Teenager Coby McDonald helped County Mayo break a curse in Ireland and will try to do the same in St Kilda.
Kobe MacDonald in action. Image: Instagram
NEW St Kilda B-grade recruit Kobe McDonald will head to Australia next month to begin life in the AFL, but on Sunday the teenager helped County Mayo break a mythical curse by winning his first All-Ireland title in 75 years.
The 18-year-old signed with the Saints last year but has vowed to complete his leaving certificate at home and play GAA this season before moving to Melbourne.
St Kilda’s head of talent and acquisition Graham Allan was in Croke Park in Dublin on Sunday along with more than 82,000 other players to witness Mayo end a run of 13 All-Ireland finals without a win dating back to 1951 by defeating powerful Kerry.
In recent years, Allan has overseen St Kilda’s recruitment strategy on the Emerald Isle, which has included the signings of Liam O’Connell, who played his 16th AFL game on Sunday, and Eamonn Armstrong.
McDonald is set to move to Melbourne in the coming weeks and will be joined by his parents, who are understood to be moving with the teenager.
Kobe’s father, Ciaran, was one of the best Gaelic footballers of his generation and represented Ireland in the 2005 International Rules series against Australia.
Ciaran McDonald fights off Max Hudton during the 2004 International Rules clash at Croke Park. Photo: AFL Photos
Mayo have had to slowly come to terms with the loss of one of the sport’s brightest talents in the past 12 months, just a few years after Oisin Mullin was lured to Geelong after being named the GAA’s best young player twice.
Mullin has become an important part of Chris Scott’s game plan over the past 18 months, but unlike MacDonald he did not move to Australia until he was 22 or play his first AFL game until he was 23.
“Cats” achieved huge success outside of Ireland. Zach Tuohy played his best football at Cardinia Park and won the 2022 premiership alongside Mark O’Connor, who was allowed by Geelong to play Gaelic football in the summer, where he won an All-Ireland club title with Dingle.
McDonald is considered one of the most talented Irishmen ever to sign for an AFL club, and that’s what the whole country was thinking on Sunday morning when they woke up to a headline in The Times that read: “The Rise of a Boy Genius Heading to the AFL”.
His decision drew scrutiny across Ireland given his sportsmanship, lethal decision-making and experience, enhanced by the age of social media, which is why Sunday was so significant for him and his county.
“I’m not thinking about Australia right now, to be honest, I’m just soaking up every bit of it,” MacDonald told Irish public broadcaster RTÉ after the win.
“This is where I come from, so to give the people of Mayo something to celebrate is something special.”
On Sunday, MacDonald had “one chance” written on his wrist. If he makes his mark on the AFL, the Irishman may not be back in the AFL for long. He certainly made the most of his chance on Sunday.