running ability — is more likely to play at half-back in the AFL. Nixon describes him as one of the best natural kicks of the oval ball he has seen.
McKeever is taller — "a gangly six-foot-six-type" — who Nixon compares to Nick Riewoldt. "He ran a 14.5 beep test for us which puts him in elite AFL category and he has barely done any training."
Kielt, described as a classy left-foot kick is considered a centre half-back prospect.
If the trials are successful, clubs could add the players to their rookie lists immediately. "It's important they come out here, get a feel for Australia, show what they can do and meet with the coaches," Nixon said. "We are trying to make sure that the ones that get signed up are a reasonable chance to make it."
Richmond football manager Craig Cameron said the Tigers were excited about the opportunity of signing their first international rookie. "We had a look at them over there in August. Now in Australia we want to see how they shape up compared to our guys, have our coaches and fitness guys look over them and see if they've got the requisite skill and athletic attributes," he said. "But also to give them a taste of what Australia and life as an AFL footballer is like.
"We are working out whether Ireland is going to become a long-term recruiting market for us and this is only our first step in the process."
Recruiters believe the Irish game has moved closer to AFL in recent years and younger players will find it easier to adapt than their predecessors. "In terms of decision-making, ball movement and speed the games are now very close," Cameron said.
Clubs are taking Ireland increasingly seriously as a recruiting ground, knowing that the addition of Gold Coast and west Sydney teams in coming years will seriously limit the pool of talent available through the draft.
"We have got to look to new markets to find talent, especially with the two new teams on the horizon in the next four years and us being hamstrung in the draft by the concessions they will receive," Cameron said.
North Melbourne chief executive Eugene Arocca was also excited about the chance of signing the club's first international rookie, saying foreign-born players added interest to a club.
"I was involved at Collingwood in getting Marty Clarke and Kevin Dyas … the only issue is distance," he said. "You can bring in young men with the base skills that they have and work with them to develop and outstanding result.
"The longer-term challenge is hanging onto them … the lure for these men to return to their homeland is very strong."
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/irish-young-guns-try-their-luck/2008/11/08/1225561205584.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
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They are certainly young enough, at 17 and 18 you could spend a couple of seasons teaching them how to play, any player that comes through this process that makes it is clearly a bonus.
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a bit of romance perhaps, Im not holding my breath we have the next royce hart in this lot ???
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Conor Meredith
(http://setanta.com/upload/Sport/GAA/Ireland.com/Laois/MeredithConor_Vcarlow330.jpg)
Niall McKeever
(http://antrim.gaa.ie/resize.asp?p=2&i=Niall+McKeever+.jpg&w=100)
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So how does this work if they are training at 2 different clubs and both sides want them. Is it first in or the highest bid? What is the length of contract offered?
Stripes
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So how does this work if they are training at 2 different clubs and both sides want them. Is it first in or the highest bid? What is the length of contract offered?
Stripes
I believe to appease the GAA's concerns of poaching, Irish players get classed now as normal rookies (since 2006). Begley was an international rookie in 2005 but Marty Clarke was drafted at pick 40 of the 2006 rookie draft. I think they get a one-year deal as that's what Adelaide gave their Irish rookie. I'm guessing if they are now drafted then it's first in. We have first dibs before North and St Kilda.
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Here's Niall McKeever's webpage
http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=210698902
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a bit of romance perhaps, Im not holding my breath we have the next royce hart in this lot ???
Geez. We've been looking for the next Royce Hart for almost 30 years now and we can't find him in Australia. Talk about high expectations. lol.
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So how does this work if they are training at 2 different clubs and both sides want them. Is it first in or the highest bid? What is the length of contract offered?
Stripes
I believe to appease the GAA's concerns of poaching, Irish players get classed now as normal rookies (since 2006). Begley was an international rookie in 2005 but Marty Clarke was drafted at pick 40 of the 2006 rookie draft. I think they get a one-year deal as that's what Adelaide gave their Irish rookie. I'm guessing if they are now drafted then it's first in. We have first dibs before North and St Kilda.
