Kobe McDonald will move to Australia with his parents in August - report

Mayo's Kobe McDonald celebrates with the Sam Maguire Cup. Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Mayo's teenage hero Kobe McDonald will begin life in Australia in August and will be joined Down Under by his family, Australian media reported on Monday.

The 18-year-old McDonald signed a contract with AFL side St Kilda last year but had remained at home to complete his Leaving Cert and play one year of senior football with Mayo - a season that ended gloriously on Sunday in Croke Park.

Afl.com.au reports that McDonald was watched in Sunday's All-Ireland final by St Kilda head of talent and acquisition Graeme Allan. Allan has overseen St Kilda's recruitment in Ireland in recent years with Cork's Liam O'Connell and Meath's Eamonn Armstrong among other Irish players to join the club.

The website reports: "McDonald is set to move to Melbourne in the coming weeks and will be joined by his parents, who are understood to be relocating with the teenager.

"Kobe's father, Ciaran, was one of the finest Gaelic Footballers of his generation and represented Ireland in the 2005 International Rules series against Australia."

McDonald will begin his career at St Kilda on a Category B Rookie deal. 

Sunday's historic win was the perfect send-off. Speaking on The Sunday Game on the evening of the All-Ireland final, McDonald said his new employers had just told him to enjoy the rest of his time in Ireland. He added: "To be honest, I'm not thinking about Australia right now, I'm just soaking in every single bit of this.

"This is where I come from, so to give the people of Mayo something to cheer about is special."

Mayo have already lost Oisín Mullin to AFL in recent seasons, now thriving at Geelong.