GAA president Nickey Brennan has again warned that the future of the International Rules series is under threat if Australian Football League (AFL) clubs continue to headhunt young Irish talent
Martin Clarke, an All-Ireland winning Down minor in 2005, is the latest player to sign professional terms with an AFL club, Collingwood, following in the recent footsteps of Laois' Colm Begley, the Ó hAilpín brothers, Setanta and Aisake, and Tadhg Kennelly.
Brennan expressed his dissatisfaction with AFL clubs holding trials in UL and DCU in recent seasons to unearth young players who could adapt to Australian Rules. Such trials led directly to Clarke, Begley and the Ó hAilpíns being lost to Gaelic games by the lure of the Australian dollar and the chance to play professional sport.
"That's not on, as far as we are concerned," said Brennan yesterday. "If this were to become a regular thing, clearly we would have to review our position with the AFL going forward.
"Let's be honest about it, we can't honestly stop young guys who see this as an opportunity, but at the same time we most certainly will not encourage it because we feel the stars of our game should be staying home to play.
"I'm a realist at the same time, and I can understand if a young guy is offered an opportunity of a contract out there, there is an element of glamour to it. But I think we wouldn't want to get too hung up on it. It is just two players (Begley and Clarke), albeit good players, nevertheless we are going to have Colm Begley back in a couple weeks playing against the Aussies."
Begley just completed an excellent first season with the Brisbane Lions, when he was promoted to the primary list (the first-team panel), a feat none of his predecessors achieved.
His Laois underage team-mate Brendan Quigley joined him on a two-year deal, but returned home after only a couple of months.
Also, Meath minor Shane O'Rourke refused a professional deal, also with the Lions, after impressing in the underage International Rules tour of Australia last year.
Last May, a GAA delegation, headed by Brennan, met their AFL counterparts, when they expressed their dissatisfaction with the player exodus.
"It's an ongoing process and we will review the whole situation with the Australians when they come over here in the next couple of weeks. They undertook to talk to their people about it, so we will be bringing the matter up with them again and see how it has moved on since we spoke to them."
Brennan also admitted the Railway Cup - renamed the M Donnelly Interprovincial championship - may have to be sacrificed if a suitable home cannot be found for it in the GAA calendar.
The current October slot has come in for widespread criticism, as it impinges on club championships and the International Rules series. The football final takes place in Boston on October 21st, which is just six days before the first International Rules Test in Galway.
"It's going to be very difficult. I think when we come back from Boston this year we will be assessing the situation. Well, not immediately, but as a result of Boston we will review the whole competition this year and see where it fits in. It is extremely difficult trying to fit it into an already over-crowded calendar.
"You know, quite frankly, something has to give. We can't accommodate the level of intercounty provincial activity at the moment and give a fair breathing space to clubs."
Brennan has repeatedly stated the year-round GAA fixture list could be condensed if county boards played out their fixtures during the intercounty championship.
"There are recommendations out there at the moment, which tells counties what to do, but in a lot of cases they are not being adhered to, so we might have to come on a bit stronger and put in actual rules where we can police that a bit better."
This will be discussed, and possibly acted upon, at next month's special congress.
"We can help ourselves by streamlining our own games programme, which we are going some way towards doing, but ultimately county boards have got to take responsibility too."
Brennan felt hope still existed for the interprovincials to continue, but the clubs would always be the priority. "I'm not saying it has to go yet, but it is not able to fit into the calendar that we have at the moment.
"It is impacting on the club scene, or a lot of the good players who might be involved at that level are simply not able to play because they are involved with their club, which has to get priority at this time of year."
