Paddy Brophy is home now and he’s glad of it.
The Kildare man had been away for three seasons as he went out to Australia in search of making it in the AFL with the West Coast Eagles.
He started well, he got a new contract and everything, and he was well liked out there. He came home on his own accord though and he’s already returned to the Lilywhites setup.
Brophy enjoyed his two and a half years Down Under but it’s not always easy.
“If you’re not playing good football, the homesickness is probably the main thing you struggle with,” the Celbridge man told The GAA Hour in an honest interview.
“You go across there to play football obviously and you don’t have your friends or your family that you grew up with.
“It’s all new to you. It’s a new culture, it’s a new lifestyle, it’s a new sport as well.
“What you’ll think of a lot of the time is probably football back home – or your family and your friends – and you kind of miss those things. The club will try and help you with that but it’s easier said than done really.”
Of course, every time a young footballer gets linked with the AFL now, Tadhg Kennelly’s name gets cursed in whatever county it is.
But Brophy is having none of that.
“It’s not Tadhg that’s making the decision, it’s the player that’s making the decision,” he said.
“If a club’s approaching a player, he doesn’t have to leave. Tadhg might have a chat with a player to tell him that there’s a club interested but he’s not the one forcing the issue, it’s the player’s decision in the end and the people who will help him make that decision.
“If a player’s family are happy for him to leave, then good luck to him.
“It’s a positive experience and I’d recommend players to go if they got the opportunity. It was a wonderful experience and I’ll learn a lot from the time over there.”
Listen to the full interview from 39:40 below.
