Kerry CEO Questions Conduct Of AFL Teams During Chase For Austin Stacks Youngster

While the process of emerging Gaelic football stars signing contracts with AFL clubs is fairly commonplace in the GAA, it seems that no county has been hit harder by the practice than Kerry.

The All-Ireland champions have lost some top prospects in the last few years, with the likes of Mark O’Connor, Rob Monahan, and Cillian Burke all moving Down Under in recent times. Another player is set to join them in 2026, with Austin Stacks player Ben Murphy confirming his move to the Brisbane Lions earlier this week.

The Kerry U20 star has been viewed as the brightest prospect in the county, although he will now be taking a leave of absence from the GAA for the foreseeable future.

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Much has been made of the drain of talent from the GAA to the AFL this week. Pat Spillane was among those to call for compensation for the clubs who have nurtured such talents prior to their departure.

Some, including Tomás Ó Sé, have also been unimpressed with the conduct of the Australian teams. The case of Ben Murphy was apparently no exception if comments from the Kingdom are to be believed.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Kerry GAA CEO Peter Twiss suggested that AFL teams had acted in a questionable manner during their recruitment of Murphy.

It would be ideal if there was some more of a structured thing because at least then everybody might be aware of what’s going on.

If a young lad is doing his Leaving Cert, nobody should be ringing him. I’m not saying that’s the case, but from what I hear, some people were saying there were phone-calls made while he [Murphy] was doing his exams.

Now, that to me would be wrong. I’d call it out...

It’s disappointing but, first and foremost, we wish him the best, and that’s the important thing. He’s a young lad, and the best of luck to him and his family. And I’m sure they’ll miss him as well over in Australia.

Twiss would also suggest that more needed to make the prospect of remaining in Kerry more attractive to the county's young players, something that could include offering opportunities in area such as education.

In any case, it seems unlikely that the migration of top GAA prospects to Australia is going to stop any time soon.