By John Harrington

Colm Cooper admits there are people in Kerry ‘not too happy’ about his former team-mate Tadhg Kennelly’s role in inviting talented young footballers from the Kingdom to trial for AFL clubs in Australia. 

Former Kerry All-Ireland winning minor captain, Mark O’Connor, has already joined AFL side Geelong.

And another five Kerry teenagers were invited to last weekend’s AFL Talent Combine in UCD.

Cooper admits Kerry people would prefer Kennelly to target players from other counties, but admits his former team-mate is just doing his job.

“It is his job,” says Cooper. “I'm sure there are some people who aren't too happy about it, that he's coming taking the best players from his county, where he grew up and played, but at the end of the day it's his job.

“He's in recruitment of players. I think the fact that he's taken a few from Kerry and not other counties hasn't (gone down well). But then you look at someone like Ciaran Kilkenny who went and it didn't seem to be for him and he's come back and won All-Irelands for Dublin and you can see what it means for him.

“Some of it is down to the individual as well and what they want from their careers and stuff. Look, Tadhg is doing his job. Would we like him not to be taking the Kerry lads?

“Of course we would but I think that's just the nature of the beast at the moment.”

Mark O’Connor looked like a Kerry senior midfield star in the making so his departure has not been received well in the Kingdom.

But Cooper admits the GAA is always going to find it hard to compete with the lure of AFL clubs who can offer our most talented young footballers the chance of a career as a professional sportsman.

“Obviously, we would love the likes of Mark O'Connor to be still be at home and other lads who have been up at trials in recent weeks but if you are talking to 17 and 18 year olds and the lure of going to Australia and signing a rookie contract and live as a professional, it is hard to compete,” says Cooper.

“I would love to see the GAA maybe try to safeguard our players and try to keep them at home and keep them playing with their clubs and their counties, but I am not sure what they can do on that one because the clubs that are coming over are fairly aggressive, they are holding clinics and sure, we have our own man, Tadhg Kennelly, stuck in the middle of it.

“They are looking for the best players that they can and if you look at the Irish players that have gone to Australia in recent years, they have been making an impact. So they want the creme de la creme from Ireland and that opportunity for young guys going over, it is something they are finding hard to say no to.

“I think there will be more players going, for sure, not just from Kerry of course. There are plenty of other good minor players that are being spotted and I just don't think there is any way of stopping it, to be honest.

“I don't know what the GAA can do about it, think the lure is too much for young guys.”