Collingwood put Irish player scouting on hold
The club has a permanent part-time scout in Ireland but will not seek to recruit players until the AFL and the GAA reach agreement on the issue. The two organisations met in
Melbourne, and with questions about the future of the international rules competition still unanswered, they've resolved to make it more difficult for AFL clubs to recruit Irish players.
Dissatisfaction with aggressive AFL recruiting peaked last year, when star Tyrone footballer Sean Cavanagh had to refute suggestions he was signing for the Brisbane Lions on the night Tyrone won the All-Ireland final, and prominent GAA figures like Tyrone boss Mickey Harte are unhappy with Australian interest in Irish players.
With the AFL keen to continue to offer its players the opportunity to represent Australia, the governing body agreed to restrict any possible Irish exodus.
Raising the draft age of Gaelic football recruits to 21 years is one possibility which is under consideration.
Collingwood appointed a permanent scout in Ireland late last year, but club manager Neil Balme said yesterday that the club would await the outcome of the AFL-GAA discussions before deciding whether to continue to recruit here.
"We've certainly retained someone in Ireland. We have someone representing us there, looking at players and keeping up to date," Balme said.
"But we won't want to embarrass the code or the AFL so we will be talking with them before we do anything. They're clearly talking to the GAA about the issue, so we'll talk to them (AFL)."
Kerry's Tadhg Kennelly and Cork's Setanta and Aisake Ó hAilpín are the most high-profile converts to the oval ball game with the Sydney Swans and Carlton respectively but Brisbane Lions have also signed two Irish players, young Laois stars Colm Begley and Brendan Quigley, who are now on two-year international rookie deals.
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