GAA warning from AFL scout

A HIGH-PROFILE official at a top Australian Rules club has warned the recruitment drive for Gaelic footballers is set to intensify.

Derek Hine, recruiting manager at Melbourne outfit Collingwood, has stressed that more and more clubs are turning their attention to Ireland in an effort to find young talent.

“There certainly will be some challenges with the two new (Premiership) teams (to be based in West Sydney and the Gold Coast, near Brisbane), and that’s why we must work so hard in Sydney and so hard in Ireland,” Hine told Collingwood’s Magpie Radio.