MICHAEL MCMULLAN…The lure of Oz…

Ireland’s sporting landscape will be a poorer place next season without Kobe McDonald.

From the minute I set eyes on him in a minor game a few years back, I knew he was the real deal.

Poise, pace, bags of ability and a carefree demeanour. It’s just brilliant to see a player do his thing with a smile on his face.

I am no expert on biomechanics, but he looks to have a frame that will build muscle in all the right places.

Kobe isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last of our starlets to make the move.

Derry fans would love to see Callum Brown breaking lines from midfield. Imagine Mayo with both Kobe McDonald and Oisin Mullin.

Tyrone are close to being serious All-Ireland contenders again. Conor McKenna has the cut of someone who would unlock doors for them.

Dublin are building a new squad and Ger Brennan will be aware of U16 player Cian Raftery’s potential, but he is being tapped up by the Aussies too.

The GAA man in me doesn’t want any of them to go. I want to see full stadiums and star players all help achieve that.

The other side of me is fully aware these players cannot turn these opportunities down.

Is it any different to talented Kilrea lad Ceadach O’Neill putting himself in Mikael Arteta’s thoughts at Arsenal?

Derry have lost three potential goalkeepers to America as they pursue the chance of being the next Charlie Smyth.

Jack Cassidy, Jack Scullion and Karl Campbell can all kick the ball a mile and would be serious weapons to beat an aggressive press.

Ireland have always had exports to other sports but we’ve also had underage prodigies drop off as they don’t have the desire to work hard enough to make it to the top.

I can’t write exactly what he said, but former Derry player Tony Scullion always used to warn young players of the dangers of investing too much time on the disco scene and liquid substances on offer.

The bottom line is, we don’t get all the talented players through that we want.

And it’s quietly disappointing to see Kobe McDonald light up the race for Sam only to now find himself on planet St Kilda.

In my opinion, it is very wrong though to begrudge him. Ask yourself what you’d say if one of your own was snapped up.

I coached Chrissy McKaigue up to U14 in the club and for a season with Derry minors.

When he signed for Sydney Swans, not once did I think of hours of coaching time in Emmet Park. I was over the moon for him.

As it turned out, the AFL didn’t work out and he was home where he helped lead a group through the most successful era in Sleacht Néill’s history.

Like Conor Glass making a return, he was an important part of what Rory Gallagher was moulding with Derry seniors.

At the end of the day, GAA is amateur. Top players, by their nature, want to be the best they can.

Only the player can say how much a factor the money is – and it is bound to be – but the chance to prepare as a professional is too good to turn down.

In saying all that, I do feel the AFL clubs need to be giving something back.

With so many aspects of the game transferable – not them all – an AFL scout venues across Ireland can easily see how a GAA star could be just the answer back in Oz.

Just look at how Kobe McDonald can make a ball dance. Callum Brown’s athletic profile was off the charts.

As Pa Sheehy’s song about Dingle’s All-Ireland win outlined, Mark O’Connor was “jumping and leaping like he’s catching the sun.”

Why wouldn’t scout jot all this down and flag up for their bosses back home.

Clubs know that aside from some deserved free gear, grub, a bit of mileage and a small sum from an ambassadorial role, GAA players are not taking a wage.

So, what do the AFL clubs need to give back? I don’t think stopping the International Rules is the solution.

That would only prevent a player – already not in the AFL scouts’ radar – from the opportunity to represent their country.

I think the player’s home club needs to be compensated. At the end of the day, it was his family and the coaches in Crossmolina who sent Kobe on his way.

With no club we have no county team. So, this is the same. The AFL clubs should have to make a donation to the club that could be used to fund the development of players.

Clubs could use the money for a gym, for a coach to go into the local primary school or any aspect they feel will help to the long-term future.

Does that mean Arsenal should be giving money to Kilrea? No, that’s different. There is no link like there is between the GAA and the AFL.

There is another side to it. While Kobe is gone, Darragh Beirne, Cian McCale and Eoin McGreal aren’t. Lads with a bright future in the green and red. Counties must focus on those who are at home.

Also, the GAA and GPA should be looking deeper into training loads versus rest. We have too many players retiring from inter-county far too soon. These guys are as big a loss as any.

I have been at a few Glen games this year and Ciaran McFaul is in serious nick. While not retired, he’s a bigger loss to Derry than Callum Brown because he is in the actual country.

Prolonging player careers is something the GAA must properly examine. There is more to gain.

For players like Kobe McDonald, it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

It is just proof of how much coaching has come on the GAA. We have to focus on where the next line of stars are coming from.