Swans boss Roos scoffs at ‘Sydney Celtics’ plans

SYDNEY SWANS coach Paul Roos has expressed doubts about the proposed new Australian Rules team, the Sydney Celtics, which is to feature Irish players.

“It’s an interesting concept, isn’t it?” said Roos.

“The Boston Celtics won the NBA so maybe they can bring over Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, Paul Pierce. They are all about 6ft 6, 6ft 7. They’ll have a good ruck division.”

The AFL is considering expanding, with a franchise to be based in western Sydney with an all-Irish team, dubbed the Sydney Celtics, believed to be one of the options.

However, the league was not quite so positive about that plan yesterday, describing any Irish involvement in the 18th licence as “one of many options” for the expansion club, scheduled to enter the AFL in 2012 at the earliest.

Media reports in Australia suggested the “Sydney Celtics” plan was first put to AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou 18 months ago by the Gaelic Players’ Association, and had gained momentum recently following the visit of Melbourne-based player agent Ricky Nixon to Ireland.

Brian Walsh, the AFL’s general manager of corporate affairs yesterday said the initial discussion in 2006 in Ireland took “all of about two minutes” during a general discussion.

“It’s one of many options but none have been decided and won’t be for some time,” Walsh said.

“A side in the west of Sydney is 12 months behind where we are currently on the Gold Coast.” The 17th licence will have an AFL club on the Gold Coast in 2011, after two years of development and building a playing list in junior ranks and a lower-grade competition from next year.

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire, who again urged caution in relation to the introduction of a team out of west Sydney in light of predictions of further economic gloom, indicated it was a concept that could not be taken seriously.

“I do worry when we see the Sydney Celtics,” he said on Australian radio recently.

“It all sounds fantastic (but) it made me spit in my cornflakes.

“The Gold Coast is a big-time move for the AFL and I am very confident they can do it but we have to be very careful (about west Sydney).”

Demetriou said on Saturday: “To call this embryonic is an understatement. We are looking at several proposals and we have been forwarded all sorts of ideas.”

Nine Irish players are presently on AFL club lists.