Kerry GAA chairman Patrick O’Sullivan believes clubs and counties should be compensated by Aussie Rules clubs who sign their players. Addressing delegates at the recent Kerry county convention, O’Sullivan called on Croke Park to put in place “procedures” whereby AFL clubs would have to give something back to the clubs and counties that developed the players in the first place. His comments come after rising Kingdom stars Rob Monahan and Cillian Burke recently joined the Carlton Blues and Geelong Cats respectively on international rookie contracts.
O’Sullivan said: “Representatives of the AFL are constantly floating around Kerry minor and under 20s over the last number of years. They come selling a professional sport to our younger players. It is hard for young players not to look at a professional career in sport. The Association has to take some action regarding the AFL’s constant scrutiny of our younger stars in Ireland. Procedures will have to be put in place where players cannot be taken without contributing to the club and counties who give so much to the development of these players.”
MCGEADY SAYS HE
WAS ‘FORGOTTEN’
Former Irish international Aiden McGeady is not happy with how his international career ended, claiming there was no official contact from the FAI. In an interview with Aidan Fitzmaurice in the Irish Independent recently, McGeady, who won the last of his 93 senior caps against Denmark in 2017, said: ‘‘James McClean got his 100th cap with his family there, Robbie Brady his 50th with his family there, everyone got it and I didn’t. Stephen Ward got 50 caps and a farewell, Glenn Whelan got one, but I was forgotten and nobody from the FAI contacted me and I have not been back over. The only person from the FAI to contact me was Packie Bonner to see if I was missing any caps. I asked if there was any way I could help with Ireland, shadow someone in training with the under 17’s or under 18, but nothing happened. Packie just came back to me with the caps.’’
McGeady, who was born in Rutherglen, Scotland, qualified to play for Ireland through his Donegal-born grandparents and won his first cap under Brian Kerr in 2004 and also played for managers Stephen Staunton, Giovanni Trapattoni and Martin O’Neill. But McGeady said he was disappointed at how he was treated by subsequent managers Mick McCarthy and Stephen Kenny.
McGeady, who is 38, announced his retirement from club football two months ago having finished his career with Ayr United where he had a unique dual role as player and technical director.
CITY VS. JUVE IN
CLUB WORLD CUP
Manchester City will face Juventus in the opening group stage of FIFA's controversial Club World Cup, while Chelsea will take on Brazil giants Flamengo. The new 32-team competition, to be hosted in the United States next summer, has been championed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but is the subject of two legal challenges in Europe, which both involve players’ union FIFPRO. City and Chelsea qualified as 2023 and 2021 Champions League winners respectively, but were kept apart in the draw for the group stage as part of FIFA’s complicated regional constraints.
GALWAY UNDER
LIGHTS IN KILDARE
The new-look St Conleth’s Park in Newbridge will stage its first inter-county floodlit football game on Jan. 4 at 7.30 p.m. when Kildare face Galway in a senior football challenge. In the absence of pre-season competitions next month the visit of this year’s All-Ireland losing finalists to the redeveloped Newbridge venue is expected to attract a big attendance.
ZEBO WOULD PREFER
KIDS PLAYED TENNIS
Recently retired Munster and Ireland player Simon Zebo says he does not mind his children playing rugby, but he cannot help but feel some sense of trepidation. The 34-year-old, who has four children under 10, said: ‘‘When you are front line for 15 years and you see the concussions, you see the neck injuries or the leg breaks. I think I would prefer them to play badminton or tennis.’’
PRENDERGAST AIMS
TO LEAD MUNSTER
Mike Prendergast has confirmed his interest in becoming head coach of Munster next season, as the province continue their search for Graham Rowntree's replacement. Prendergast had been among the early favourites for the job when Rowntree left Munster in a shock departure in late October. Having previously worked as an assistant at Grenoble, Oyonnax, Stade Francais and Racing 92, the former scrum-half had been the subject of interest from other French sides recently before committing his future to his home province by agreeing a two-year extension to his role as attack coach in late November. The Limerick native says the terms of that contract extension are not set in stone, confirming his interest in the vacant head coach job. He said: ‘‘My name is in the pot, if you want to say it that way, along with a number of good coaches I would say.’’
Prendergast started his coaching career as director of rugby at Young Munster, before moving to Grenoble in 2013, spending nine years in France until he returned to Limerick in 2022, working as attack coach to Graham Rowntree. The 47-year-old says he feels ready to take the step up to a head coaching role, saying ‘‘The more experience you get of different environments, the different coaches I have been under, you take a lot from that. It gets you thinking, the longer you’re in your career what direction you want to go.’’
CYRIL DUNNE, 83
Another link with the famous Galway three-in-a-row team of the mid-1960s has been severed with the death recently of Cyril Dunne, who was 83. Cyril was the free taker and wing forward on the team that won All-Ireland titles in 1964, 1965 and 1966. The Ballinasloe clubman scored a combined 16 points in the three finals, including nine against Kerry in 1964, four against Kerry in ‘65 and three against Meath in ‘66. His father John “Tul” Dunne was the trainer of that great team. Cyril’s passing comes just a few weeks after that of his former team-mate Noel Tierney.
