Kobe McDonald all but confirmed going to the AFL now. Another hammer blow for Mayo football.

I understand the argument of they are amateur athletes going to make a better life for themselves - ZERO issue with that.

I do however have a MAJOR issue with the AFL and AFL clubs. There is zero renumeration to the clubs and counties that invest heavily in these players. The AFL should be funding some of the GAA centre or excellences or something.

Our 3 most talented young athletes plucked from the Green and Red in the last 15 years. We will never win an All Ireland if this keeps happening. And €15m on a new COE isn't worth a shite if its Adelaide and Geelong that ultimately benefit.

Very angry today (again not at Kobe or family or club).

I'd rather our fundraiser went towards this fella than other shite

@JimmysEyebrow

Yeah totally agree I hate the AFL. You would think with the size of Melbourne etc they could find their own talents and not always come and take our young stars .

Avoided here as one couldn’t type about the most talked about issue . Now it’s confirmed , fuck mayo football , waste of time , I give up .

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17bFVvvYsn/ link to article on it. Best of luck to him.
I'd go the NFL route personally, no interest in AFL. Better money, better lifestyle and far less chance of injury.

A disaster. Our chances of a senior All Ireland over the next decade have fallen like a stone. A sad day for Crossmolina, Mayo GAA and Gaelic Football as a whole, we won't get to see one of the most promising talents in the country play at the top level. I'll get banned off here if I speak my mind about the AFL and their scouts operating in the county.

No you won’t, Way Out West, providing you keep it reasonable and factual.

It looks like it’s going to be another long winter. Between this news and the county board delegates’ public criticism of the new management for dropping a player, any sense of hope or positivity for 2026 is slowly fading.

I think everyone knew this was happening. It's an awful shame for Mayo and the GAA in general that one of the brightest rising stars is going off to the other side of world to play what is, in my opinion, a much inferior game.

The offer is obviously too enticing to turn down, so can't blame the lad himself. I'd love to know what efforts were actually made to convince him to stay, but that will never be publicly stated (possibly with good reason).

Mayo football will continue though, everyone will move on and focus on the teams and players we have, but this will always be rankling away in the back of the mind...

Incorrect Kevin. The criticism was of the timing of the dropping which happened in the week leading up to club championship game.

Kobe is going to be a massive loss but all you can do is wish him the best of luck. Not sure what could have been done to retain him.

@Maggie, what did Kerry do to convince David Clifford?

Tubberman, I have no idea. Do you know?

I don't, but it shows it can be done - where there's a will, there's a way.

@Tubberman

Yup agree Mayo gaa didn't do enough to keep him . Such a pity it really is . I think we all knew it was coming but to have it confirmed is just such a blow .

It is easy to speculate but there is no evidence that Kerry did anything to ensure that Clifford remained committed to GAA other than the lure of winning all Ireland medals. What do you suggest could be done in Kobe case? Pay him? Next thing is all our top players would be linked to AFL.

I think the fact that there was near-certainty that he'd be part of a team that would win the All-Ireland on a regular enough basis may have had something to do with it.

I can't get my head around this criticism of Andy either. Collective training hasn't even started and the knives are already out for him. Nobody does a circus quite like we do.

Clare, enough indicates that they did something. What did they do, and what more are you suggesting that they should have done? Easy criticise without having to suggest solutions.

Club delegates sour that their county players were dropped.

Chairman should have backed Andy. Off to a bad start already on the ceasefire between team and board

Clare, I was just responding to Maggie's suggestion that nothing more could be done.
I'm not necessarily laying all the 'blame' with the co board. I don't know what efforts were made, and it may be that it would have needed other parties to help persuade him to stay.
Anyway, it's all speculation as to what was or could have been done.

Good luck to Kobe in Austrailia he will be a huge loss to us here in Mayo and in Crossmolina. Looks like Mayo will become a feeder club county for OZ

@JimmsEyebrow

Your right . It's club bias. Andy wont care what people say he is well used to it. But it's not right .

We needed fresh faces . Andy is laying down a marker. If your good enough you will get your chance if not your dropped. Only way to do it inter county is ruthless and we need a ruthess manager so fair play to Andy .

It's not just us, they're going nuts in Kerry at the amount of talent they're losing to the AFL. Where we're out on our own is in ladies football - we've lost virtually all of our top talent in recent years there, facilitated from within the county to boot.

