World Footy News

Back at training in Melbourne after the Christmas and New Year break the Hawthorn squad looked primed to carry on 2014 the way they left 2013. Most of the squad had a tour of South Africa under their belt and their opponents might have hoped that the Hawks were showing some serious battle scars from their premiership campaign.

New recruits and draftees were out on show. International Rookie Kiwis Heatherley and Tatupu were on deck too - Kurt looking quick and skilled, Shem looking a bit underdone and reportedly not long out of a moon boot.

But Hawks fans out at the Ricoh centre were wondering who the slim red headed kid was?

Turns out he is Conor Glass - 16 year Irish Gaelic footballer. Described on the Hoganstand website as possibly "the best young footballer in the country" in September. 

Glass was not among the Irish players put through AFL Europe Combine trialling by Tadgh Kennelly in December.  And it seems that Hawthorn have not been scared away from Ireland by the departure this time last year of their first Irish signing in Ciaran Kilkenny who packed his bags and headed home after a month.

Watching some footage of Glass we know that Hawthorn and other AFL clubs will be watching his progress closely when he returns to Ireland.

 

Best Minor Club Team in Ireland from Jerome Quinn on Vimeo.

 

For the record those that did attend the December trials were:- Shehroz Akram (Mayo), Conor McKenna (Tyrone), Conor McCarthy (Monaghan), Conor Jordan (Kerry), Niall Scully (Dublin), Ronan Daly (Roscommon), Ethan O’Donoghue (Kildare), Danny Owens (Tipperary), Stephen Coen (Mayo), Ciaron O’Hanlon (Armagh), Padraig McGirr (Tyrone), Rory Feely (Kildare), Peter Cooke (Galway), Israel Ilunga (Westmeath), Tom Devine (Waterford), Colin O’Riordan (Tipperary), Stephen Quirke (Tipperary), Kieran Murphy (Kerry), Cormac Curran (Waterford), Evan O’Carroll (Laois), Luke Flynn (Kildare), Padraig Lucey (Kerry).

More coverage on Conor's trial at Hawthorn in the Irish press:-

AFL Champs chase 16-year old Derry Star

Expect Aussies to target younger players: says Nixon