Laois ace Quigley set to return

LAOIS star Brendan Quigley looks set to end his contract with the Brisbane Lions and return home.

Sources in his home county suggest the Timahoe midfielder has failed to settle since moving to Australia, last year, with fellow Laois player Colm Begley.

Though both players have impressed Lions coaches with their ball handling skills, Quigley hasn’t been able to adapt to life off the pitch and it seems that homesickness will bring him back.

A tall, rangy midfielder, the Timahoe clubman would be drafted immediately onto the U21 panel. Sean Dempey’s U21s are targeting an All-Ireland title this year and Quigley, who played in midfield three years ago, when the county won the All-Ireland minor title, would be odds on to split the designated centrefield partnership of David Murphy and Kevin Meeney.

Another man who could be returning to duty with Laois is 2003 All-star Tom Kelly. Rumour had it that the centre-back wouldn’t feature, as he is setting up his own business, but Kelly has committed to training in March.

Two years after arriving in Australia from Cork, meanwhile, Carlton are still ruminating over where to play Setanta Ó hAilpín, now promoted from the rookie list to the senior squad.

Tadhg Kennelly, who played wing-forward in his Kerry days, ended up as a ruck man with the Sydney Swans but Carlton ruck coach Gary Dempsey has pointed out that it took Kennelly and Jim Stynes four years to find their niche in the AFL.

“He’s big, he’s very agile,” Dempsey said of Ó hAilpín. “He could probably play on a wing or at half-forward or as a follower, but he’s still got a lot to learn about body work, because he had none until he came to Australia and the sort of work he’s doing with me he’s doing for the first time ever.

“I think he’s a project. I would probably look to play him on a flank until he got used to the game and maybe give him an occasional run on the ball. But he’s got to play well enough to make it yet - as a player. He’s got to get the form on the board, then we’ll see.”