Jump to content

Irish Recuits

dazzledavey36
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

37 minutes ago, BDA said:

What about next door in New Zealand? Rugby players can already catch, kick and tackle. You would think a rugby background provided a good base to transition to AFL. 

Because their girlfriends would be in quarantine for to long, they would miss them......

  • Quote
    • Haha 1
     
    7 hours ago, D Rev said:

    some of the Rugby playing countries in Europe too; Italy, France, Wales

    Not sure re Europe, language/culture differences are much greater than coming from Ireland or U.S.

  • Quote
    1 hour ago, BoBo said:

    Dunno if things have changed nowadays but I played Footy from about 9 years old until I was 21, never once was I coached on my kicking. In fact I don’t remember any conversations with any player about their technique. 
     

    Edit: and now that I think of it, the variation in kicking technique was a lot.

    that is staggering. in 12 years from a kid you weren’t taught how to kick?! 

    bizarre

  • Quote
    •  
    2 hours ago, DubDee said:

    it’s baffling to me that AFL can’t at least kick at 80% on their non preferred and a lot of players are described as average kicks after playing their entire lives. 

    I put it down to the development paths. Boys are quickly channeled into elite programs where success is necessary to stay in the team.

    In the olden days I knew a coach who would have his best players play for a season using only their non preferred foot. It just doesn't happen anymore to my knowledge

  • Quote

    11 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

    I put it down to the development paths. Boys are quickly channeled into elite programs where success is necessary to stay in the team.

    In the olden days I knew a coach who would have his best players play for a season using only their non preferred foot. It just doesn't happen anymore to my knowledge

    That would be seen as sidest these days

  • Quote
    • Clap 1
    4 hours ago, Demonstone said:

    I remember being taught in under 12s how to kick a stab pass (ask your grandfather).

    Those were the days. Kicking 30 stab passes in the warm-up alone.

  • Quote
    5 hours ago, Demonstone said:

    I remember being taught in under 12s how to kick a stab pass (ask your grandfather).

    Would've thought the place kick was your go to

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    • Haha 2
    • 2 weeks later...
     
    On 8/11/2023 at 5:52 PM, bing181 said:

    Not sure re Europe, language/culture differences are much greater than coming from Ireland or U.S.

    Absolutely - but it works for Soccer and Basketball (sports transition) so it should work for AFL.

    All entirely hypothetical, but interesting!

  • Quote
    On 8/11/2023 at 6:53 PM, Demonstone said:

    I remember being taught in under 12s how to kick a  stab pass  daisycutter (ask your grandfather).

    fixed it for ya, ds 😃 

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    • Clap 1

    On 8/10/2023 at 11:48 AM, Fork 'em said:

     

    Forget the white guys.
    Try a couple black guys with some fast twitch fibres.
    Cause white men can't jump .... Or run.

     

    On 8/10/2023 at 11:52 AM, dazzledavey36 said:

    *African Americans. 

    Some of the East Africans have been ok too.  Alir Alir, Majak Daw, Mac Andrew.   

  • Quote
    On 8/12/2023 at 12:11 AM, Stiff Arm said:

    Would've thought the place kick was your go to

    Around 2000, me and the kids ran out onto the ground afterwards.  I started making a hole with my heel to demonstrate a place kick as I was taught by my greatuncle in the late 50's.  Bloody security guard made me stop!  It's a goddamn police state.

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    • 3 weeks later...
    • 4 weeks later...

    Melbourne was the pioneer of introducing Irish footballers into the game when the late Ron Barassi was our coach in the 1980s. There are three outstanding Irish women footballers in our AFLW team and yet … for some reason (and it irks me), the club appears not to be interested in looking at young Irish players for our current men’s team.

    Tucked away in this article is the story of four AFL clubs getting the jump on the other clubs in regard to recruiting four talented young potential Irish players.

    Roos target pick one, Dee to go on, big Dog to stay

    FOUR CLUBS TRIAL IRISH TALENTS

    ESSENDON, Richmond, Geelong and Hawthorn will host the four Irish prospects for trials this week ahead of their testing at the AFL Draft Combine.

    The AFL has brought out four talents – James McLaughlin, Eoin McElholm, Odran Murdock and Conor Corbett – to trial at clubs and also take part in the three-day Combine later this week.

    The players were at the Bombers on Monday, with trials also to take place at the Tigers, Cats and Hawks through the week before the Combine commences on Friday at the Melbourne Park and MCG precinct.

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    I once asked the question at an AGM about Irish recruits and was told it was an expensive exercise. It might have been 10 -15 years ago but if you pick the right player it can be a bonanza.

  • Quote

    the main reasons irish players are attractive (compared with other sports) is that gaelic football is purely amateur, so no contract issues and a nice way to earn some good money.

    additionally, because they also play in northern hemisphere winter it doesn't clash with our winter. 

    this won't be true for most other elite sports.