Thanks MT. Makes the rookie draft almost more interesting than the National Draft this year for me.
Stripes
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Richmond hosts Irish talent
richmondfc.com.au
10:12 AM Tue 11 November, 2008
Richmond is one of three AFL clubs trialling players from Ireland ahead of this year’s AFL National and Rookie Drafts.
The Tigers will host two Irish players this week. They will take part in training activities under the watchful eye of the Club’s coaches and fitness staff.
Connor Meredith, a 186cm, 19-year-old from County Laois, and Niall McKeever, a 198cm 19-year-old from County Antrim, arrived at Punt Road Oval on Monday.
The pair were identified from the AFL camps attended by the Club’s recruiting staff in Dublin and Castlebar in August this year.
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/tabid/6301/Default.aspx?newsid=69658
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(http://www.realfooty.com.au/ffximage/2008/11/12/wbAFLirishtiger_narrowweb__300x451,0.jpg)
Irishmen Conor Meredith (left) and Niall McKeever hope their time training with Richmond will lead to a career in the AFL.
Irish are running hot
Dan Silkstone | November 13, 2008
HEAVING, beet-red and slathered in zinc cream the two young Irishmen hurled themselves onto the grass at Gosch's Paddock yesterday. And smiled.
Welcome to Australia.
"It's tough, no doubt about it," said 19-year-old County Antrim man Niall McKeever after training with Richmond's senior group. "The weather is just brutal."
They had left a chilly autumn with temperatures hovering in single figures and arrived on Sunday. Yesterday as they were put through their paces on their second day of a week-long trial at Tigerland, the two AFL aspirants slogged through 35-degree heat.
McKeever — a lanky 195 centimetre ruckman type with shoulders burned to red — grabbed a gulp of water as a minder from player manager Ricky Nixon's stable advised him to pick up some aloe vera on the way home.
"What's that then?" he wondered aloud.
Apparently there is not much call for it in Northern Ireland.
On the basis of yesterday's session, if the pair do not make it as AFL footballers it will not be for lack of application. Watching on, you wondered how they were possibly surviving under the punishing sun, but still they smiled and kept going.
"People warned me that Melbourne would be four seasons in one day, but since I got here it has been one season all day and every day," McKeever laughed afterwards.
McKeever and compatriot Conor Meredith are among five of the Gaelic game's brightest prospects, chosen from a camp held by Nixon in Ireland in August and flown to Melbourne for extended trials at Richmond, North Melbourne and St Kilda.
For those who make the grade, a spot on the rookie list and a potential new career on the other side of the world beckons.
The training drills are not entirely different to those of the amateur Irish game, both said, nor the aerobic capacity required to keep up. Yesterday, as the entire group ran a callous series of unending 200-metre sprints Meredith and McKeever impressively kept pace with their new colleagues.
But when the shirts came off the difference in size and power was stark.
"I'm competing well out here," McKeever said. "But in the gym it's the total opposite. I'm fairly fit, but for strength and power there is a big difference."
Then there's the swimming. In a recovery session at the beach on Tuesday, the two Irishmen struggled to do much more than prevent themselves from drowning.
Muscle can be added — it is what conditioning staff do with all rookies. Other things come harder. McKeever says the kicking is the biggest obstacle and you can see it as he puts his boot through the pigskin in a kicking drill and gives it a high, up-and-under arc unlike the flat, stab pass of a modern AFL player. Overhead marking is handled more assuredly. He has been working at home with a rugby ball, but has hardly ever kicked an Australian rules ball.
"I know that will get better, though," he says. "I hope that I've shown that I can improve physically in the gym and that I am capable of competing with these players."
The professionalism of the Australian game, he says, is the biggest attraction. "The coaches are so disciplined, there's so much help and support, anything you need, they help you."
