Irish recruits [merged]

[mightytiges]

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.

[one-eyed]

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

[mightytiges]

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.



"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

[mightytiges]

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.

[bushranger]

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.

[mightytiges]

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. 

[bojangles17]

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 ???

[peggles]

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 and can't kick too well with the round ball anymore..hahah

[mightytiges]

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.

[one-eyed]

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

[cub]

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.

[one-eyed]

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

[Ramps]

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.

[bojangles17]

a bit of romance perhaps, Im not holding my breath we have the next royce hart in this lot ???

[one-eyed]

Conor Meredith


Niall McKeever