     

    Edited by daisycutter

  • Quote

    • Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
    Reply to this topic...
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • NON-MFC: Round 13

      Follow all the action from every Round 13 clash excluding the Dees as the 2025 AFL Premiership Season rolls on. With Melbourne playing in the final match of the round on King's Birthday, all eyes turn to the rest of the competition. Who are you tipping to win? And more importantly, which results best serve the Demons’ finals aspirations? Join the discussion and keep track of the matches that could shape the ladder and impact our run to September.

      • 29 replies
      Demonland

    • PREVIEW: Collingwood

      Having convincingly defeated last year’s premier and decisively outplayed the runner-up with 8.2 in the final quarter, nothing epitomized the Melbourne Football Club’s performance more than its 1.12 final half, particularly the eight consecutive behinds in the last term, against a struggling St Kilda team in the midst of a dismal losing streak. Just when stability and consistency were anticipated within the Demon ranks, they delivered a quintessential performance marked by instability and ill-conceived decisions, with the most striking aspect being their inaccuracy in kicking for goal, which suggested a lack of preparation (instead of sleeping in their hotel in Alice, were they having a night on the turps) rather than a well-rested team. Let’s face it - this kicking disease that makes them look like raw amateurs is becoming a millstone around the team’s neck.

      • 1 reply
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Sydney

      The Casey Demons were always expected to emerge victorious in their matchup against the lowly-ranked Sydney Swans at picturesque Tramway Oval, situated in the shadows of the SCG in Moore Park. They dominated the proceedings in the opening two and a half quarters of the game but had little to show for it. This was primarily due to their own sloppy errors in a low-standard game that produced a number of crowded mauls reminiscent of the rugby game popular in old Sydney Town. However, when the Swans tired, as teams often do when they turn games into ugly defensive contests, Casey lifted the standard of its own play and … it was off to the races. Not to nearby Randwick but to a different race with an objective of piling on goal after goal on the way to a mammoth victory. At the 25-minute mark of the third quarter, the Demons held a slender 14-point lead over the Swans, who are ahead on the ladder of only the previous week's opposition, the ailing Bullants. Forty minutes later, they had more than fully compensated for the sloppiness of their earlier play with a decisive 94-point victory, that culminated in a rousing finish which yielded thirteen unanswered goals. Kicks hit their targets, the ball found itself going through the middle and every player made a contribution.

      • 1 reply
      Demonland

    • REPORT: St. Kilda

      Hands up if you thought, like me, at half-time in yesterday’s game at TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs that Melbourne’s disposal around the ground and, in particular, its kicking inaccuracy in front of the goals couldn’t get any worse. Well, it did. And what’s even more damning for the Melbourne Football Club is that the game against St Kilda and its resurgence from the bottomless pit of its miserable start to the season wasn’t just lost through poor conversion for goal but rather in the 15 minutes when the entire team went into a slumber and was mugged by the out-of-form Saints. Their six goals two behinds (one goal less than the Demons managed for the whole game) weaved a path of destruction from which they were unable to recover. Ross Lyon’s astute use of pressure to contain the situation once they had asserted their grip on the game, and Melbourne’s self-destructive wastefulness, assured that outcome. The old adage about the insanity of repeatedly doing something and expecting a different result, was out there. Two years ago, the score line in Melbourne’s loss to the Giants at this same ground was 5 goals 15 behinds - a ratio of one goal per four scoring shots - was perfectly replicated with yesterday’s 7 goals 21 behinds. 
      This has been going on for a while and opens up a number of questions. I’ll put forward a few that come to mind from this performance. The obvious first question is whether the club can find a suitable coach to instruct players on proper kicking techniques or is this a skill that can no longer be developed at this stage of the development of our playing group? Another concern is the team's ability to counter an opponent's dominance during a run on as exemplified by the Saints in the first quarter. Did the Demons underestimate their opponents, considering St Kilda's goals during this period were scored by relatively unknown forwards? Furthermore, given the modest attendance of 6,721 at TIO Traeger Park and the team's poor past performances at this venue, is it prudent to prioritize financial gain over potentially sacrificing valuable premiership points by relinquishing home ground advantage, notwithstanding the cultural significance of the team's connection to the Red Centre? 

        • Like
      • 4 replies
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Collingwood

      After a disappointing loss in Alice Springs the Demons return to the MCG to take on the Magpies in the annual King's Birthday Big Freeze for MND game. Who comes in and who goes out?

        • Thumb Down
      • 239 replies
      Demonland

    • PODCAST: St. Kilda

      The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 2nd June @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we have a chat with former Demon ruckman Jeff White about his YouTube channel First Use where he dissects ruck setups and contests. We'll then discuss the Dees disappointing loss to the Saints in Alice Springs.
      Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show.
      Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 47 replies
      Demonland
    View All