World Footy News

It was reported that the AFL will change the regulations after the 2006 AFL draft with respect to the age of recruits from Ireland to appease the fears of the GAA that their game will be stripped of some of their best young talent. Another young Irish talent Martin Clarke is the latest name to be linked with an AFL club.

It remains to be seen whether there may be some last ditch recruiting en masse by teams before this change comes in and whether struggling teams like Essendon will bite the Irish bullet in a bid to get an edge in their recruiting as Carlton have done with the O’hAilpin brothers.

The Brisbane Lions have shown their willingness to test the Irish talent pool with the likes of Begley and Quigley this year and look set to add to that list despite the loss of Quigley already this year due to homesickness. The Irish Independent (registration required) has reported that Martin Clarke of Down has been offered a two-year International Rookie contract with the club. Clarke has been a rising star of the game in Ireland showing out at St. Louis Grammar School, Kilkeel and lauded and awarded for his leadership being named Captain of Captains of all Ulster colleges football and hurling championships in 2003. Peter Canavan recently described him in his Hoganstand column as “the most exciting player at minor level in Ulster at present”

A number of similar stories have surfaced over the last couple of years about contracts that have not come to fruition, but it appears that it is on the table should Clarke be interested in becoming a professional footballer on the other side of the world.