CLEAR UP CONFUSION ON OUR IRISH ROOKIE

[henno]

Hi Brad,

Unfortunately Tom was not able to make it over to Australia due to circumstances out of everyone’s control. He was involved in a drawn Gaelic Football final with his Club and was required to remain in Ireland for the week we planned to welcome him to train with us. We will still continue to keep an eye on Tom (among other international players), but unfortunately it’s unlikely we will get a chance to sign him for 2009.

Go Saints!
Archie



this was archies response last friday!!



also, ralphysaints asked that question, always thought his name was ralphy not brad

[undecided]

well that says nothing about him not training with us this week and we know some Irish guy is going to be

[Ralphy]

Hi Brad,

Unfortunately Tom was not able to make it over to Australia due to circumstances out of everyone’s control. He was involved in a drawn Gaelic Football final with his Club and was required to remain in Ireland for the week we planned to welcome him to train with us. We will still continue to keep an eye on Tom (among other international players), but unfortunately it’s unlikely we will get a chance to sign him for 2009.

Go Saints!
Archie



this was archies response last friday!!



also, ralphysaints asked that question, always thought his name was ralphy not brad

last names ralph .

[borderbarry]

Makes the question I put up for Archie last night redundent.

[kosifantutti23]

Tommy Walsh is here to train with us.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/s ... 24710.html



AFTER stepping off a plane at Tullamarine airport yesterday, Irish teenage Gaelic football superstar Tommy Walsh wasted no time in getting to grips with the finer points of Australian football.

The arrival of the 2008 Young Gaelic Player of the Year — from the town of Tralee in County Kerry — coincided with an intensive training session for St Kilda's playing group in sweltering heat, which contrasted to the freezing winter weather Walsh left behind.

Having arrived at 6.30am after a punishing four-stop flight from Kerry the day before, Walsh completed a medical before watching the Saints going through their paces.

Walsh is the latest cab off Australian players' agent Ricky Nixon's Gaelic football recruiting rank, and the Irishman has accept an invitation to spend 10 days training with the Saints.

The very thought of one of Gaelic football's brightest prospects training with yet another AFL club has sent shockwaves through the Gaelic Athletic Association but Walsh was keen to play down any controversy. "All I'm doing is spending the next 10 days training with St Kilda and having a look at Aussie rules," Walsh said.

"Ricky (Nixon) invited me to Australia and I was keen to do that just to learn about the different training methods and other aspects of Australian football.

"My message to the people back home in Kerry is that I will be back home a week on Sunday! I've never seen a (football) pitch as big as the one here (at Moorabbin) and sitting watching the players training I've already learned a few things. I'm not used to the heat and the training is more professional and intense than what we are used to back home."

Despite ongoing criticism of his Gaelic football recruitment scheme in Ireland — several AFL clubs are believed to have paid $30,000 to access Nixon's database of Irish talent and extensive network of scouts in Ireland's 32 counties — Nixon believes the arrival of Walsh and North Melbourne's recent recruitment of Laois teenager Conor Meredith will result in fewer Irish players in Australia.

"By getting the right Gaelic footballers to the right AFL clubs it ensures that those who are unsuited to playing Australian rules football don't get recruited so there will be less, not more, Irish players in Australia," he said. "And having players like Conor Meredith and Tommy Walsh over here could encourage the GAA to do more for their (amateur) players in terms of player development and their future careers.

"There are only 11 or 12 Irish players in the AFL — so much for the rape and pillaging of GAA talent, then."

[markinUSA]

I'm most surprised by the flight schedule... four stops - which means four layovers - creates a lot of jet lag, in my experience. That would make adjusting to the different time zones and weather even harder.

[Bernard Shakey]

I would guess Kerry to Dublin to London to Singapore to Melbourne.

[jays]

this has nothing to do with why he didnt train

[St Fidelius]

Does anyone know just how tall Tommy Walsh is??

Looking at this pick he seems a pretty decent size

[goodie]

KPP size, 6'5 (196 cm) apparently

[undecided]

we MUST sign this guy next year

[Megamaguire]

I would be happy to wait a year until Tommy is in the right headspace to make a move to Australia.
I like his attitude to come out to Australia for 10 days to check out Aussie Rules.

G O T O M M Y!
G O S A I N T S !

[joffaboy]

we MUST sign this guy next year

On what basis?

Has never played Aussie Rules.

