GAA NEWS:TYRONE SENIOR football manager Mickey Harte has expressed deep concern following the news that of the 12 international players now listed by Australian Rules Football clubs 11 players are Irish.
Harte has once again called on the GAA to sever all ties with the AFL, who stand accused of "pillaging" top young Gaelic football talent.
AFL lists for the 2009 season have been submitted and they reveal Canada's Michael Pyke to be the only non-Irish international player.
Four clubs have welcomed aboard new Irish players to their rookie lists - Louth's Brian Donnelly at Adelaide, Michael Quinn from Longford at Essendon, Laois starlet Conor Meredith with North Melbourne and Tyrone's All-Ireland minor medallist Kyle Coney at Sydney Swans.
Harte said: "We have to combat what's going on and the first step is to cut all official ties with the AFL.
"We have no official diplomatic ties with other organisations and we should not be liaising with them while they walk all over us."
Following the success of controversial AFL agent Ricky Nixon's recruitment camps on these shores, Harte has suggested that the GAA establish academies to nurture rising young stars.
He explained: "We need to create a support mechanism to make it attractive for people to stay at home. Creating education-based academies of our own would give players a support mechanism and give them a lift in their career opportunities rather than taking a gamble.
"A lot of people going to Australia either won't make it or will make it at a mediocre level.
"They're losing out on a potentially good GAA career but there isn't a support mechanism here and they find it difficult to find work.
"When life is not dealing them the right hand their security is taken away and they take a gamble.
"They see Australia as a viable alternative but it only appears to be a lucrative option and it's not like Premier League soccer or well-paid rugby."
Tyrone are still reeling from the loss of the hugely-talented Coney and Harte commented: "I have been vociferous about this long before a Tyrone player was taken. I don't want to see any good Gaelic player lured there but if we hadn't warmed the market for these AFL scouts by engaging in the Compromise Rules series, we wouldn't be in this position.
"If we had put as much effort into finding alternatives, we would be in a better place and I always imagine that's what you're about when you belong to an association. I don't believe in making official contact with an association pillaging our best young players."
