World Footy News

Former Dublin Gaelic footballer and Melbourne Demons Australian football legend and Brownlow medallist, Jim Stynes, has spoken out about plans by the GAA and the AFL to put an end to the drafting of Irish teens by AFL clubs.

Responding to discontent in parts of Ireland over the loss of talented young Gaelic footballers (and in Setanta O'hAilpin's case - the young Hurler of the year), the GAA has requested that the AFL put a minimum age limit on recruiting from Ireland by the clubs. Despite the success of Stynes, Wight, Kennelly and probably O'hAilpin and Begley (see earlier stories) more young Gaelic footballers have returned to Ireland without making the senior lists. For some it has reportedly been a disruptive experience to the other side of the globe in years they could've been finishing school or embarking on tertiary study or careers - as even if they return to successful GAA careers there is no salary in the amateur GAA sports.

Then again as Stynes argues, they return with great life experience and enhanced sporting or athletic experience from Australia. As Stynes is quoted in the Melbourne Age:

"Most of them (Irish footballers) don't make it but it doesn't matter because they come here to learn different values, professional values and gain life experience."

He acknowledges that GAA fans don't want to see their future stars disappearing overseas and suggests perhaps a cap of one or two players per year. But he is concerned if the age minimum is 20 or 21 the young Irishmen will struggle to adapt to the oval ball and other different aspects of the Australian game. Stynes arrived in Australia at age 19 and wonders if he'd ever have made the grade if he'd left it a further year or two.

Also in The Age, Caroline Wilson expresses her further sentiments about this issue - see article Hands off our kids, say Irish, but why is the AFL listening?.