Kerry U-20 manager Tomás Ó Sé says player is being actively 'tapped up' by AFL club

The Kingdom great has been a high-profile critic of Australian clubs poaching GAA players and his mood hasn't improved.

To announce the Dalata Hotel Group five-year sponsorship of the GAA Under 20 Football Championship is Aisling O Reilly, presenter, Dermot Crowley (Dalata CEO), Cormac Egan, Offaly, Tomas O Se, Kerry, James Sargent, Derry, Maire Trease, sports psychologist and Jarlath Burns, President, GAA. From today, the championship will be titled Dalata Hotel Group GAA Under 20 Football Championship. Pic: Dan Sheridan, Inpho

Kerry U-20 manager Tomás Ó Sé has claimed that one of his players, a Leaving Cert student, is being actively 'tapped up' by an AFL club.

The Kingdom great has been a high-profile critic over the years of Australian clubs poaching GAA players.

But it hasn't stopped the drain of talent from his county with Cillian Burke and Rob Monahan, who both lined out for Ó Sé's Kerry U-20s in 2023, now on the books of Geelong and Carlton respectively.

Dingle's Mark O'Connor is also at Geelong and established there, following the path of Listowel's Tadhg Kennelly who previously won an AFL title with Sydney Swans.

AFL activity is an ongoing source of frustration in Kerry with county chairman Patrick O'Sullivan stating last December that no less than seven local players were being tracked by clubs.

Speaking at the launch of Dalata Hotel Group's five-year sponsorship of the U-20 football championship, O Se said he 'hates' the way AFL recruitment is carried out here and pointed to the alleged tapping up.

"I think it's wrong what's going on," said Ó Sé. "I think there's players being tapped up, I know for a fact that there's an U-20 player in Kerry being rang by coaches from an Australian club telling him how he did in matches after watching him on Clubber.

"If it was a professional, I don't know what the rules are, but if it was soccer or rugby I don't think they'd be allowed to do that, when the fella is doing the Leaving Cert. Don't get me wrong, fellas think I'm completely against a fella going out. If the offer is there, I'd wish him all the best and I'd always wish him all the best and I hope there's success out there and it's brilliant.

"But as a Kerry man, I hate the way it's done, I just hate the way there's 15 years going into a young fella and it's just, 'Oh yeah, we'll have that fella there and we'll shoot off'."

Ó Sé also vented his frustration that individual players are choosing the AFL over an inter-county career with Kerry.

"And it kind of annoys me more than anything else that the want isn't there to play for Kerry more, if that makes sense," he continued. "It makes sense to me anyway, I'd rather nothing but to play for Kerry and win All-Irelands for Kerry. And there's opportunity there, there's a good (Kerry) team there and there's opportunities to win an All-Ireland.

"Look, I wish the lads well and all but it's a huge loss to Kerry football, no matter what way you look at it. Cillian Burke has gone, Rob Monahan has gone, Mark O'Connor has gone, and don't get me wrong, it's happening up the north as well and it's happening elsewhere, in other counties."

Ó Sé has spoken in the past about possible compensation for GAA clubs or counties who lose a player.

"I've kind of made my peace made with it at this stage," he said. "We're an amateur organisation, there's no way you can bring money into it, there's no way you can bring compensation in, there's no way you can bring structure (around that) because we're an amateur organisation. We're there as prime picking so why wouldn't the Aussie Rules do it?"

Ó Sé has guided Kerry to Munster U-20 titles in 2023 and 2024, as well as an All-Ireland final appearance last year. This season's provincial campaign will begin for Kerry at the Phase 2 stage on April 1 when they play a Phase 1 winner.

Asked if he has attempted to convince the player who is being tapped up to stick with Kerry, Ó Sé shrugged.

"I've thought about this, fellas would be coming around (saying), 'Get him scholarships, get him whatever, look after him'," said O Se. "But it's not about that. If I was a player and I wanted to do it and I have an itch to go abroad, then you're right to go abroad. If it's a case that you don't want to stay at home and play for Kerry, and you'd rather go out there, then you'd be telling a lad, 'Just go, go', because they'll only regret it for the rest of their days, if they don't have a cut at it."