Paddy Brophy: I learned a lot from Aussie Rules that I can bring back to Kildare

Paddy Brophy was standing on the fine white sand of City Beach in Perth, the impossibly blue waters of the Indian Ocean stretching beyond the horizon before him, when he arrived at the decision to come home.

He’d given it his best shot. The West Coast Eagles had never taken part in the ‘Irish Experiment’ before signing him up but the Kildare man impressed with East Perth in the West Australian Football League for nigh on three seasons before calling it quits.

How close did he come to making it? Pretty close.