O’Hara longed for AFL move

SLIGO star Eamonn O’Hara regrets not making a move to Australia to try forge an AFL career.

O’Hara, who won his only Connacht title with the Yeats County in 2007, admitted that he considered heading Down Under in his younger days.

“To be paid would be fantastic. To get up in the morning and know that you are getting a few pound for what you love doing would be fantastic. It would make training very, very easy.

“I’d love to have gone to Australia. There was talk of it when I started off. At the time they were only coming into the early stages of bringing guys over. I thought about it but I never did it. I was a home boy type of person.”

And according to O’Hara (35), who claimed only Sligo’s third ever All Star in 2002, a move to Australia is a great opportunity for young footballers, but the lure of his club was too strong to wrench him away.

“It would have been lovely, but I know for myself realistically it would never have happened,” he told the recently launched www.mayotv.ie.

“I love playing with my club Tourlestrane and we have a very good set-up down there and for the last number of years we have been knocking on the door for county championships. I have six to my name so I am happy with that.

“But if I was to change it, I wouldn’t have minded going for a couple of years. I take my hat off to the lads who go. It is something that I’d love to have done.