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Begley warns Aussies are watching

Jan 03, 2006

Tuesday, January 3

Former Laois footballer Colm Begley, now playing Australian Rules with the Brisbane Lions, has warned that AFL sides are keeping a close eye on young Gaelic footballers.

Along with fellow O’Moore man Brendan Quigley, Begley moved to Australia on a two-year contract last November. The pair have been training since are and now hope to break into the Sun Coast Lions team – Brisbane’s reserve outfit.

If they can manage that Begley is certain that his club will return to Ireland in search of more talent.

“Half the reason they brought the two of us over was to test out the Irish market,” he said. “If we make it then they’ll have no problem coming back to look for more players. From listening to people at the club and – indeed the talk from other AFL clubs – it seems there’s a lot of interest in Ireland.”

There have been calls from various quarters of the GAA to end the schoolboy’s International Rules series, in which Begley and Quigley both played, and indeed the senior version of the competition.

However, Begley added that there is no need for the GAA to become alarmed.

“They may come looking for more players but whether they get them or not is another matter. To be honest it’s been blown out of proportion a bit.

“It’s not as if every county is going to have two or three of their best young players snapped up. If it happens, it might only be a couple of players in the whole of Ireland.”

 

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