Kerry starlet Mark O’Connor mulls over Australian offers
O’Connor has attracted interest from three clubs after an impressive showing in the AFL Draft Combine when finishing fourth in Sunday’s 3km time-trial.
O’Connor, captain and man of the match when Kerry won the All-Ireland MFC title in 2015 and who also played midfield in their 2014 success, had caught the eye over the previous week with his handling and kicking skills, as well as his athleticism at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.
It is now believed Geelong, North Melbourne and Melbourne are interested in offering the 19-year-old Dingle tyro an international rookie contract.
O’Connor was man of the match in two Hogan Cup finals won by Corca Dhuibhne during a spectacular underage career and was part of Éamonn Fitzmaurice’s extended senior panel this year but having undergone trials with five clubs prior to the Combine (Essendon and Carlton being the other two), he is intent on availing of the opportunity to become a full-time sportsman.
“I do want to pursue an AFL career” confirmed O’Connor before returning to Ireland. “It’s definitely something I want to do. It’s hard work but it’s just so rewarding. To be able to spend all of my time trying to improve my game is something I’d like. I’ll go back home and talk to my parents and talk things through and see what’s on the table.”
O’Connor was amazed by the scale of the facilities at the clubs he visited and enjoyed the Grand Final, where Western Bulldogs defeated Sydney Swans.
“What I’ve learned over the past few weeks is everything happens quickly in the AFL. Only a couple of months ago Tadhg Kennelly invited me to the combine held in Ireland. There’s a few Irish guys out here now and they’ve opened the door for me to come through the system. I went to the combine in Ireland and Tadhg was interested in bringing me out to see how I’d go against these guys.”
O’Connor trained alongside the country’s most talented draft hopefuls ahead of the NAB All Stars game on Grand Final eve and impressed recruiters with his clean overhead marking and accurate kicking.
He said he had been “messing about” with the ball in his hands at home but had not practised kicking before landing in Melbourne.
“I looked at all the videos on YouTube about how to kick a footy and that’s great, but you need someone next to you and I had absolutely no experience with the ball. I also didn’t want to get into any bad habits with my kicking so I waited until I got to Australia before I started to kick the ball, and Tadhg took me for a couple of sessions. I felt more comfortable then.”
Meanwhile, Brisbane Lions list manager, Peter Schwab has admitted that their Irish star Pearce Hanley could be suffering from “losers’ fatigue”.
Hanley has been linked to Queensland rivals Gold Coast while Geelong are also said to be interested. “Pearce has got a long-term contract with us” said Schwab. “He and us are exploring (a trade). I think Pearce, to be honest, has a bit of losers’ fatigue with Brisbane. He’s been there a while and been frustrated we haven’t had success.
“We haven’t categorically said we’re going to get rid of him. It’s just an expression of interest from a few clubs.”
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