Kennelly eyes AFL ambassador role amid Irish exodus fears

TADHG KENNELLY wants to become the Australian Football League’s (AFL) first Irish ambassador, a role which he hopes would prevent Gaelic football from turning into a meat market for the oval code.

Tue, 22 Jul, 2008 - 01:00

The Listowel man has voiced fears about the increasing levels of interest shown by Aussie Rules clubs in young Irish footballers. Kennelly believes that a minority of teams have the expertise and experience to train and look after Irish arrivals, and that many who travel over will not be afforded the optimum conditions in which to prove themselves.

However, his own successes in Sydney – he became the first Irishman to win a Premiership medal in 2005 – are proof of the possibilities, and he is keen to maintain his link with his adopted code and country after his career winds down.

“It’s a role I’d like to sit down and talk to the AFL about, being an ambassador for them in Ireland and in Australia,” Kennelly said. “This would be an opportunity for me not to just pack up and leave Australia.”

With a new Gold Coast side due to join the league in 2011 and a second Sydney side to follow a year later, the next few years are likely to see an even greater number of players make the switch down under.

“My concern and my worry is the welfare and treatment of the Irish players when they do come out here. Since Jimmy Stynes and Sean Wight in Melbourne, there’s probably been 20 Irish players [who have] come out to Australia and, realistically, there’s only been three or four that have stayed on and made it. There’s been a lot who have gone back to Ireland probably worse players.”

The two new franchises would require a playing staff of 80, and with existing clubs having to continually restock their ranks as well, the need to exhaust all recruiting avenues is obvious. The AFL has also targeted New Zealand and South Africa as other potential gold mines while a player from Sri Lanka is also being lined up for the next league draft, but Ireland is still the largest untapped source.

“My concern is with the amount of players that are going to come out here. Some clubs obviously do it very well because they have been working with Irish players for a few years now. I think the problem is a lot of clubs have no experience or idea about working with Irish players.”