Exactly Willie Joe , your right , no one does a circus quite like us. Instead of posters giving on about the Afl perhaps they should be looking closer at home as to why a player wouldn't want to commit to playing for Mayo. Kobe is going to be a huge loss for Cross but i wish him nothing but the best of Luck , been lucky enough to have watched him and his team mates the past 12 years and they have given us hours of enjoyment. I hope he is a huge success down under.

@Way Out West. Speak your mind!

@ Maggie, Plenty could have been done. Like it was for many top players around the country who didn’t go. But you know, at the end of the day a lad has to have that burning desire to lift Sam for Mayo. Mayo players who leave don’t have that. If they did, they wouldn’t go.

It’s time like this that I think of that Roscommon player Cregg who recently turned down an AFL offer “I didn’t grow up dreaming of putting on a Carlton jersey, I grew up dreaming of wearing a Roscommon one’’.

https://www.balls.ie/gaa/daire-cregg-explains-why-he-turned-down-afl-move-to-stay-with-roscommon-619750

Or Ciarán Kilkenny key to Dublin’s successes, who after a short stint in AFL with Hawthorn realised his heart was at home with his club and county. “ I realised that it would never matter as much to me as the sense of community and joy I get from togging out and playing alongside the people with whom I grew up and live”

https://www.joe.ie/uncategorized/ciaran-kilkenny-in-dramatic-u-turn-on-aussie-rules-career-43571#

Seán Cavanagh, a leader go Tyrone in their All Ireland wins, “ I had everything I wanted at home in Ireland. I was never motivated by money or going over and playing a sport I may not have enjoyed in a foreign land”:- https://www.balls.ie/gaa/sean-cavanagh-afl-100688

Why is it so many in Mayo wish lads well who go off rather than questioning their dedication toward Mayo and realising the privileged position they are in to wear the green & red and perhaps be in with a chance to end the famine?

If McDonald goes, then it’s the biggest blow Mayo have had. Hanley was an enormous loss. Mullin a loss but not to the same extent. Both their exits set an unwanted precedent in Mayo. We need more lads like Cavanagh, Cregg, Kilkenny and David Clifford!! It’s time all our supporters unite on this and it’s time Mayo GAA and it’s sponsors sort it out.

WJ, the county board comments re Andy's timing of dropping Eoghan Mc are scandalous. I totally disagree with Andy's decision but to have it, or the timing, questioned in public by the chairman of the county board is unacceptable. I hope Andy gave them a piece of his mind.

On Kobe and Clifford, I agree with WJ. Clifford staying has a big part to do with the fact that he can realistically expect to be in an All Ireland final every year, and win many of them. Either way it's an absolute sickener for Mayo. Especially on the back of Oisin Mullen. Having one or both of those players would transform the team.

Mayonaze, what was done for those players that you mention and what could / should have been done in Kobe case.

Clare, looking forward to your suggestions.

Regarding Clifford - I’m sure that local businesses and 3rd Level education institutions made him well aware of the opportunities that would present themselves to him should he choose to stay in the country……..

And as a county we should be doing the same for Kobe

Kobe's Dad got plenty of abuse by Mayo supporters over the years, a lot of love too. but they come hand in hand in Mayo.

Why would he subject himself to that "dream" when there is a few bob to be earned as a professional sports man.

As for the ladies - good luck to them - they are making money playing sport, most wouldn't even be recognized walking down the street at home, so if someone has a few quid for them, they should take it.

90% of the reason Irish rugby players dont leave is because of the tax break they get if they play 10 years in Ireland.
The GAA player - gets nothing for the entertainment he provides or the commerce that arises from the sport.

Why not give the GAA player who plays 10 seasons of intercounty (starting 75% of matches) a tax break (50% of all income tax paid - given back on retirement)?
A lot will say that's not fair, what if one is a waiter and the other a surgeon - I say though. The rugby players all earn different amounts - that's life so don't begrudge anyone a few quid for playing elite sport.

@Mayonaze, because everyone is different. It doesn't mean they're any less dedicated. You have a very narrow view of the motivations of people who play for Mayo. Only a select few get the chance to actually go play down there and it's not the least dedicated to Mayo who go, it's the most athletically talented ones.

Australia is an amazing country with an brilliant quality of life and beautiful weather, and is giving the lad a chance to play a professional field sport. And if he doesn't make it he can always come home, like many have done before him.

@Mayonaze

Great post. I fully get your dislike to the AFL . A sad day really .

