FOUR AFL hopefuls from Ireland will arrive in Australia later this month and test alongside future stars at the Draft Combine.
The AFL is bringing out the four talents – James McLaughlin, Eoin McElholm, Odhran Murdock and Conor Corbett – who will trial at clubs and also take part in the physical and athletic testing at the three-day Combine.
They were identified as potential AFL recruits through this season and will be available to interested clubs for try-outs in the week after the Grand Final, with the Irish quartet to join with the under-17s futures squads before their clash on Grand Final morning at the MCG.
They will also train with those groups on Grand Final eve, giving recruiters another opportunity to see their scope.
Corbett, a 192cm 21-year-old, shapes as a big target for clubs having already been a star at Gaelic level, while McLaughlin is a sports all-rounder, having excelled in basketball, soccer and golf as well as Gaelic.
Speedster McElholm is expected to catch the eye of AFL clubs with his pace and comes from County Tyrone, the home club of Brisbane half-back and former Bomber Conor McKenna, while Murdock has been regarded as the standout player in his county.
The AFL's return to bringing Irish players back to the Combine comes after it had stopped during the COVID years.
Clubs have also been busy on the hunt for talents from Ireland given they can add them as category B rookies, with Carlton signing Rob Monahan and Matt Duffy and St Kilda listing Liam O'Connell.
