Making their mark in Australian Rules

A working holiday abroad has given three young Clare men the chance to experience playing Australian Rules football.
Gerard Murphy, 24, from Lissycasey has played as a forward and back at senior level for his home club. Patrick Looney, 21, a forward and Gearóid Meade, 23, a back, have both played senior level for their club Cooraclare. Looney was a county minor representative and Meade represented the Banner at U-21 level.
After their arrival in Australia, a friend of Gearóid Meade’s uncle told him there was employment available in a grain terminal in the small town of Beulah in the state of Victoria. Working in remote or regional areas would also give an opportunity to extend a working visa by a year. The Irish grapevine went into action and a group of young lads headed to a place they had never heard of previously.
Beulah, a small town of 200 people, is 100 kilometres from the nearest regional city. The main industry is grain farming and the population of the area is declining. The boys had only been there for a few weeks when the area was threatened by the worst flooding in history. They all pitched in to help sandbag the town, saving it from the flood.
The lads immediately impressed the locals with their strong work ethic. They also got along well with the young people from the town and it was through these friendships that the Irish boys got invited to join pre-season footy training. The boys worked hard at learning the new skills and quickly became addicted to the game.
The Beulah Football club plays in the Mallee Football League. It fields senior (first) and reserve (second) grade sides in the open age competition as well as U-16 and U-13 junior boys teams. It is one of the most successful clubs in the district, having won five senior and three reserve premierships in the past decade. In 2010 they won both grade premierships, with the seniors undefeated during the year. The club has a proud history, being the smallest town in the league and one of the few clubs not to amalgamate with a neighbouring team.
All of the Irish boys like playing the new game. They initially found it hard to learn the rules and difficult to master kicking the oval shaped ball. The physicality of tackling has also been something new to learn. 
Gerard Murphy played his first game in the reserves, impressing the coaches with his pace and drive around the ground. He was awarded a trophy for best player on the day and earned a spot in the senior team the following week, a place he has since maintained. Murphy has generally played as a centre wing or half-back, but has also been used to run with and nullify opposition mid-fielders. He has found opportunities to venture into the forward line to kick the odd goal.
Murphy believes the game is very different to football at home and enjoys it greatly. In his early games he found being tackled and dragged to the ground from behind, while in possession of the ball, something very difficult to take, but has since adapted.
Patrick Looney’s size and strength has helped him to make his mark as a ruckman. The ruck contests are when the ball is thrown in the air by the umpire, then the two opposing ruckmen leap and attempt to knock it to their team members. This happens many times during a game, at the start of a quarter, after a goal and when several players fall on the ball and it cannot be moved on.
Looney played a number of games in the reserves, regularly featuring in the best players. This good form has given Patrick the opportunity to play with the senior side for the past six matches. Although initially finding kicking difficult, he is now able to kick long and accurate passes that are as good as any of his Australian team mates.
Gearóid Meade had a slow start to the season with a hamstring injury, but once fit, he quickly proved to be a skilful player. Like Looney, several times featuring in the reserve grade’s best players, Meade earned a spot in the senior side and has played there for the past four games. Meade has brought Gaelic football skills to the Australian game, which makes him a crowd favourite. His foot control of the ball on the ground, ability to flick the ball up with his feet and controlled bouncing are not things usually seen in the game.
Meade has been playing as a backman in the pocket or off half-back, often in the last line of defence. He initially found the skill of shepherding hard to comprehend. Shepherding is where a player protects the ball carrier, by using his body to obstruct the opposition.
Gearóid never envisaged that in coming to Australia he would be able to play a game that he describes as a lot of fun.
“I came here to work. It’s great to be involved in a well-run club, with such easy going people. It’s just like being at home, they make you very welcome”
Team coach Scott Smith, known as a hard and uncompromising player, has been impressed with how quickly the Irish lads have adapted to the foreign game. “These blokes taught themselves the skills by training five nights a week from January to March. They aren’t playing because we are short or struggling for numbers. We sit on top of the league ladder and are aiming for back-to-back premierships. We are a strong and proud club. If you don’t earn your spot, you play in the reserves. These blokes earned their spots”.
The club and other locals have helped out in finding the boys changes in employment so they can comply with their visa requirements.
Club president Craig Forsyth has nothing but praise for the Irishmen. He said, “It’s a pleasure to have these boys at the club. They fit in well and are just like our own. We would love to keep them here. This is not an easy league to play in and we are the top side. There are ex-AFL players in this league and many others who have played at an elite level. That the Irishmen have been able to get into the senior team is a great achievement, one that cannot be understated.”
It is now a month out from the finals and Beulah Football Club will feature in the senior and possibly reserve finals series. These three young lads from Clare have played an important part in getting the team to the finals.