Agreed Mayonaze

Non football or GAA people will argue "Well if he signed for Connacht Rugby or Man United there would be no issue"

The issue is he hasn't played the sport. Its not played here. It's indigenous to the other side of the world. Kobe is young (too young to have played senior with Mayo) but the others had committed to GAA - it was their sport. Oisin played in 2 All Ireland Finals before going.

Our sport, indigenous to our lands, our people, our culture, our history is being pillaged by a county with 5 times our population. And there is nothing we can do about it.

We're not a people that suffer such slights lightly. Ask the British Empire

GBXI I’d strongly disagree with you on that re: dedication.

I’d just ask everyone to read those links I posted about Cregg, Kilkenny and Cavanah, all of whom ultimately chose staying in Ireland over the AFL. Compare them to those who left.

I don’t for a second take the argument that it was easier for Clifford cos his Kerry his chances of an All Ireland were better. To be frank, Kerry wouldn’t have won the recent titles without him. McDonald isn’t 18 yet but for anyone watching the game long enough it’s clear as day that he’s a very special talent. The best I’ve ever seen in Mayo. The potential to be an all time great of the game and very likely the player we’ve been dreaming for for years to lead us to Sam. That’s what all of us crave. Right??

Anyway…it’s a well worn debate at this stage 😓

So the Examiner are saying it's a done deal.
Good luck to Kobe.
Let's move on.
Next man up.

Jr it's easy to say next man up but what if they take him too?

We, unfortunately, produce AFL style players.

Tall, athletic, physical men. We will always be targets

We don't know what David Clifford was offered to go or stay, the reality is no matter what we could drum in Mayo, it wouldn't get near what he'll get as a pro. The reality is he's very good at sport and has the opportunity to get well played for doing it. Those suggesting we backhand pay players might work short term but will eventually kill the game, unless you want to make it professional.
On the CB questions about dropped players, I think it was a fair question, fully behind Andy, but leaks about players being dropped months before the season kicks off was amateur and disrespectful in my opinion

As much as I would have loved the young man to stay around, you can’t blame him either. A professional sport pays him a wage to do the thing he loves to do.

No matter what way we slice and dice it, had Kobe been from Kerry this would not have happened. I’m sure mayo tried to give him the support structure but imo Kobe probably knows there isn’t an All Ireland in mayo for at least the next half decade.

Maybe he could come back after he has made a few million and get us over the line in 10 years (he would only be 28 by then) but until then we keep going.

Wishing him all the best down under.

Lost Pearce Hanley our best talent in 2007, we 100% win at least 1 all Ireland if he stuck around now we are losing one of the biggest talents in the country a player everything mayo supported would pay in to see every weekend its so disappointing.

Green&red, Kerry have lost plenty to AFL (more than us I'd say) and more going - look up Ben Murphy. It's becoming a real problem for GAA.

Best of luck to the young lad, but this is a disaster for Mayo's prospects of winning Sam. Cannot understand why he's taking the AFL route, it's a brutal game and while the money is decent, it's nothing compared to what he could have made if he took the NFL route. I dare say, with the right management, he'd make a lot more money through his association with the GAA than he will with the AFL.

I wouldn't be getting worked up about so called scouts. They are about as useless as tits on a bull. The AFL clubs would be fully aware of all the upcoming talent in the GAA from following blogs like this and from social media in general.

Jr – The Examiner reports that he’s expected to sign, with an announcement anticipated in the coming days. Assuming he can’t officially sign until he turns 18 (though that may not be the case), whatever steps or offers Mayo GAA and as a county are required to keep him in Ireland should be done this weekend if they haven’t been already.

Ah Green and Red - that’s complete nonsense.
Kerry lost 18 year old Ben Murphy to the Brisbane Lions last week only, supposedly the best player they have produced since David Clifford.
They also currently have Cillian Burke and Mark O’Connor at Geelong, two walk-up starters for them if they had stayed in Ireland.

To play devil's advocate here..... maybe it's just an itch that Koby(and family) have to scratch...he might not settle,he might not like the game, anything can happen. He could be back to represent Mayo as a 20/21 year old and with a clearer picture in his mind.
That's my strong hope anyway.🤞

To have the best talent in our county /country wrapped up in a “trial” and an invitation to Australia .
What’s is the true cost to these Aus teams if a player is rejected.
A ticket & a small wage to include a shared apartment for the lad/ladies for a trial (2 year).

The real attraction for Kobe should be on a UCG /UCD scholarships ( a free full ride )to a good qualification and on the side his club /Mayo are in the wings too keep him busy for his summer .

