Mark Keane: ‘I just feel like it was the right time to go home’

Leaving a professional career behind was always going to be tough to do, especially with one year left on the contract at Olympic Park Oval

Mark Keane is expectged to feature for Cork’s hurlers in Friday's Canon O’Brien Cup fixture against UCC (Mardyke, 7pm). Keane has not ruled out playing football with Cork again either, however. ‘Football is a big love of mine since I have been a child, especially here in Mitchelstown. So, no I will not be ruling anything out at the moment.’

After going through the AFL Combine in Dublin in late 2017, Mark Keane at 17 years of age started to raise certain eyebrows across the AFL scouting group and eight months later, he was offered a rookie contract by Collingwood.

Three years on, the Australian adventure is all over and he returns home to Ireland for good.