It's a long way from the amateur pursuits of Gaelic football and the surveying degree at university that awaits him at home if his trial is unsuccessful.
McKeever was a senior listed player at his county, as was Meredith. They are among the brightest talents in the Irish game. The player many judge as the brightest — Tommy Walsh — will arrive in just over a week for a trial with St Kilda.
In Melbourne, they are pasty curiosities with big dreams, but these boys — and their journey — are big news back home. At yesterday's session they were watched by an Irish newspaper journalist and filmed by a camera crew from RTE, the Irish public broadcaster. Their more illustrious Tiger teammates were clearly amused at the media attention and responded with the obligatory ribbing.
Director Stephen McQuillan is making a documentary about Nixon's Irish experiment and the growing player exodus to Australia.
"It's quite a controversial thing over there," he says. "There's a movement from the players towards some sort of payment. When you see a player like Tommy Walsh coming out here who is the young player of the year over there, he's like a young Chris Judd. Marty Clarke before that was the best young player of his generation. They are losing heroes."
Walsh's imminent arrival is already big news in Ireland with Nixon hoping the young star is not pressured into withdrawing from the trial. Walsh's decision to try his luck in Australia is an even greater blow considering his father — Sean Walsh — is chairman of traditional powerhouse County Kerry.
McKeever has no idea what position he might play — though he says others have told him he'd make a good half-back. He has a background in soccer as well as Gaelic football and says he has dreamed of making a living from his talents.
"To do something you love and be paid and do it every single day of your life would be just unbelievable," he says.
Meredith — from County Louth — is 19, shorter but still athletic and more of a power runner. He can't stop smiling, though he looks as though he might vomit from the workout he has just completed.
"I love it here so far," he says. "I wasn't expecting such a high level of intensity in the training. The ball is tough, but this heat is a major factor. It's just so draining."
The word they both use to describe their adventure is lifestyle. "You see the life these guys live, the city, the weather, the training they put into their bodies and it is amazing," Meredith says.
Word has spread around the talented youth of Ireland — the achievements of household names such as Tadhg Kenneally and Clarke have not gone unnoticed. The exotic dream that brought Jim Stynes to Australia is becoming a commonplace ambition. Who knows what that will hold for the Irish game?
"People talk about it a lot," Meredith says. "There are more windows opening up here for us all the time. There will be nine or 10 Irish players here soon and they are all top players back home. The GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) people will be mad and definitely be against it, but what can they do to stop it? It's the individual's choice and for me the lifestyle here, the weather, everything is just great."
Age link.... (http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/irish-are-running-hot/2008/11/12/1226318743800.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1)
Irishmen Connor Meredith and Niall McKeever also trained impressively with Richmond yesterday.
The club will decide whether to list them as rookies next year.
Herald-Sun link (last two lines) (http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24643521-19742,00.html)
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If both boys show good signs then we should take a chance on them. In particular If McKeever can be taught how to kick straight then Id rookie him for sure, hes a good size. One thing that I like about the article is that they seem happy type individuals, and having some really positive blokes in a group can be beneficial to a whole group, I remember days down at Richmond, where people used to say that the joint was really negative and no one wanted to be there- and those werent good days. So in the end, it comes down to can we teach these boys how to play. If its yes then we take the chance.
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The exotic dream that brought Jim Stynes to Australia is becoming a commonplace ambition. Who knows what that will hold for the Irish game?
I always laugh when I read comments (there have been many recently) that point to Jim Stynes being THE Irish pioneer. There was a pretty handy Irish player already entrenched at Melbourne 2 years before Stynes got here - Sean Wight anyone? Played 150 games over 10 seasons, mainly at half back when Melbourne had some decent sides. Could play a fair bit and got 13 Brownlow votes over his career. He never gets mentioned and I have no idea why. Wonder what happened to him?
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I think Jim is mentioned most becasue he won the Brownlow and was such an imposing figure.
Stripes
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I think Jim is mentioned most becasue he won the Brownlow and was such an imposing figure.