If the GAA are to continue to let the Aussies come over for our best then they have to start paying out .
If no agreements with GAA then no approaches to club/county players.
Reported if this happens till a Deal is in place.
(All for the good of the clubs and players.)
Actual Australian agents be registered over here in the GAA and let them actually do the deal beside the offer of a free holiday.Make these agents work for there money.

If our players are changing codes a transfer fee has to be agreed and this money goes back to club/county.

2 hops - We said the same about Mullin and he isn’t coming back any time soon

Disappointed to lose such a promising player. But wish him very well.

I hope the county board did everything they could have to entice him to stay. We'll never know the facts.

I don't like AFL..but hard to blame a lad when they get a chance to be a professional athlete. Anyone who thinks it's not a great opportunity is in denial. Getting to play sport as a job? It's a young players dream

What a 24hours its been. The annual sh1tfest that in Mayo gaa in the wintertime.

First the worst kept secret in gaa that Kobe is off to Oz, good for him that he has an opportunity to make some coin off his talents but bad news on every other possible level. I cant understand magnanimous mayo fans gleefully cheerleader for it and hoping he does well over there,im going to be petty but honest im saying I don't care how mullin or kobe get on over there. Its irrelevant to me. Its a terrible sport too.

The quotes from cavanagh, kilkenny and clifford above give me hope though, the call for home could be too strong and hopefully he be back within 2 years

And then we get to the annual monument to ego that is the mayo gaa, Touhy promising to 'have a word' with Andy around how he puts his panel together, for God sake wind your neck in man. Its entirely the managers prerogative who/how he wants to assemble his squad. This on the day we announce a 15 million euro white elephant in bohola while we are currently paying back the biggest gaa debt in the country.

You have to laugh

Kerrys second best minor with Clifford - Mark O Connor- went to AFL. They lost Cillian Burke last year, they are losing a Ben Murphy now - a player as an 18 year old kicked 3 points from play in their senior county final last Sunday.
If Kerry did something extra to keep Clifford - why didn't they do the same to keep these three lads.
Reality is Clifford had no interest in going to AFL. If he had - there isn't a think the Kerry county board could do about it.

Maybe we could use this time of mourning for a bit of self reflection, our biggest star's son is choosing to move abroad vs chase the dream. I saw the abuse at the time, don't know if that was a factor, but I think we should all reflect on our behaviour and cop on a bit, Kobe is amazing but we've got many more in that age group who will stay and need our support

I'm sure there are a few reasons Clifford didn't go to the AFL but I'd say he knew well that staying in Ireland was the best thing for his future. For all this talk of how you can be set up for life playing for the AFL, the reality is very few make it and the money isn't life changing if you don't or if you pick up a career ending injury. Someone of Clifford's status and even those below him who commit to the GAA will have extremely comfortable lives here in Ireland on the back of their intercounty careers. You can be sure Clifford and his family will be sorted for everything they could ever need now and well into the future. I'm sure there were other reasons for him not going - not being interested in a random foreign sport, the almost certainty that he would win more than one All Ireland, perhaps being a home bird - but I'm sure it was made crystal clear to him that he wouldn't have to go asking for a thing so long as he was with Kerry and I'd almost guarantee that has been followed through on.

It's a shame about Kobe. So long as it's an amateur game, players are free to come and go. However, the cynicism of the AFL scouts who seem to be making rural clubs and counties in Ireland poaching sites is on full display with stuff like this. Unfortunately, for a lot of young people living in small town Ireland, the mystique of faraway places is hard to combat. The almost positive slant we seem to put on the emigration conversation in Ireland doesn't help too. How often we seem to outwardly encourage and celebrate young people who leave the country and take their talents, skills and work ethic elsewhere. Complicated topic. Kerry are lucky that Clifford's priorities seemed to remain focused on home and a generational talent for them stayed, but this is going to be an ongoing and probably growing problem for lots of rural counties especially I'm afraid.

Best of luck to the lad. You have a short window in your life to live the dream of being a professional sports person. Can't begrudge anyone who wants to experience that life. In a great climate.

Great post Mayonaze, it’s a sad sad day for mayo football. And as some of the posters have said, what are we doing to stop this? Losing players every 2/3 years is just killing any momentum. Kobe was just giving a feel good factor to mayo GAA and now it’s up in a heap.

So disappointed..So frustrating ..

Just catching up on this now, very bad news for Mayo but great for the man himself.
He seems to have the full package, I read somewhere that he is way ahead of D Clifford when both were around the same age.
Is it true or a Halloween prank?

