After Mayo glory, Kobe McDonald sets AFL sights high
Kobe McDonald said he and his young teammates "probably don't understand the magnitude of what we've done" in helping Mayo to win their first All-Ireland SFC title in 75 years. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Kobe McDonald reckons that 'a lot of Australians probably don't give me a chance' of making it in the AFL with St Kilda.
But the Mayo phenom, and freshly minted All-Ireland medallist, is looking forward to the opportunity to prove people wrong and noted that he isn't the sort of character 'to go there and just blend in'.
McDonald has kept the exact date of his departure for Australia a closely guarded secret, though it is expected to happen in August.
The 18-year-old — who sat his Leaving Cert exams this summer and had considered studying in UL to become a PE and geography teacher — hinted at a mid-August departure.
"Right now, I'm an All-Ireland champion with this Mayo team and in three weeks' time, that will be done and I'll be a St Kilda footballer and we'll see what happens after that," said McDonald.
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Whether McDonald ever wears the green and red of Mayo again is an unknown, even for the player himself.
"Yeah, look, I'm sure there'll be a time in the future where I'll be home," he shrugged. "I don't look too far ahead. I look to the next step."
That next step will be to climb onto the foot of the AFL ladder as a brand new recruit.
He will join a St Kilda group already containing Cork's Liam O'Connell, who has made nine appearances in 2026, and Meath's Eamonn Armstrong.
The official St Kilda website has included McDonald on its list of senior players, assigning the Crossmolina talent the number 42 jersey and listing him as a defender.
Having played a key role in making GAA history, within a year of joining the Mayo senior panel, he is ambitious to go far in his adopted sport.
"Well look, I want to...there's probably a first team and a second team - I want to be in the first team as much as possible," he said. "I don't want to go there and just blend in. That's not my nature. You obviously strive to be the best, strive to be one of the best at least. But there's no guarantees. I'll try my best and see what happens."
The teenager, son of former Mayo All-Star Ciarán, said that he will be joined in Melbourne by his parents for around six weeks and that he will return home at Christmas.
He said that St Kilda dispatched two representatives to watch him compete in Sunday's All-Ireland final win over Kerry. The official AFL website stated that St Kilda head of talent and acquisition Graeme Allan was at Croke Park to monitor the Category B rookie.
McDonald thanked the club for allowing him to compete for Mayo in this year's Championship.
"They had every right to pull the plug after the Leaving Cert," he said. "That was the plan before I joined Mayo. They were so good for letting me do this."
But McDonald reckons AFL supporters in general will take some convincing about his talent and ability to transfer successfully across to the oval ball game.
Reminded that he will essentially be starting all over again in a new sport, McDonald sounded a bullish note.
"I suppose I was at the bottom of the ladder this year too," he said. "I like being the underdog. I like when no-one really gives you a chance. I'm sure a lot of Australians probably don't give me a chance, as much as they don't give any Irish players a chance.
"But you see what Oisín (Mullin) has been able to do over there this year, that gives you serious belief. Of course, I'm looking forward to it, but I'm probably looking forward to the celebrations a bit more first."
It is a remarkable thought that had McDonald, a December baby, been born just a few weeks later, in 2008 instead of 2007, he wouldn't have been eligible to play for Mayo this year.
"That's true," he said. "I actually had that talk with Paddy Durcan on Sunday. I would have been just playing my first year with Crossmolina seniors which, thank God, that's not the case."
He remains a rookie though, not even old enough to be contacted directly when Andy Moran was signing him up for 2026. That first call went to Kobe's famous father. And when he joined his Mayo colleagues at Copper Face Jacks nightclub after Sunday's dramatic win over Kerry, it was his first time there.
He hasn't even received his Leaving Cert results yet.
"I haven't a clue, to be honest with you," he laughed, when asked when they're out.
But he is mature enough to realise the gravity of Sunday's win, Mayo's first in 75 years.
"I thought it would sink in this morning," he said, speaking before the team departed Dublin for the homecoming.
"I thought I'd realise what we've done but I still find myself pinching myself, I still find myself looking around, the Mayo supporters, the old people, my family, my friends, you know, our teammates.
"I think I spoke in an interview yesterday that me, (Eoin) McGreal and (Darragh) Beirne probably don't understand the magnitude of what we've done. We've never been here before, it's that unknown. I think one day, hopefully in the future, I will realise what we've accomplished."
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