Stripes
Yeah, I get why he would be mentioned if you are talking about the best or most successful but he wasn't the pioneer - just another example of the media bending and telling a story their way enough times for it to become 'fact'. Have I ever said how much I dislike and how little respect I have for the media? :banghead :)
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If both boys show good signs then we should take a chance on them. In particular If McKeever can be taught how to kick straight then Id rookie him for sure, hes a good size. One thing that I like about the article is that they seem happy type individuals, and having some really positive blokes in a group can be beneficial to a whole group, I remember days down at Richmond, where people used to say that the joint was really negative and no one wanted to be there- and those werent good days. So in the end, it comes down to can we teach these boys how to play. If its yes then we take the chance.
That stood out for me too. Their first experience of Aussie rules footy training is with us and they are saying they are loving it and praising every aspect of the club. They still need to train with the Saints/North for a week after us but hopefully this week being such a positive time for them sticks in their minds when deciding whether to stay in Oz and which club they would prefer to go to. Both come across as having a strong positive attitude and they are both still teenagers so there's plenty of time for them to learn.
At 195cm McKeever is too 'short' to be an AFL ruckman so he'll need to become a key forward/defender. If he's a good mark and very athletic already and he can get into the gym to build up his young frame and strength I think it'll be easier for him to become a forward in the long run. Most kicks then inside 50 just need to go straight between the big sticks rather than in defence precisely pinpointing teammates running into space within an opposition zone.
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If both boys show good signs then we should take a chance on them. In particular If McKeever can be taught how to kick straight then Id rookie him for sure, hes a good size. One thing that I like about the article is that they seem happy type individuals, and having some really positive blokes in a group can be beneficial to a whole group, I remember days down at Richmond, where people used to say that the joint was really negative and no one wanted to be there- and those werent good days. So in the end, it comes down to can we teach these boys how to play. If its yes then we take the chance.
That stood out for me too. Their first experience of Aussie rules footy training is with us and they are saying they are loving it and praising every aspect of the club. They still need to train with the Saints/North for a week after us but hopefully this week being such a positive time for them sticks in their minds when deciding whether to stay in Oz and which club they would prefer to go to. Both come across as having a strong positive attitude and they are both still teenagers so there's plenty of time for them to learn.
At 195cm McKeever is too 'short' to be an AFL ruckman so he'll need to become a key forward/defender. If he's a good mark and very athletic already and he can get into the gym to build up his young frame and strength I think it'll be easier for him to become a forward in the long run. Most kicks then inside 50 just need to go straight between the big sticks rather than in defence precisely pinpointing teammates running into space within an opposition zone.
Correct! McKeever at that height has his best chance of developing into a Full Forward but theres plenty of water to go under the bridge just yet.
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If both boys show good signs then we should take a chance on them. In particular If McKeever can be taught how to kick straight then Id rookie him for sure, hes a good size. One thing that I like about the article is that they seem happy type individuals, and having some really positive blokes in a group can be beneficial to a whole group, I remember days down at Richmond, where people used to say that the joint was really negative and no one wanted to be there- and those werent good days. So in the end, it comes down to can we teach these boys how to play. If its yes then we take the chance.
That stood out for me too. Their first experience of Aussie rules footy training is with us and they are saying they are loving it and praising every aspect of the club. They still need to train with the Saints/North for a week after us but hopefully this week being such a positive time for them sticks in their minds when deciding whether to stay in Oz and which club they would prefer to go to. Both come across as having a strong positive attitude and they are both still teenagers so there's plenty of time for them to learn.
At 195cm McKeever is too 'short' to be an AFL ruckman so he'll need to become a key forward/defender. If he's a good mark and very athletic already and he can get into the gym to build up his young frame and strength I think it'll be easier for him to become a forward in the long run. Most kicks then inside 50 just need to go straight between the big sticks rather than in defence precisely pinpointing teammates running into space within an opposition zone.