Why dont we go out and sign a bunch of American basketballers, or Zambian goat herders, they have had the same experience of playing AFL

[undecided]

if he plays AFL he will be a gun, he is the best young kid in ireland and is 196cm. thats got to count for something

[joffaboy]

if he plays AFL he will be a gun, he is the best young kid in ireland and is 196cm. thats got to count for something

Just like Setanta o'Hailpin hey?

You going to use a precious spot on the list for someone who hasn't even played a junior game of Aussie Rules???

Amateur hour

[St Fidelius]

Agree with what you are saying joffaboy, but there is just a minor difference, yes it's minor, but Setanta came from a hurling background.

Walsh has many hurdles to jump and I hope he can make it. Far too early to just rush and sign him up though.

It would be interesting to watch him train

[Eastern]

we MUST sign this guy next year

On what basis?

Has never played Aussie Rules.

Why dont we go out and sign a bunch of American basketballers, or Zambian goat herders, they have had the same experience of playing AFL

I thought YOU were already signed up for 2009 !!

[St Fidelius]

Agree with what you are saying joffaboy, but there is just a minor difference, yes it's minor, but Setanta came from a hurling background.

Walsh has many hurdles to jump and I hope he can make it. Far too early to just rush and sign him up though.

It would be interesting to watch him train

Another thing, whilst comparing him to Setanta, at least Walsh is playing a football code.

He can run, mark and kick a ball, albeit different in shape.

[Bernard Shakey]

In hurling they also run, catch and kick a ball.

[undecided]

In hurling they also run, catch and kick a ball.

no they dont , do they??

[sax]

In hurling they also run, catch and kick a ball.

no they dont , do they??

Absolutely not!
Hurling is a cross between Lacrosse and hockey with Gaelic goals!

THIS is Hurling!

[undecided]

thats what i thought it was, lol

[ace]

[quote="joffaboy"][quote="undecided"]we MUST sign this guy next year[/quote]

On what basis?

Has never played Aussie Rules.

Why dont we go out and sign a bunch of American basketballers, or Zambian goat herders, they have had the same experience of playing AFL [/quote]


St Kilda has picks 13, 29, 44, 59, 72 & 81 in the rookie draft.
McGrath has been pre-selected as a former NSW scholarship rookie so his name will be called at 81.
There are a total of 11 pre-selected players mostly former NSW scholarship or Irish.

There were 79 players taken in the main draft with 6 more picks in the pre-season draft.
Let me put it in perspective, St Klida's remaining rookie picks are 98, 114, 129, 144, 157 in the main draft.

There is a reason why an Australian kid is still left in the draft at 150.
It is that the recruiting staff at 16 clubs have assessed his potential and the skills developed over a number of years of playing aussie rules.
Their assessment is that he has a snow flakes chance in hell of playing regular senior football and none at being a star.
Players taken after 50 rarely make it.
Don't list those few who have.
Look at list of hundreds who haven't.
What chance at 150???

On the other hand Joffaboy suggests a kid assessed by many as the best young talent in Ireland should be ignored because he hasn't played our code.

I hope our Joffaboy is not related to Joffa, the low life bogan from the flith with no brains and no teeth. See no teeth.

[kosifantutti23]

Geary and Attard were both taken very late in the Rookie draft. How do they compare to a guy who has never played footy?

[ace]

[quote="kosifantutti23"]Geary and Attard were both taken very late in the Rookie draft. How do they compare to a guy who has never played footy?[/quote]

Attard delisted - enough said

At the end of 2006
80 players were taken with 89 picks available in the main draft
9 players were taken with 9 picks available in the 2007 (sic*) pre-season draft.
62 players taken with 64 picks available in the 2007 (sic*) rookie draft.
(*Don't blame me that dimwit Demetriou does not know what year it is).

Eddy taken at 39 and Geary taken at 58 in the rookie draft.
That places Eddy 128 and Geary 147 equivalent in the main draft.

In 2008
Eddy had 154 possessions in 13 games average of 11.8 possessions
Geary had 114 possesions in 10 games average of 11.4 possessions

Did I hear someone cry elite midfielders.
Only 15 to 20 posssesions short.
More like fringe players.

Those are the statistics of players who lose you matches not win matches.
Did you see the way Eddy took the 2008 preliminary final apart with 9 possesions and Geary wow! did not even get a start.

These are the sort of players you have to play to fill the 22 player requirement, not the players you play to win a grand final.
They don't help the team win.
At best, if they play well, they don't lose the team the match.

Did I hear someone say potential upside.
These kids have been playing aussie rules all their lives.
Limited upside.
The best Irish kid has far more potential upside because he has yet to play the aussie game.
More like a Nick Riewoldt or Jack Watts at age 14.