That's a nice piece Darragh.... it's kinda like when you had a life planned out in your head for one of your own kids (selfishly) in order to try keep them close, but of course they have to decide their own fate and there's nothing to be done except wish them the very best of luck in whatever they decide to do.
The same applies here to Kobe.

Kobe is such a natural. I'm sure he'll return to Mayo in time to win an AI. Although, I'd love to see him following in the footsteps of Aidan O'Mahony and having a go on Dancing with the stars before he departs these shores.

The hardest part about him heading off is that he genuinely has the talent to make it and play AFL at the highest level. If he’s determined to chase a professional career, there’s only so much anyone can say it’s his life and his path to forge. I’m just glad he’s involved with Mayo this year, because if he ever changes his mind, he’ll know there’s a team and a passionate army of supporters here ready to back him every weekend.

Massive loss to the game, but you have to wish the young man good luck. I think we all agree as fans of the game first, we want to see all the best players playing the game. His father was box office to watch, and this lad has the potential to be every bit as good if not better. Will enjoy watching him play as long as he's here , and hope to see him again playing our sport.

Such a hard loss. But you can only wish him well so young & so talented. I still think he will be back in the future with the green & red at some point .
His Dad definetly thought him a few tricks a wonder to watch .

I really want to think you’re right Covey about the supporters backing him every weekend. Terrible pity they didn’t treat his Dad like that. I hope those people now realise what they done to Ciaran when they abused him in a league game in Charlestown years ago. I remember travelling with my son from Maynooth to Castlebar for a county semifinal. I think it was Crossmolina and Ballahadreen, just to see him play. We thought it might be his last game and it turned out he was injured and only played a bit of it. Gas part was he played for a few more years. What a legend he was.

There’ll always be a small group like that in every fanbase, Nephin, but the reception he got on Sunday would suggest that most supporters feel differently. Even if the likes of Aidan has taken some stick from certain fans at times, but I’d say 99% of Mayo people in the stadium who go to watch him play have always given him a positive reception.

Millions.

With all the talk of a boost in the numbers that will travel to the match this weekend, I started to wonder, from another point of view, of one of the other costs of losing a prodigy to another continent.

Let's face it, if the Aussie rules was an amateur sport like our own it is realistic enough to imagine that no talented player from our shores would have made the journey abroad in years past to follow that dream. But the Aussies pay well and so we lose some of our top talents.

A prodigous talent is someone everyone wants to see. Especially in a football mad county like our own. Look at the example in Kerry. Clifford draws thousands of extra spectators to every game he plays in. People want to see the phenoms of the game in the flesh. People that can do the unimaginable.

It's not often that the Beethoven's come along, and our lad looks like, potentially, he might have the qualities to become the greatest, or at least one of the greatest to ever grace a football field.

Back to the millions.

It's not hard to imagine a prodigous talent drawing extra thousands to each game they play. I'll go low and say 3,000 extra spectators.

Let's say for now that these 3,000 spectators pay 20 euros for their match ticket. That's 60,000 euros up on gate receipts for the day.

Let say we play at home 8 times each year. That's 480,000 Euros our gate receipts are up for the season.

Let's look at that over a 15 year career and we are looking North of 7 million Euros.

And yet in our cash strapped football Nation, straddled with debt, we are allowing these millions to veer wide of the turnstiles.

Not only from a spectators point of view, watching a phenomenal talent ply his trade.

Not only from our ambition to lift the Sam Maguire point of view.

But also from a financial perspective.

It's hard to believe that we were not able to ensure that our lad would be playing our game, the game he loves, in our jersey, on our soil.

There is an awful sadness to this.

From a country that was forced to send it's people abroad over the centuries, we are in effect still forcing people to head off with their suitcase in hand, eventhough we have the means to keep them here.

Every person has the right to secure their future.

Every industry has to invest to survive and thrive.

The Aussie's realise this. We sadly do not.

Sure. Mega money to managers, but it's still up to the lad on the pitch to put the ball over the bar.

Can we honestly say that we have done everything in our power in our quest to someday lift Sam ?

Not from where I'm looking.

What are you suggesting should be done Revellino?

I love that picture of Jordan and Kobe—it feels like Jordan, the big brother, is thinking, “What are you doing? You’re supposed to tone the hype down,” while Kobe is quietly cracking up to himself.

Revellino, on the Aussies and paying well I’m not so sure about that. Salary for starting out is not amazing. Sponsorship and ensuring money is made off-field is vital. It is not the premier league, you will not retire at the end of your career, unless you are in the very small handful, and not need to continue working. Gyms, farms, property, media gigs are all common. Now Kobe has the talent and go far but it isn’t millions to begin and the average AFL career is not a long one. There is also the question of if he settles over here.

The chance to make a professional career as an athlete are more of the draw for coming here rather than making millions. Living as an athlete and professional seven days a week are the draw.

@Moy2pointer I was thinking the exact same thing !

Whoever won the Lotto down there, should buy out Kobes contract with the Aussies

Maurice Fitzgerald shot 10 points in his debut Munster Final v Cork in 1988 at 18 years of age.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mq2UP--ban0

Kyle Hayes was man of the match for Limerick in All Ireland Hurling Final at 18.Getting really hard to listen to people say Kobe should be used a sub or with the Under 20s because of his age.

The AFL is not the NFL lads. He'll pocket a few quid surely, and they'll toughen him up. He's right doing it now and he'll be back. From what I've heard it's no picnic playing that game but he'll come on for it.

Good Point Ever the optimist - every Irish player who goes to the AFL has to weigh up their long-term future at some point. Even if they make it and play until 35, it’s unlikely that earnings alone will set them up for life. I’d imagine the clubs support them through college or qualifications as well, so if it doesn’t work out, they come home with experience and something solid behind them.