Correct! McKeever at that height has his best chance of developing into a Full Forward but theres plenty of water to go under the bridge just yet.
True Ramps that's a far way off even if McKeever did eventually make it but that's what the rookie list is for. Allowing 19 year olds especially rucks/KPPs extra time to develop; not keeping 20-something flankers who are just good VFL players as rookies for 3 years.
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with any luck McKeever, the taller one shows a bit, if he has some stand out qualities in endurance, agility or can take a grab he may still cut it as a ruck option :gotigers
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Tigers primed to sign starlet
By Catherine Murphy
Herald, Ireland
Friday November 14 2008
RICHMOND Tigers' football general manager of football Craig Cameron has said that the club will more than likely just sign one of the Irish hopefuls on trial with them in Melbourne this week.
Antrim's Niall McKeever and Laois' Conor Meredith have been put through a grueling week of pre-season training as the club assesses their potential.
Next week the duo will try to impress at another club with Meredith trialing with North Melbourne (Kangaroos) and McKeever due to visit St Kilda.
Overall Cameron said he was impressed with the boys in their trial which included a lengthy session in temperatures soaring to 35 degrees.
"I was really impressed at their resilience and the fact that they've such a good sense of humour and enthusiasm when they're training.
"Club locker rooms are quite macho and they've actually mixed in there no dramas so I've been really pleased with how they've gone. Conor's picked it up really quickly. He's benefited from being in Brisbane and Niall's really improved since I've seen him in Ireland."
http://www.herald.ie/sport/gaelic-football/tigers-primed-to-sign-starlet-1539331.html
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So which one was the preferred one. Id take the chance on the taller player McKeever. Bigger risk, but a much bigegr reward in terms of finding another key position player if it comes off.
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AFL dream on for Meredith
By Catherine Murphy
Herald, Ireland
Saturday November 15 2008
LAOIS footballer Conor Meredith is embracing a second chance to get signed up by an AFL club with trials for Richmond Tigers this week and North Melbourne next week.
The promising teenager was on the cusp of signing for the Brisbane Lions not so long ago, but a change in coach at the club meant the deal fell through.
"I got a phone call from them a few months ago saying ,'We want to sign you up, we want to give you a contract'," Meredith said.
"They said that they'd be in contact and then at that camp (Ricky Nixon's) they arrived and said that they'd ring in a few days.
"I thought that it was going to be good news but they never rang. So I emailed to ask what was going on and whether I should enroll in college. They said they'd get back to me but they never did ... so when this came along I really grabbed the opportunity."
Meredith has spent a gruelling week at Tigerland doing full pre- season training with the senior group along with Antrim's Niall McKeever, who's also on trial after impressing at football agent Nixon's August scouting camp.
While Meredith will trial with North Melbourne next week, McKeever will try his luck with St Kilda, the club which also hosts Kerry's young player of the year, Tommy Walsh. So far he's been impressed with the Tigers' set up.
"Richmond's been great so far, everyone has been so friendly and the coaches have been great, so that's a big bonus," McKeever said.
"If Richmond were to offer me a contract right now it would be so hard to turn down. It's something you dream of from when you're young. To do something you love every day of your life would be pretty unbelievable."
While the Australian experience has been positive so far, Meredith admitted that the reaction from people back home in Laois hasn't all been upbeat.
"You get a few begrudgers who think, 'What are you doing leaving the club and county?' They say it behind your back though. I don't listen to any of that anyway. But most people are positive. My brothers would love to be out here doing what I'm doing so they've really encouraged me and all my friends have really encouraged me to do it as well," he said.
It's been a testing week for the pair, who were forced to train in temperatures soaring to 35 degrees on Wednesday. The club, which will most likely sign only one of the Irish men according to general football manager Craig Cameron, has certainly been putting them through their paces.
"It was brutal. We were doing lots of sprints but we didn't do too bad. I think the coaches were impressed with the way we were able to keep up to the other players' pace a bit. We were like snow men going out there. I got burnt on my arms and neck so I certainly felt it the next morning," said Meredith.