@Supermac, trust me, you’re not alone. I couldn’t care less how any Mayo fella does in afl. Absolutely irrelevant. And being really honest, I want Mullin home and assuming McD goes, I want him to be another Ciaran Kilkenny and realise that playing with your friends, for your community, your county, the place you love, for Mayo in our quest…that that means more than making the dollars in Oz.

And as others have pointed out. The money there isn’t life changing. A top profile GAA star can make significant income now so in ten years time this will be even more. Of course it’s not the same, but Sean Cavanagh wanted to win Sam for Tyrone more than earning the bucks down under.

And what about Cregg the rossie. Little or no chance of winning an All Ireland but yet his love for his county comes first. Unfortunately for our boys , their preference has been Au$tralia. A decision that could cause regret in later years. What might have been…

I wouldn't go that far now batetheblanket, clifford was a household name at 16/17, routinely scoring 2-09, 4-05 etc in all Ireland minor finals etc.

Kobe is a generational talent no doubt, probably the most exciting natural talent we have produced since his dad, but to say he is better than clifford at the same age is pure classic mayo hype

And mayonaze im sure they don't care about how your getting on either

It will be interesting to see if Ben Murphy will follow suit or can Kerry GAA hold on to him. They are comparable talents with a lot of physical development before they are fit to line out in AFL.
It's a blow, Kobe set the bar high, he was dragging a lot of underage players up with him. We lost a standard bearer for young lads, bit depressing, no doubt about that.

@Deel rover…what kind of a comment is that???What’s that got to do with Mayo football? Very personal.

Well you posted this Mayonaze

@Supermac, trust me, you’re not alone. I couldn’t care less how any Mayo fella does in afl.

So as I said im sure they couldn't care less about you either .

What's the difference ? Your making plenty of comments about kobes decision to go to Oz

Maybe we should pay more attention to the young lads that are at home
It is a personal choice for all players.
I don't want to hear ,if we had him we could have won etc.
Move on.

Exactly JR, if he's gone he's gone. Good luck to him. Plenty lads who'd love to play county, should be focus on them. They are ones who could win it for us, not the ones who don't want to play/chose other paths.
Might do him no harm go experience it and get away from the club for a while with all that's going on there. Focus on his L.C. and see where life takes him.

U21 round of games tomorrow be plenty of high scoring games and lads on show to talk about who may be on Andy's radar.

@Supermac, if I remember correctly I think I saw Clifford in the 2017 All Ireland minor final before the Mayo v Dublin final, he scored 4-2 or something but this was from a centre or more like a full forward position.
I don't believe D Clifford may have been the complete package, say midfielder, scorer, long range free taker etc.
I'm only quoting what I have heard on podcasts etc re Kobe's ability.

Sad thing too is that aussie football is such a shit show, a dog of a game, for me no match to garlic games skill. But the best of luck to our lad and I wish him every success.

Supermac - I agree with you - typical Mayo bull talk from some saying he is better than Clifford at his age. As a minor Clifford had already starred and won three all Ireland medals- two minor and a Hogan Cup medal.
Did Kobe play against Armagh in a minor final. How did he get on. In Kerry if they lose a player to injury or AFL - the attitude is next man up. They don't have the defeatest attitude we have in Mayo.

Id say if he's reading the posts on this thread he'd be delighted with the decision he had made .

No wonder we never win a final, we just give up when the going is going against us, majority on here have given up on Kobe ar this early stage, wishing him luck and good wishes, instead of fighting for him to stay and doing everything possible to get him change his mind, we should and that's all Mayo people everywhere should keep trying to keep him at home.

The old school mentality of get on with it, next man up is such faux macho shite.

People have every right to be massively disappointed with this outcome.

The same sheep bleating about next man up will be the ones crying out for a scoring forward, or a creative half forward, or an aerially strong midfield, or someone who can kick long range 2 point free and 45s. THIS FELLA HAS IT ALL AT 17 PLAYING MENS FOOTBALL. And ye think just get the next man up. There isn't one. Simple as. And don't be for years and years to come. And its even less likely now that kids won't have their own McDonald to be inspired by.

This is a monumental loss to the county, that goes beyond playing ability. It says to any talented 16 or 17 year old that the way forward is the AFL.

And I'll argue with anybody in the world that the bullshit that goes on in this county, year in and year out, at any executive level hasn't influenced this decision.

Go play professional sport or stay home and pray to God that the next County Board can go 2 weeks without doing something financially irresponsible or morally wrong? I know which I would choose.

