News: Current Young Hurler of the Year Setanta Ó hAilpín, recently departed for Australian Rules football, has already made a breakthrough in his new career.

Despite having been in training with AFL club Carlton for only a couple of months, Ó hAilpín has been named in the club squad for tomorrow's Cup quarter-final against Geelong at Optus Oval.

This is a pre-season competition in which clubs use a fairly experimental approach, but for the Cork man to be given a chance at this level after such a short space of time is remarkable.

Carlton's veteran coach Denis Pagan is said to be amazed at how quickly his new recruit has taken to the game. According to a report on the AFL website, Ó hAilpín was outstanding playing at "centre half back in a Carlton intra-club game a fortnight ago where his ability to take strong marks and bravely back into packs caught the eye of Pagan".

It was announced that the player would start his career in the Victorian Football League (a lower level than the AFL) with Carlton's team in the VFL, the Preston Bullants. But after just one match he has been called up to the seniors.

On the Carlton website, Ó hAilpín was praised by one of his fellow newcomers to the club, Digby Morrell, a forward signed from North Melbourne Kangaroos in the close season.

" 'Carlos' (Ó hAilpín) has been fantastic. He's done everything he possibly can. He's down there doing extra sessions - two or three times a week - improving his skills and trying to learn the game," Morrell said yesterday.

"Every practice we've had, he comes to people and talks to them about what happens during the game. It's great to see him being picked in the squad and we'll train this afternoon and find out whether he's going to play.

"His enthusiasm and the way he's gone about it is fantastic, and in the long run he's going to be a great asset to the Carlton Football Club - whether that be this week or down the track. He's six (foot) six and very mobile, he can run all day, so he's an exciting talent.

"In a couple of practice games, he's been caught out for holding the ball, and he gets really frustrated because he's trying his heart out," Morrell said.

"We've been playing the game since we could walk and you still learn everyday, and for him to come in three months ago and pick up the game from scratch and come as far as he has, has been a real accomplishment.

"He comes from a code where he was the best young guy coming through and he wants that same thing in the AFL, so his drive is amazing. If any young footballers can take anything out of it, it's that his work-rate and his drive is really pushing him along and he's moving a lot quicker than what anyone expected."