McKeever had less issues with sunburn but more problems communicating with Australian players.
"Nobody here understands my accent. They seem to understand Conor better than me for some reason," he laughed.
There wasn't much of a settling in period. Since the duo arrived last Sunday it's been non-stop training.
"We trained Monday morning at nine o'clock so we didn't get much of a chance to ease ourselves into it. But it's probably for the best because you get a better feel for it. It's completely different to home. We're in bed now at nine and fast asleep. If you were at home you'd only be going to bed at 11 or 12 but we're so wrecked that you just have to get your sleep," said Meredith.
McKeever added that he believed the pair would be better for the experience, despite the intensity of training.
He said: "We've really been thrown in the deep end. I suppose it's a good thing though, because we know what a full week as an AFL player is going to be like."
http://www.herald.ie/sport/gaelic-football/afl-dream-on-for-meredith-1541020.html
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So which one was the preferred one. Id take the chance on the taller player McKeever. Bigger risk, but a much bigegr reward in terms of finding another key position player if it comes off.
You would have to see them train in the flesh to judge properly who is closer to making the transition from Gaelic to Aussie rules but going by his comments to the Irish press McKeever would sign with us today if offered a contract.
LOL at needing a translator for his accent :lol.
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The two other Irish players that were meant to arrive and train with St Kilda can't come down to Oz before the international rookie deadline date so that might make the Saints show more interest in McKeever who is training with them this week :-\.
The Saints' Irish eyes not smiling
Samantha Lane | November 19, 2008
ST KILDA'S designs on two star Gaelic footballers appear to be foiled after a fluky set of events that will keep the Irish pair from trying out with the Saints until after the international draft deadline.
St Kilda was to welcome Tommy Walsh — the winner of the Gaelic Athletic Association's best young player award this year — and his Kerry teammate David Moran to Australia this Saturday, but a drawn weekend match in Ireland threw the county championships finals series on its head and the two players are required at home until November 30.
The deadline for international draft nominations is December 2.
It means St Kilda, which planned to assess Walsh and Moran through next week before deciding whether to add one or both to its list, has almost certainly been denied the chance this year.
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/the-saints-irish-eyes-not-smiling/2008/11/18/1226770453420.html
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McKeevers enthusiasm plus hes happiness with us is a good start, the first thing is for these irish lads to be happy to be here and to be happy at a club, that means that at least they will give it there best shot, the fact that these kids are teenagers means we can spend atleast 2 years on there development, we spent 4 years on Danny Meyer then flicked him. I hope we sign McKeever- I like his attitude and I like that he likes our club.
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It was a definite bonus that they both trained with us first.
Sounds like Nixon's plans to give the Saint's the best Irish Rookies backfired.
Glad we have first crack before the Saints in the rookie draft. Just hope they don't surprize us by using one of their draft choices to get them earlier.. :pray
Stripes
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The Saints will be too busy topping up with Cousins and Carroll so hopefully we'll get first digs at the Irish boys in the rookie draft.
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Rumour on Saintsational says Conor Meredith is believed to have agreed to a two-year contract with North.
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I hope we don't miss the boat picking up one of these Irish kids, the look pretty good from what I saw during the IR series. Not the kids mentioned just some of the others players, they could adapt to our code pretty quick.
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I'd rather take the punt on McKeever anyway.
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Perhaps we've already told both that we'll be rookieing McKeever. He seemed keen to sign with us while training at Punt Rd.
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Rumour on Saintsational says Conor Meredith is believed to have agreed to a two-year contract with North.
A draftee can't agree to a contract with a club, he goes where ever he is picked and is payed a fixed salary
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It doesn't matter anyway as Duncan on Y&B says they were told last night at the draft night that we aren't going to pick up either of the two Irish boys who trained with us :-\.
