Winning the All-Ireland made Oz trip easier for Kobe McDonald

‘One chance’ was what Kobe McDonald had written on his wristband for his last few games with Mayo this year.

And the young Mayo star admits that winning the All-Ireland with Mayo has made his decision to go to Australia and try to make it as a professional Australian Rules footballer much easier.

McDonald flew to Australia with his parents just over a week after the final and is currently based in Melbourne where he has started training with AFL side St Kilda.

“Yeah, it is definitely a lot easier (after winning). If I had lost that final by maybe one or two or it was close, of course it would be pulling at you a lot more. Even still I still love the game, I love the people that I played with. It’s not that I hated Mayo football and that’s why I came here. I love every single thing about GAA, my club and my county but I still couldn’t say no to this, it’s still very easy to come and play here,” he said on an Australian podcast.

McDonald admitted that he is living the dream.

“Obviously there are difficulties, of course. I’ve always dreamed of being a professional athlete. To be able to stroll in every day and kick a football around and that’s your life, you could never say no to that. It’s a win win, if this never worked out and I was to go home in the exact same position as I was anyway, I get to chance my arm on becoming a pro athlete and enjoy every second of it,” he said.

McDonald and Meath man Eamonn Armstrong, another Irish rookie at St Kilda, were interviewed on the podcast, Young Guys Inside the System, a podcast produced by Young Guns Sports Management, who are agents for both players.

It was hosted by Xander Maguire and joining McDonald and Armstrong on the podcast was Logan Young, an agent with Young Gun Sports Management.

Young, who played just shy of the top level of the game himself, said he has been amazed at how Kobe can kick the oval ball off both feet better than he can.

Presenter Maguire marvelled at Kobe’s Instagram reach, noting that he has over 100,000 followers while the highest paid player in the AFL, his St Kilda teammate Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, who earns over $2 million annually, has only 64,000 followers.

“We will chase the best deal for him. We’ve been inundated with offers. The focus is just to settle in,” said Logan Young.

Kobe was asked about his father, Ciarán, who came to prominence in Australia during his time representing Ireland in the Compromise Rules series.

“I think he might have retired from Mayo before I was born. My earliest memories of him is playing for Crossmolina, our home club. He was obviously quite good back then too. Him and my brother both played for Mayo, Jordan, so the family definitely is steeped in Mayo GAA but it never weighed on me at all, I’m my own man, they’re two great role models for me. I take whatever advice I can get from them and play my own role for the team,” he said.

He said he has enjoyed settling into the club, learning the ropes from Eamonn Armstrong and working on his game.

“It’s been very good. Meeting all the boys and getting into the run of things. Just getting there slowly, very slowly. Getting as much help as I can, the boys are brilliant, the coaches are excellent,” he said.

Armstrong picked him up for his first day at training and was asked if he had imparted any particular advice.

“Just embrace it. Not many people at home get to do what we get to do every day, play professional sport,” he said.