People, fans, clubs need to start acting and not talking. Call out the frauds making money off our lads going to AFL. Call out the club delegates who are more interested in their own small personal grievances rather than the health of the county. Call out the executive members who put personal opinions and egos above the good of the county.

Its long past time for change.

The problem is not just the loss of Kobe, but momentum gone from so many good young footballers coming through. I'm sure for example oisin deane must be deflated.
Is it official that he is gone, hard to understand the logic of a lad leaving before completing leaving cert. It will be at least 2 years before Kobe makes a breakthrough to AFL.

"Why is it so many in Mayo wish lads well who go off rather than questioning their dedication toward Mayo and realising the privileged position they are in to wear the green & red and perhaps be in with a chance to end the famine?"

What sort of a comment is this?

@Jimbob1 , I know , hard to fathom a comment like that . Its a bit personal too is it not?

Jimmy's eyebrow sure what are people meant to do it's a personal decision on a lifestyle choice, kidnap the lad?

The money to be made could be feck all different to what some intercounty players make unofficially here if we are being honest with ourselves.
I'm sure they know well what could be made here given name and profile already there through appearances, photo ops, milage, grants, social media posts etc.

The ladies when see salaries are clearly gone for the lifestyle, not money.

Its a shame but this idea that one player will make the difference is madness, im not saying it doesn't help but we still have plenty players to win AI if we can get structure right, is anyone telling me that Kerry wouldn't win an allireland if Clifford wasnt there, they would have , its culture we need not just players
Andy Moran deserves his shot hope he does well, this idea about him cutting players during club season, big deal, lets hope he gets the right players, after that i don't care who he cuts from panel

Lads Clifford stayed because he wanted to stay and play for Kerry.

He said himself he never grew up dreaming of the AFL he dreamed of playing for Kerry.

Hes a teacher in Killarney so no special deal from Kerry.

We are losing Ben Murphy who scored 3 points in last week's senior final.

He is 18 and Kerrys best underage player since Clifford.

Weve lost,

Ben Murphy
Cillian Burke
Rob Monahan
Mark O Connor
Tommy Walsh
Tadgh Kennelly
Stefan Okunbor

5 of those lads would be playing for Kerry now.
Albeit Stefan is home but never the same since he left.

As a GAA man I want to see the best players here so losing a talent like Kobe is awful.

The deal young Murphy is reported to have been offered by Brisbane is very hard to turn down at 18.

Course Clifford would want to stay and play for Kerry . The county with the most celtic crosses why wouldn't he.

Young Kobe wish him all the best it's just a sad sight tbh .

@Gizmobobs

Read my posts. NO ISSUE with Kobe McDonald.

Can't state that enough. I hope if he goes he has ana amazing career and becomes a legend, achieving e erything he wants in life and sport.

MY ISSUE is the what and the how. Not the who

West Kerrys point is - Ky have lost so many great players to AFL and still win all Irelands.
We are so mentally weak in Mayo - some lads here are nearly throwing in the towel because a 17 year old is going to Australia.

Clare im inclined not to engage but ill respond once,

By that logic we'd have lost no players to the AFL but we have infact lost more than any county.

5 that would be on the current panel.

Based on your logic none of those would have left either.

Its nonsense to blame Mayo GAA for not doing enough to keep Kobe.

Theres very little they can do.

My take on the whole issue - if a lad wants to go earn money playing playing aussie rules, then good luck to him.
Bigger issue here is afl influence high up the ranks. The gaa relationship with them should be, at best, frosty. Instead, their presence here is in corporate boxes, as guests of the association - are we placating them so they might not poach a few more lads and lassies?
West kerry had a great piece there on the loss of lads from there too. The AFL is a flipping cancer on our game now and we shouldn't be so nice to them.
It breaks my heart to think we might never see Kobe in a Mayo senior team but we can't change that now. I hope he is very successful at whatever he does.

Jimmy's Eyebrow - I've just seen your latest comment on this topic, which I've had to delete. The debate has to be kept to a reasonable level.

@West kerry

Just saying the facts Kerry has the most celtic crosses , favourites for sam nearly every year .

You say 'your inclined not to respond to me' but yet still do.

It is obvious the draw to stay amd play for a county like Kerry .

Mayo guys love to play for the green & red. But lets be honest we have a long way to go till we get sam.

And it's crap Kerry lost those guys to AFL but still has not stopped you winning the most cdltic crosses.

