Quigley touted to be Laois’s U21 hero

LAOIS star Donie Brennan has tipped former Australian Rules rookie Brendan Quigley to lead the county to Leinster U-21 football glory.

Brennan was speaking at Croke Park yesterday at the launch of Cadbury’s Heroes of the Future initiative.

Sponsors Cadbury will choose a Hero of the Match from each game in the U-21 championship from provincial semi-final level onwards.

From those 15 players an overall Hero of the Future for 2006 will then be chosen by a senior inter-county football and a GAA journalist.

The winning player will receive a €1,000 holiday voucher while his club and county will receive €1,000 each.

Brennan wouldn’t rule out Quigley as a contender for that overall prize.

The player recently cut short a two-year International Rookie contract with the Brisbane Lions just months after joining. But the former minor star is tipped for a big GAA future and will line out at midfield against Westmeath in the Leinster semi-final tomorrow.

Brennan, an U-21 and senior star with Laois, believes the Timahoe clubman can lead them into the provincial final.

“Brisbane’s loss has been very much Laois’s gain with Brendan Quigley,” said Brennan. “He’s a massive addition. We’d be really struggling in midfield without him to be honest.

“With Brendan you know what you’re going to get, he’s going to catch ball and deliver it into the forwards.

“It’s a pity it didn’t work out for him in the AFL but he’s more valuable to us here than out in Australia.”

Quigley initially headed to Brisbane in November with his close friend, Laois senior Colm Begley.

Stradbally man Begley is faring well and, according to Brennan, is close to a breakthrough Down Under.

The Australian theme was strong at Croke Park yesterday.

GAA president Sean Kelly revealed that while Pearse Stadium, Galway got the nod for the first International Rules test, Belfast’s Casement Park was strongly considered.

“We’re a 32-county organisation and we looked very closely at Belfast too,” admitted Kelly. “We’ll probably go there in the next series.

“For the moment Galway is the venue. They’ve done a great job on Pearse Stadium and it should make for a great weekend.”