Na Piarsaigh manager Joe O'Leary is reeling from the news Aisake Ó hAilpín is set to join his brother Setanta at the Australian Rules football club Carlton Blues. O'Leary described it as another "grievous loss" to the Cork champions and the county, and also questioned if some restriction needed to be placed on GAA players departing to Australia on such short notice.
Setanta Ó hAilpín returned to Australia yesterday morning to begin pre-season training with Carlton, his travel plans delayed by 24 hours because of fog. Later in the day O'Leary was informed Aisake had been offered a trial with the club and would be leaving on Friday. Both players will miss Na Piarsaigh's Munster club hurling semi-final on Sunday, when they play Tipperary champions Toomevara.
"It's 99 per cent certain now that Aisake will be gone by the end of the week," said O'Leary, "which is very unfortunate. My information is that he's leaving on Friday. I know there had been some talk about it alright, and all sorts of rumours, but it seems it was only at the weekend that something definite was set up."
O'Leary has concerns about the youngest of the Ó hAilpín brothers potentially committing to the Melbourne club for the foreseeable future. Firstly his loss to Na Piarsaigh is significant, and without doubt weakens their chances of progressing in the Munster championship. But he's equally concerned about the loss to the GAA.
"Sure it's a fierce blow for us. I know when Setanta left the loss to the club was colossal. And in a way Aisake was just starting to fill his shoes. He'd scored 3-12 before last Sunday and collected another five points in the final. So that's 3-17 in four games, which easily makes him our leading scorer in the championship.
"And he's regularly been our man of the match. He was really blossoming for us, and I know this will be hugely demoralising for the team. Of course we'll start with 15 players on Sunday but you just can't replace players such as the Ó hAilpíns in a hurry."
Na Piarsaigh will train tonight for the first time since Sunday's county final win over Cloyne. O'Leary was already concerned about the short amount of time to prepare for the Toomevara game, but he now finds himself without two of his first-choice players.
Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, the oldest of the three brothers, was also rumoured to be heading to Australia for a trial but he remains committed to the club, and is also in line for the Cork captaincy next season.
"This is a big, big blow going into a Munster championship semi-final against a team like Toomevara," added O'Leary. "You need to be at your absolute best when playing a team like that. And we also felt Na Piarsaigh hadn't done themselves justice in their last two appearances in Munster. So I don't know if we can somehow question the legality of it. Of course the club is being selfish when we say we've had two grievous losses, but I think there's a huge loss to Cork and to the game as well."
Yet the temptation for young players to try the Australian game remains hard to resist, not least because of the earning potential.
The official Carlton Blues supporters website was yesterday running a poll on the latest Ó hAilpín family member, asking if the club should actively pursue Aisake. The results so far showed 50 per cent saying "most definitely"; 20.4 per cent saying they "didn't know enough about him"; 14.7 per cent saying the club "had nothing to lose"; and 14.7 per cent saying the club should "save the spot for a known quantity".
Setanta Ó hAilpín's departure to Carlton this time last year caused a certain amount of controversy, mostly concerning the GAA's loss of such a high-profile player.
Soon nicknamed "Carlos", he delivered several impressive performances with the Northern Bullants in the VFL early in the year, and was elevated to Carlton's senior list about halfway through the season. A stress fracture in his foot meant he missed the rest of the season, but the club's expectations of him remain high.
Now the career of Aisake, who is slightly taller than his two brothers, and was given a Fijian name after the nationality of his mother, is set to follow the same course. But clearly O'Leary wasn't impressed at the possible source of Aisake's recruitment: "This whole thing has totally turned me against the International Rules series now." .
Meanwhile, the Interprovincial hurling final between Munster and Connacht, set for this Sunday, has been postponed. Several players on both teams are still involved in the club championship, and a new date will be announced before the end of the week.
The football final between Leinster and Ulster is on course to take place at the Stade Yves du Manoir, part of the Stade Colombes complex, in Paris on November 13th.
