Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Mentor Marty makes moving much simpler
FORMER Down star Marty Clarke has taken on an expanded role with the AFL in mentoring players looking to make the switch from Gaelic football to Australian Rules.
Clarke, who had two stints with Collingwood either side of driving his county to the 2010 All-ireland final, had been a coach at the AFL’S European combines in Dublin in recent years.
On the back of that, he has now been given a part-time position with the AFL and will help players transition from one code to the other.
Outlining his new role, Clarke explained: “The position will be an expansion of my role here of developing players who have been identified as potential AFL players.
“It will be up to me to meet the boys, maintain a relationship with them, conduct a couple of training sessions and watch game footage with them,” he told Afl.com.
The practice of AFL clubs poaching Irish talent has sat uneasily with the GAA, with the AFL’S former international talent manager Tadhg Kennelly (inset) coming under fire in his native Kerry, particularly after underage star Mark O’connor signed for Geelong.
Clarke added: “The statistics are there that the boys that go out to Australia are only a tiny percentage of registered GAA players, and in the last 30 years, there’s only been 50 prospects come over.
“The vast majority of those boys have come back within three years and are bigger and better players for their clubs and counties.
“And AFL clubs know it’s very high risk to take on an Irish boy, but the chance of getting a Zach Tuohy, Tadhg Kennelly, Jim Stynes and Pearce Hanley is a great temptation.”