St Kilda coach set to hand Walsh AFL debut

ST KILDA coach Ross Lyon has confirmed All-Ireland winner Tommy Walsh will make his AFL debut in the side’s NAB Cup opener with Collingwood next week.

The Kerry native has impressed since his arrival to the Melbourne club with the coach confirming his new recruit has already ‘surpassed expectations’.

Lyon said: “We’re pretty keen to give him an opportunity. We know he will crash and bash at 196cm and 102kg.

“!He is exciting and he really is by definition a first-round athlete.

“He has surpassed expectations – where he was from. His ability to kick the ball and really withstand the loads, going from an amateur level to a professional level, he hasn’t missed a session,” Lyon said.

“(The question is) how quickly we can bring him up to speed with Aussie Rules? He’ll get a look in, probably as a substitute player (in the NAB cup opening round),” concluded Lyon.

Meanwhile controversial AFL agent Ricky Nixon has confirmed that the latest trawl for young Irish footballers will take place in Gormanston College in county Meath next month.

Twenty-five of the top up-and-coming teenage gaelic footballers are scheduled to attend on March 3 where half a dozen Aussie Rules scouts will run the rule over them.

St Kilda, Geelong, Richmond and Western Bulldogs officials are all familiar with the system but they will be joined for the first time by representatives from Fremantle.

New expansion team, Western Sydney, has also signalled its intent to come on board for scouting trips later in the year according to Nixon’s Flying Start recruitment agency.

The decision to add two new franchises to the AFL, which will bring the number of clubs to 18, has added to the attraction which these shores hold for clubs in the league.

A number of high-profile converts to the Aussie game have returned home in recent years, including Martin Clarke of Down, Michael Shields from Cork and Laois’ Colm Begley.

However, others took the opposite route in 2009, including Tommy Walsh who signed with St Kilda, Niall McKeever who agreed to join Brisbane, Conor Meredith who has hooked up with the Kangaroos and Jamie O’Reilly who is now on the books with Richmond.

“This year’s group of players invited to trial are very exciting,” said Nixon. “Players will not only have the opportunity to display their fitness and skills, but they will be provided with AFL specific strength and conditioning programs, skills DVDs and footballs.

“This can enhance their prospects of further trials in June and July, and enable them to better present themselves for Gaelic football.

“The players are very excited about watching the progress of Walsh, McKeever, O’Reilly and Meredith with the prospects of these players participating in the NAB Cup very high.”