We think there are just about enough Irish players already trying their luck at Aussie Rules Down Under.
This season we’ve seen Conor Glass sign for Hawthorn, while Colin O’Riordan has also put pen to paper on a deal that will see him link up with the Sydney Swans.
Irish players are becoming more and more at home in the AFL, but ahead of this weekend’s International Rules Series renewal in Croke Park, it seems that two of our key players could well have made career for themselves in the professional game.
Geelong’s Harry Taylor featured for Australia in last year’s successful test for the home side in Perth and is a two-time AFL champion. Speaking ahead of this weekend’s game, he feels two Irish players in particular could have been a major success with the oval ball.
Asked whom he thought might have flourished if they were to swap codes, Taylor answered:
“Yeah, there was a guy who played, I think it was (Sean) Cavanagh, he might have been a defender, I liked the way he moved, he read the ball well. He seemed to be a hard tough player and a I think a younger version of him would do really well in our game.”
“And obviously (Michael) Murphy, I think he may have gone out and tried out AFL when he was younger. He’s another who read the ball well and that football sense about him and very very hard to teach.
“Those two guys stood out. I think they’d excel at our game with a big pre season under their belt.”
A major compliment for two of our key men ahead of Saturday’s action in Croker.
Murphy’s long range shooting would be right at home in the AFL, while we wonder how the Aussies would deal with that infamous Sean Cavanagh shuffle?