Kobe going is a hammer a blow to us more then the guys ypu mentioned leaving for Kerry .

Any word of Mayo’s league fixtures?? I see the examiner has a piece about Munster teams fixtures!

Clare, still waiting for you to tell us what more Mayo GAA should have done to keep Kobe? As outlined earlier, it is easy be critical without knowing the full picture and without having to suggest solutions. And that is not just you.

The young lad is talented and if his ambition is to be a professional athlete, it is unlikely that any actions would have changed that. Many have gone previously to try it and have returned for various reasons. The bar is high and there are no guarantees. I still hope that we see him in Mayo senior jersey at some stage. In the meantime, best of luck to him.

I hate what the AFL are doing,

Ive no respect for Kennelly and its tarnished his standing in Kerry football in my opinion.

Without stating the obvious our players are not professionals so the GAA cannot stop this.

Our players are however prepared professionally and this preparation costs money.

Kobe ive no doubt like Ben down here would have been in development squads with S&C development, Dietary work, Skill works, weekends away training camps and so on.

This costs a lot of money and Mayo or Kerry develop these lads at a cost and they see them walk into the AFL as physically ready professionals.

The AFL should be making a contribution to Crossmolina and Mayo.

Its impossible because of our amateur status but the GAA should be atleast talking about this with the AFL.

Its down to money in the end if you make serious money in your late teens and 20's it sets you up for life.
Its too much to turn down for alot of guys who can make it out there.Its not something that can be changed.
One thing I have to point out is Ciaran Kilkenny didnt make it out there....he only discovered how much he loved the GAA after he didnt make it as a pro player.

@West kerry

Fair enough it's super annoying for each county to loose any young star to AFL.

It is just very depressing tbh . You can't blame Kobe for going though . Travel and money and young like .

But you can still hate the AFL for that. We in Mayo don't produce talents like him that often .

The lads is a generational talent , a super super player . He's from a Gaa pedigree house, like none other and if they helped him choose to go now and try it out then, very best of luck to him , a lovely young lad and phenomenal player .
Will be missed but if doesn't work out will be plenty opportunities at home .
Personally, I had hoped he would have waited until he was 23 or 24, but cant argue with opportunity on front of him and as I say, he cant get any better advise than that from his dad, mom and brother, so give the kid space and remember them displays, he put on all summer but especially the Ballina and Westport games where a light, tall, 17 year old bossed and lorded the games against seasoned and physical Intercounty toned men .

Please lads just remember this is a kid whose abot sit leaving cert , so wish him luck and give him space to study .

I find it surprising all of this is announced now, when the lad is still only 17 and doing his leaving cert. When I was doing my leaving cert many moons ago, a lot can change between Oct and June. Look at Oisin Mullin, he changed his mind initially and stayed for a further year. Perhaps it’s clutching at straws

All Mayo can do now is control the controllables. Back to the pod a little bit but trying to get our coaching and structures improved and making sure those who do want to play for Mayo have everything they need to succeed. A lot of focus on pod was lads between 17-20 but what about those 21-22 year olds. Someone like Ronan Clarke, provided he has an interest in playing with Mayo, what supports and development is he going to get

Finally this talk of AFL clubs compensating GAA clubs is nonsense. Are GAA clubs compensating soccer clubs when players switch? Did Armagh give Portadown money when Oisin Conaty dropped soccer for GAA

Finally great to see WestKerry commenting. Always brings a level of common sense to the conversation and your points on Kerry players is well made

Sad to see Kobe going but ffs forget about him and support the lads who are here and want to play for the count we've a load of upcoming talent so feck the AFL and just support Andy, Boyler and the players.

[Deleted].

Ah shut up Mike H. Seriously, that's just a disgraceful comment.

Mike H - I'm with Tubberman, that's a disgraceful comment, which I've now deleted. You'd want to cop yourself on to be making a comment like that about a 17-year old kid. And Clare, you're not much better, blithely parroting your agreement with that kind of nonsense.

In sport as in life what if's, buts, maybes & wishes don't guarantee success. Kobe while a huge talent could not guarantee all ireland success for his own age minor team and yet everyone seems to think we are a sure bet to win sam maguire if he stays! All say that Clifford is the reason for Kerry's success, i agree but which one? Take Paudie from that team and David is a lesser player @ that level. Teams win all ireland's, not one player. In the 80's we had a generational talent in Bomber Brogan yet no all Ireland arrived for whatever reason! In truth talent without full commitment guarantees nothing and reading tea leafs won't change that. Best wishes & success to Kobe if his choice is AFL. Here in Mayo we build heroes to crucify.

