Cavan protest to AFL after trial

Nickey Brennan has also spoken out against the scouting session

The Cavan GAA Board has written to the AFL governing body after a scouting session for the Australian code was held at Breffni Park last week.

Cavan officials were angered by the session which took place at their premises without permission being asked by organiser Gerard Scholly.

Scholly acts as an agent for the Carlton outfit and the Cavan Board has also written to the AFL club.

BBC Newsline understands that more AFL trials will be held later this summer.

Australian agent Ricky Nixon and his Flying Start company plan to return to Ireland in an attempt to sign up more talented youngsters.

On Tuesday, GAA president Nickey Brennan reacted furiously after learning of the AFL scouting session at Kingspan Breffni Park.

"I didn't realise that it was their ground," Scholly told BBC Newsline.

But Nickey Brennan was unimpressed by an episode which will increase GAA fears of a player exodus to the AFL.

"The Cavan County Board are rightly very annoyed and I share that annoyance with them that somebody would have the cheek and the audacity to go into a property and conduct whatever he was conducting with a number of players without permission," said the GAA president.

"Quite frankly, he would not have got that permission," added Brennan.

The first thing we should do is cut our ties by scrapping the International Rules Martin McHugh

The GAA will also be concerned by the apparent increasing sophistication of AFL player agents.

In a letter from Flying Start to AFL clubs obtained by the BBC, Ricky Nixon promises to collect detailed data on young GAA players.

The company says it will "categorise in height, weight and position", "project the potential height and position going on family history" and "give clubs players' phone numbers and addresses from each county".

A number of AFL clubs have reportedly signed up to the scheme, at a cost of 15,000 Euro a year.

Scholly has been in Ireland for the past month on his scouting mission and he attended last Saturday's Ulster Minor Football semi-final between Monaghan and Derry.

The Australian scout attempted to play down his Irish trip when he spoke to the BBC.

"It's along the lines of just contacting them and if they want to talk and understand the process that they would be put through," added Scholly.

"And it's maybe to educate some people that it's not a kidnapping exercise.

"On this trip, we've probably spoken to about 25 families and some of those players came together for a session at Breffni Park last Friday.

"It was a very innocent thing. We just met there (Breffni Park) because it was easy. We were coming from Killarney and so it was a meeting point."

At the minute, it looks as though they are going to take all our (young) star players away Martin McHugh

Despite the GAA's annoyance with the apparent scouting drive, the reality is that it appears powerless to stop players who will be enticed by the prospect of a full-time football career.

However, BBC Championship pundit and ex-Donegal star Martin McHugh believes that the GAA should now move to sever links with the AFL by ending the International Rules series.

"It's definitely time to get tough. The first thing we should do is cut our ties by scrapping the International Rules," McHugh told the BBC.

"A lot of people in the country don't want it and its time is over now.

"At the minute, it looks as though they are going to take all our (young) star players away.

"They know all the players in Ireland from the age of about 14 to 18. They are studying them and they have people watching them."

McHugh added that he was concerned that young players' educations could suffer if they are lured Down Under.

He also claimed that the GAA must take bold measures in an attempt to keep young players in Ireland.

"The GAA should use the money they get from Croke Park for concerts and soccer and rugby and use that to help with scholarships for players.

"We haven't come across this before and we're looking at between 50 to 100 players going Down Under."