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Oh well that's the luck of the Irish
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2 B sure
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Just confirming we didn't pick up any Irish rookies. Today was the cut-off for international rookies. McKeever didn't get picked up by anyone.
http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=70538
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Sounds like we're staying involved in hunting for Irish recruits although we passed last year ....
Nixon showcases latest Irish experiment
Jesse Hogan | April 30, 2009
AFL club recruiters will meet in Melbourne tomorrow to peruse the results of Ricky Nixon's latest scouting trip to Ireland.
Nixon's Flying Start group ran a covert training camp in Ireland earlier this month for 23 prospective AFL converts. He would not divulge their names — they have been kept secret due to significant enmity about his scouting program from Gaelic football authorities — but predicted up to 10 would be brought to Australia by clubs for official trials later this year.
"Last year we gave 20 Sherrins to kids, and four or five of those kids turned up and they were just hitting (targets) lace-out," Nixon said of the training camp.
"I guess it's a bit pie-in-the-sky with the numbers, but certainly the indication at this stage is there'll probably be a minimum of five but maybe as high as eight or 10 would be invited out for a lengthier period this year."
The majority of attendees were Gaelic footballers, although one was a 198-centimetre goalkeeper playing soccer in England. The group did not, however, include highly-rated Kerry youngster Tommy Walsh, who trained with St Kilda last year but is said by local media to have "cooled on the idea of going to Australia".
The primary attraction for young players to switch codes is the ability to earn a high wage in Australia, as Gaelic football is amateur.
Five clubs — Geelong, the Brisbane Lions, North Melbourne, Richmond and St Kilda — are already paid-up members of Nixon's Irish scouting network.
Nixon will spruik the recruitment program to the rest of the clubs tomorrow, mainly the results of fitness testing and footage of their skills testing, but also psychological testing results.
"I'm not saying we're bulletproof, but by doing the psychological testing and actual interviews, like they do at the (AFL ) draft camp, it gives you a better idea of the type of kids (they are)," he said. "One of the outstanding kids there has changed his mind several times over whether he wants to come … and that is now influencing clubs to the point that if he's going to be so indecisive, then they're probably not going to bring him out."
Nixon, who returned from Ireland last week, rankled Gaelic football authorities by speaking publicly about how Ireland's economy was suffering more than Australia's, thus making the move to Australia more attractive.
"It appears that Nixon's misguided view of Irish life is that shiploads of starving young Gaelic footballers will pack their torn boots into battered suitcases, leave their wailing parents behind on the quayside and head for Australia hoping that AFL clubs will toss a few dollars at them in return for their unrefined talents," a sports columnist with The Independent wrote.
But Nixon rejected the criticism, insisting he was only relaying the sentiments expressed to him by a parent of one of the players angling for an AFL career.
The sole player signed out of last year's program as an international rookie, Conor Meredith, has begun his North Melbourne career by playing reserves for the Kangaroos' VFL affiliate, Werribee.
"A lot of players would benefit from coming out and playing a year in the VFL," Nixon said. "Instant success like Marty Clarke (at Collingwood) is going to be very hard to duplicate, but if players could come out and play in, say, the private school system for a year and do year 12, or play a year in the VFL, it would be much handier."
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/nixon-showcases-latest-irish-experiment/2009/04/29/1240982277556.html
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Jamie O'Reilly could be one of the last Irishman to come out to play AFL if the latest crop don't come on.....
AFL interest in Irish to end if latest exports fail -- Nixon
Irish Independent
By Donnchadh Boyle
Saturday October 23 2010
WHEN he first arrived on these shores, necks craned to see the horns peeking out from underneath Ricky Nixon's curly mop.
He was the devil incarnate, here to bleed the GAA dry of its best young talent and leave them with nothing. The only ones left would be the redheads who would turn down the AFL because they couldn't take the heat in Australia.
At the time, Nixon insisted that only a handful of Irish players would make it and that many would return to their clubs and counties bigger and stronger after a year or two of professionalism. He was brash and he ruffled plenty of feathers but, by and large, his predictions have proved accurate.