Kobe is a young kid I wish him all the best. All I meant was it is hard for him to turn down opportunity for a young lad like him to travel and to be paid to play. And the AFL pay well. Gaa players should be paid also .

I think GAA should play our players what they deserve might help solve the problem a bit .

Yes, Clare, but those weren't the sentiments you were saying "well said" to a bit earlier on. I also think you've posted more than enough on this topic for one day.

I think its good that Kobe has made a decision about this. It can't have been easy havinh so much speculation and attention on him.. He can.focus on his exams now in peace hopefully.. its wonderful that he has the talent to become a professional sportsman. Let's get behind him now. If he was a soccer player and got that chance no one would be saying he should stay and play for Deel rovers!, Its a wider societal issue ...Ireland is not an attractive place for young people...Nurses , Teachers , Carpenters, ETC they are all gone to taste a different live....Kobe is no different...I salute you young man...

This used to be a great blog but its gone pure toxic lately. We are all disapointed that Kobe is going to Australia but nobody died we have to get on with it

Marty K… you and I are on the same page.. and O’SULLIVAN and I know Sean Burke too as are many, many others here who are on the same boat too but it’s very clear that there are some people in Mayo who consider themselves Mayo fans but are content seeing our best talent go. That’s very, very obvious now from posts not just throughout today but for some time. It’s sad. I don’t get it. If you want to see Mayo win Sam then anything that diminishes that is a negative but still, even after the reports today, we continue to have mixed opinion here. I called earlier today for a united response on this but unfortunately it doesn’t exist and individuals still hurl personal jibes and remarks (unchecked). It’s clear now to me that there are people who are borderline fanatical supporters of Mayo and who dearly crave to see us win Sam, people who have spent the bulk of their adult life travelling to and spending so much time following underage and adult sides (I include myself in his misfit bunch) and then there are others, who tokenly follow Mayo and who don’t really care that we have lost generational talents. Every county and every side/club regardless of the sport has this, I get that not everyone is the same and that’s completely ok, but in GAA we in Mayo have a very unique and heart-wrenching story. I’ve trudged out of Croke
Park 13 times after All Ireland Finals. Losing arguably the best we’ve ever produced is dreadfully sad and yet there are those who ridicule us from within.

You know what camp you fall into.

Nothing like a bit of divisiveness on the day that’s in it, eh Mayonaze?

WJ, I said I understand that not everyone who follows a team is the same but there are those who are contrary to the progression and success of Mayo. And the remark earlier today on me was ‘playing the man, not the ball’ and it went unchecked.

That’s quite the charge about fans, Mayonaze! I’ll leave it to you to substantiate that claim about what you appear to deem as children of a lesser god. I saw that comment earlier that you’ve referred to which I felt was a bit snarky but I didn’t think was in the man-not-ball category. You’ve no problem dishing it out on occasion (and have been particularly vocal for some time about the life choices of a 17 year-old) so don’t be surprised when what you say gets returned to you with a bit of interest.

I respectfully disagree. I felt it was unfair and followed a common trend.

I appreciate I’ve often forcefully voiced opinion but I don’t believe I’ve ever intentionally targeted anyone at the slightest opportunity and anything Ive offered has always had Mayo at the forefront of my thoughts.

Slán agus go n-eiridh an bóthar linh. Maigh Eo go deo.

Keep the Faith.

The podcast was about player pathways and the thread is about Kobe McD.

For the record, if we had proper player pathways, we wouldn't be crying about Kobe, as we would have 3-4 more coming just as good.

A genuine question, is there anyone who reads this blog, who had ever seen a documented player development pathway written by a GAA club or county board, demonstrating a clear plan for developing specific type of player.

We spend a lot of time crying about Kobe and Mullen etc - where is the written plan that outlines the training required (over 10 years) to produce a range of skill specific footballers.

There isn't one in Mayo. If we had one, it would be next man up.

How is this for player pathways. This Sunday, the club under 21 championship is on and guess what? County under 20 trials/ training on Saturday. How can this be in any way good for the game in Mayo or the young players involved, or for the club teams impacted? I have seen players unable to play today, or playing today after training load yesterday.

Lionel, the more things change the more they stay the same as they say.
Player welfare how are ya. The championship is for show it seems.

Lionel, a very good point. And some of these players had colleges games on Thursday. So considering the weather conditions where does player welfare come into it..

Doesn't reflect well on the new U20 management.