Kobe-mania and the Irish experiment

The AFL's Irish experiment nearly failed before even it really even began - and it all came down to a split-second decision in the 1987 Victorian Football League preliminary final between Melbourne and Hawthorn.

The VFL was three years from morphing into the AFL and a huge crowd had gathered to watch what turned into a manic final quarter with tennis legend Pat Cash even interrupting a family holiday to attend.

Melbourne missed chance after chance to kill off the Hawks’ challenge in the final minutes of the match, Simon Eishold’s incredible mis-hit hook behind long remembered by Demons fans, but it was the final play that saw it go down in infamy and left recently-recruited Dubliner Jim Stynes labelled as a laughing stock.

Kept alive by Melbourne’s inefficiency, Gary Buckenara was given one last chance to win it from Hawthorn but from way out, it was a low percentage chance.

As the final siren sounded just as he prepared to take the kick, Stynes ran across his opponent’s mark and conceded a 15-metre penalty that turned an unlikely conversion into a certainty.

The Australian public were aghast that this Irish player was unaware of such a simple technicality. The sort that only seeps into your conscience if you’re growing up with the game. And that was not something the Irish exports could possess no matter their technical skills level.

That Stynes, who died in 2012, went on to become the first and, to date, only Irish winner of the AFL’s Brownlow Medal - for the best and fairest player in the league - is a fine demonstration of the ups and downs of Irish players heading Down Under.

While stars from these shores continue to flood the AFLW, with more than 40 players involved this season, the trickle towards the men’s game is slower but, due to a certain All-Ireland winner, once again very pronounced.

Back in 2017, a Kerry charm offensive stopped football’s most exciting and marketable youngster - David Clifford - from joining the AFL.

Kobe McDonald was not in that sphere by the time he signed his papers with St Kilda last November, but there’s no doubting that when he met his new team-mates for the first time last week, the Mayo man was the second most famous player in football behind the aforementioned Clifford.

Kobe-mania had run wild in Ireland, but what are the chances it’ll do likewise in Australia?

The Melbourne club, if they’re wise, will realise the potential story arc there. No county has won the All-Ireland more recently than Mayo, but before that, they actually hadn’t won it in 75 years. You may have heard about that.

St Kilda, meanwhile, saw their one title come all the way back in 1966. A mere 60 years ago. They even had a Moran playing for them in that final win over Collingwood.

If Kobe can help them end that wait, he could be looking at statues in different continents. Maybe it could lead to a new Portal tourist attraction linking Crossmolina and the Melbourne Docklands.

The next few months are going to be emotionally conflicting for Mayo fans. They’ll want McDonald to be a roaring success, but when they’re sitting in the freezing cold MacHale Park in a few months’ time for a league clash, they’d sure love to see their man appear and warm everyone’s hearts.

What’s clear is that just because McDonald took to senior intercounty GAA like a fish to water, there is no guarantee that it’ll all work out Down Under. The Saints have urged patience, and even though the club’s social media accounts have received an Irish invasion in recent months, a definitive answer on his AFL career is likely going to take a few seasons.

The Irish experiment has been the quintessential mixed bag. Approximately – between playing, signing or coming incredibly close to signing – the number of participants in the men’s game sits around the 80-90 mark.

An AFL season is 23 games, but can go as far as 27 – so hitting the 100-apperance milestone is a very notable achievement.

Eight Irish players have managed to achieve this: Zach Tuohy (Laois, 288), Jim Stynes (Dublin, 264), Tadhg Kennelly (Kerry, 197), Pearce Hanley (Mayo, 169), Mark O’Connor (Kerry, 165, still active), Seán Wight (Kerry, 150), Conor McKenna (Tyrone, 143, still active) and Conor Nash (Meath, 130, still active).

Surprisingly, only another five have managed to break the 50 mark – Cork's Setanta Ó hAilpín, Down’s Marty Clarke, Derry’s Callum Brown, Mayo’s Oisín Mullin and Cork’s Mark Keane, the latter three still active.

In total, only 21 players have managed to make double figures in terms of appearances, so it’s working out at roughly at a one in four chance of even making any sort of impression.

Just as intriguing is the possible 'what could have beens’.

As well as the aforementioned Clifford, James McCarthy had a two-week trial with North Melbourne before the Jim Gavin era took over while Ciarán Kilkenny did sign before promptly changing his mind. Tyrone star Seán Cavanagh turned down a two-year offer from Brisbane just after he starred as the Red Hands claimed All-Ireland glory in 2005. Derry legend Anthony Tohill broke his leg playing Aussie Rules and decided to return home as a result, helping Derry to their one and only All-Ireland in 1993.

In that '93 All-Ireland final, Tohill played alongside Dermot McNicholl and against Cork’s Colin Corkey – all three having previously sampled Aussie Rules. The Rebel man's career always looked destined to fail after he was caught hopping on a tram for Carlton's pre-season 10km runs.

The AFL has provided not only playing opportunities for Irish players, but in some cases, complete absorption into the Australian sporting world.

After his playing days, Stynes became chairperson of Melbourne FC and in 2010 was named Melburnian of the Year for 2010 for his work with the Reach Foundation – a not-for-profit organisaton aimed at improving the mental well-being of Australia’s youth.

Former Cavan player Nicholas Walsh was once the head of performance and conditioning at St Kilda.

Tipperary’s Colin O’Riordan is the the current coach of the Sydney Swans AFLW side and recently took charge of Ireland for their clash with Australia.

Premiership winner Tuohy was a contestant on Australia’s ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of Here’ and, we can assume, a hero to Galway's Seán Fitzgerald.

Back in 1982, Melbourne Football Club took out an advert in the now defunct Irish Sunday Press offering scholarships to players who may be interested in trying their luck in Aussie Rules.

Melbourne legend Ron Barassi – with the backing of Rupert Murdoch of all people – even headed to the Emerald Isle to run the rule over those interested. Kerry’s Seán Wight, one of the forebearers of the Irish experiment, was shown the advert by his aunt and flew over and landed in Australia on Grand Final day. There's no turning back after that.

The recruitment process is much more complex now, but with Kobe-mania potentially set to run wild on the other side of the world, the GAA’s association with the AFL is set to return front and centre. Much to Croke Park’s chagrin, perhaps.

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