As for Kobe, a talent like his could easily stay in Ireland and operate as a semi-professional athlete, even if it’s labelled amateur. I’m sure there have been scholarship offers, career paths, education opportunities and ambassador deals put in front of him to stay here. But if he has his heart set on giving the professional athlete life a proper go, he’s dead right to back himself he’s a young man with huge talent and the world at his feet.

On this sense that when Kobe goes, he could still come back in 5-6 years and win Mayo the All Ireland I think is wishful thinking.

From watching on my feeling is when a lad goes for a short time 1-2 years, he can return to GAA and get back up to speed somewhat quickly (McDaid, Kilkenny)

When a lad stays over there for 5-6 years, rarely does he come back the same player. People will point to Tadhg Kennelly, Conor McKenna, Marty Clarke winning or almost winning all Irelands but I thought all 3 were not the dynamic, elusive players they were as underage talents that got them picked out.

Kennelly in 2009 was woeful kicking the ball until the later stages of the championship when he was finally got back to his high level especially in the final. Marty Clarke could pick a pass in 2010 when he came back and super from dead balls but as a younger player was way more athletic and mixed scoring and creating. Conor McKenna was similar to Kobe as a talent too as a minor in 2013-2014. When he came back in 2021, he sprinkled games with moments but didn’t dominate games in the way he might have had he stayed here and played for 6-7 years. Another consistent feature with those 3 was they all went back out to Australia

To add to that you have players like Tommy Walsh, Ciaran Sheehan who were super players but that left to play the Oz game and when came back, they were shadows of what they once were

Hopefully we can have the lad for the championship and will put pressure on some established players to up their game. I’d echo what one or 2 said about some fans giving Ciaran Mac abuse in his playing days might play some part but was likely only a handful who. It might be more fear of the Mayo hype machine. If Ciaran knew in advance Kobe would be that good at our sport on his senior debut rather than a sport Kobe has yet to learn maybe he would influence home more to stay despite the hype. I do think though it’s a lot of pressure to put on a young lad. Clifford and the Canavans are coping with it well though.

@ Shuffly deck. That will be kobe's legacy, dragging a few young lads up to play at a higher standard. Im sure Cian McHale Conan Dawson, Darragh, Finbarr and others are chomping at the bit to get playing competitively with Kobe.

Yep Nephin/Shuffly Deck, i was young at the time myself but i remember it was definitely a thing where Kieran Mac was getting ridiculous abuse from plenty of 'Mayo' fans when he was playing, particularly in his younger years when he played corner forward, the appreciation for him only grew properly towards the end of his career and in 'abstentia'.

There was a lot of apes out there who happily parroted the cr4p that was going around that he was some sort of soft touch primadonna because he wore his hair long and had 'white boots', none of which stood up to scrutiny, he never courted media or done interviews and was always a shy, introverted type. Also he was no soft touch either, strong as an ox and hard as nails too (remember him exchanging punches with some of those Ozzies in the compromise rules who soon got the message). His reinvention as a playmaking center forward was remarkable too and showed his talent

All the bog average club players who were supposed to be better then him that in all honesty wouldnt have laced his boots at the time.

Im sure this Kieran has Kobe well warned, they love to build you up but they love to tear you down. As true in mayo as it is anywhere else

I don't think the money is the sole attraction though lads. It's the lifestyle. The opportunity to train full-time as an athlete, to have the freedom to push yourself to get the very best out of yourself without the distraction of a 9-5. To have access to the very best nutrition, physio, healthcare, S&C etc.

It's also the mindset stuff and the culture - there's a big focus on building leadership skills and mental resilience there too, which might come in very handy should he return and play for Mayo.

Supermac, I remember those days, and to be quite honest some of the commentary in this blog at times proves that the keenness to tear people down still bubbles beneath the surface.

Like everyone else I am devastated from a football point of view to see Kobe leave, but optimistic enough to think he'll come back to us an even more well-rounded athlete. But selfishly I'm also secretly hoping that funny-shaped ball bounces the wrong way for him more often than it doesn't!

For now, as Nephin says, let's enjoy it. And remember that we also have 35-odd other lads giving their all for the county.

Lovely piece Darragh, as always.

1 change for the Armagh...

Surely McDonald Inc. has serious bargaining power with the county board and plenty of other interested parties?
Or is it as it seems?

@Revillino
Great point about the ability of super players to generate income by attracting more supporters through the turnstiles. There are only a few special players who can transcend their sport in attracting people who might not otherwise follow that sport. It is essential that the GAA, and from our point of view, Mayo in particular develop a strategy to counteract professional sports from stealing those players.

Agree with Ann Marie, it's likely largely a lifestyle choice for a lot of young athletes. For the women in particular, who it pulls more players from than the Mens game, despite the relatively poor salary (even if it is rising in next year or so) it's about minimum wage now for the ladies.

With the IPP now in the NFL if I was a young lad with talent that's the route I'd go, for next few years in particular you've a higher chance of making it as a kicker there. Better money, better lifestyle, far less chance of being injured. Brandon Audrey a kicker reportedly rejected a €7.5 million one year contract extension this week.

A young GAA talent in Ireland has large revenue potential in the influencer age. Endorsements, cars, guest appearances, photoshoots etc. so it's really whatever ya fancy.

Gizmos, you can see from the failure rate the NFL is way harder to get into than AFL but yes even a practice team contract for a couple of years could set a lad up very nicely

Agree eastcorkexile but with the new IPP chances are far higher than they were. A lot more lads in colleges in states past two years as well on scholarships.

Not many have made it in AFL for all the years it's on the go.