A signal of intent as Setanta gets off to a flyer

IT COULDN’T have been more fitting as an Aussie Rules season that shapes up to have a greater Irish influence than ever before, kicked off last night with one of our exports providing the opening night fireworks.

Setanta O hAilpín – along with Tadhg Kennelly – will be one of the two figureheads for a historic Irish invasion of the AFL this term and at a jam-packed MCG, the Corkman grabbed the headlines for all the right reasons.

After a pre-season littered with expert opinions that now is the time for O hAilpín to emerge and prove his true worth, he produced a stellar performance for the Carlton Blues, as they kicked off the campaign by annihilating Richmond Tigers by 56 points in front of over 72,000 at the home of Australian sport.

O hAilpín grabbed his first goal of the campaign early on with an opportunist effort on the turn from close range but it was his sumptuous strike from fully 52 metres after the break that lit up the balmy night sky. Another followed late on and it was a night that marked the first steps on the road to redemption.

‘There’s no doubt that it’s on the line for Setanta this year, as in he has to put his best foot forward and stride on from there. But all the early signs are good,” said the man behind much of the Irish invasion, Ricky Nixon.

It was Nixon who brought the most high-profile Irish recruit ever, Tommy Walsh, here over the off-season. But he points to the former Rebel hurler O hAilpín as an example of what the realistic expectations should be for last year’s All-Ireland final man of the match in his first season with St Kilda.

“I think Setanta is the perfect example of people being impatient. We’re quite happy to give a star young Australian kid, who is a big boy, three or four years to develop and make it. But then we expect an Irish boy to come out here and just star overnight.”

But there was no doubting the star quality last night. And it couldn’t have been more apt, with O hAilpín very much one of the elder statesmen among a record-breaking 11 Irish players Down Under this term.

Only the returning Kennelly boasts more experience amongst the converts to the oval ball game. The 28-year-old is champing at the bit to get into the action himself. His Sydney Swans kick off at the Olympic Stadium against St Kilda tomorrow morning Irish time.

The All-Ireland winner insists he has never been in better physical shape. His last two seasons in red and white were blighted by shoulder injuries – something that he avoided during his 12-month sojourn back in the green and gold.

“I’m physically absolutely fantastic and I can express myself fully now without having that mental block,” Kennelly said this week.

“Those last two years (2007 and 2008) were extremely tough and hard. Mentally and physically, I really didn’t enjoy my football.

“That was probably one of the decisions that helped me to come back here, because I thought I wasn’t playing at a level that I was happy with and I wanted to come back to the Swans to play at a level I know I can play.

“In the past I have always been quite strong mentally, but my body wasn’t up to the same level. Now I just have to make sure I’m mentally switched on, which I know how to do. I’ve reinvigorated my body.”

Nixon, though, isn’t so sure.

“Listen, Tadhg’s a superstar of the AFL. I found it interesting that when he went back to play Gaelic footy, it took him time to get going again,” observed the agent. “He obviously played exceptionally well towards the end of the season over there. But I just wonder. He’s not 21 anymore, so I wonder how much it might take to get him going over here again now.

“The three best Irish guys to come over here were without a doubt Sean Wight, Jim Stynes and Tadhg Kennelly. But all three of them took over two years to make it and this is what people don’t understand with Tommy Walsh or Niall McKeever. You’ve just got to be about patient.”

Walsh and McKeever are two of five rookies on the scene. Down minor star Jamie O’Reilly, Derry’s Chris McKaigue and Laois prodigy Zach Tuohy complete that quintet.

With three others – another O’Moore man in Conor Meredith, Longford starlet Michael Quinn and Louth’s Brian Donnelly – all in the second year of rookie deals and Ballaghderreen native Pearce Hanley in the first year of a new contract, it’s boom time for the imports.

With Nixon readying another batch of hopefuls for trials here, interest from back home in the Irish crusaders can only grow.

“I couldn’t get over the enormous interest from people in the street, in cafes and pubs, when I was in Ireland last month. The amount of people who said: ‘We want to see Tadhg going well, we want to see Tommy, Conor Meredith, Jamie O’Reilly go well’ was unbelievable,” says Nixon.

“With the players actually getting spread around the AFL, rather than one club, creates a situation where people are taking up teams in Ireland.”

After last night’s devastating display, it might be a good idea to adopt O hAilpín and Carlton as your team.