Nixon has four Irish players Down Under and another handful have returned home. A change in recruitment rules in the AFL means the 'Irish experiment', according to Nixon, will rise and fall on the performances of the likes of Tommy Walsh, Niall McKeever, Jamie O'Reilly and Conor Meredith over the next few years.
"If they don't make it, then no one will waste their time or money going to Ireland I don't think. It's just too hard," says Nixon. "A good player from Ireland is probably going to get anywhere up to AUD$50,000 (salary) more than an Australian kid and on top of that comes relocation costs, the expense of flying him out here and flights for the parents and cars, you name it.
"What the AFL have done, in a roundabout way, is say to clubs 'you make the choice between an Aussie kids who could cost as little as AUD$33,000 or an untried Irish kid who could cost AUD$120,000."
The change in rules means that Irish imports are no longer considered overseas players and but are given 'project player' status, meaning they're competing against Australian youngsters for one of the eight spots in the rookie list each club holds. Previously, an Irish player could be held outside that list.
"When Irish kids were competing against Chinese or Americans or players from other countries they'd win hands down because they're playing a game very similar to ours," Nixon continues.
"But the rules of recruitment have changed over here to the detriment of recruiting out of Ireland. I've got no doubt that's got something to do with the deal that has probably been struck behind closed doors between the AFL and the GAA to make sure that the International Rules continues."
Nixon is due back here in February and two unnamed players are heading out for a trial with a lower-league club outside the AFL but after that trip, it remains to be seen how much of a presence Nixon and his 'Flying Start' agency will maintain here.
"It's something we're looking at. The clubs have been very negative towards it with the way the rules have changed and the huge expense of bringing Irish players over," he concludes.
http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/afl-interest-in-irish-to-end-if-latest-exports-fail-nixon-2391565.html
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Some clubs though have never been interested in recruiting Irishmen due to the speculative nature of the investment. Some that have brought players out, such as St Kilda and Richmond, are understood to be less enthusiastic now than they once were. Richmond rookie John Heslin this year went home only months after landing in Australia.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/irish-eyes-smile-at-rookie-plan-20120314-1v3jd.html#ixzz1p6YUUVae
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FOUR CLUBS TRIAL IRISH TALENTS
Essendon, Richmond, Geelong and Hawthorn will host the four Irish prospects for trials this week ahead of their testing at the AFL Draft Combine.
The AFL has brought out four talents – James McLaughlin, Eoin McElholm, Odran Murdock and Conor Corbett – to trial at clubs and also take part in the three-day Combine later this week.
The players were at the Bombers on Monday, with trials also to take place at the Tigers, Cats and Hawks through the week before the Combine commences on Friday at the Melbourne Park and MCG precinct.
Corbett is a 192cm star at Gaelic level, while McLaughlin is a sports all-rounder having played basketball, soccer, golf and Gaelic rules. McElholm is renowned for his speed, while Murdock is the standout player from his county, with all chasing an AFL contract.
(https://resources.afl.com.au/photo-resources/2023/09/07/019a112a-680e-4478-a994-40c3e80b794d/Eoin-McElholm.jpg?width=1064&height=600)
Eoin McElholm (inset) and a general scene at the National Draft Combine. Pictures: AFL Photos/X
The AFL's venture back into the Irish scene has seen Carlton sign two players – Rob Monahan and Matt Duffy – as category B rookies already, while St Kilda listed Liam O’Connell recently as well.
It also follows the AFL Grand Final, where Irishman Conor McKenna played for the Lions and American Mason Cox became a premiership player with Collingwood.
– Callum Twomey
https://www.afl.com.au/news/1048225/inside-trading-roos-target-pick-one-dee-to-go-on-big-dog-to-stay
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Lookout for us to take whoever the worst one is... :shh
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Are any of them 183/70? Perfect for hbf stocks
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We really need a 60 kg 170cm left footer