Marty Clarke has praised Geelong for allowing Mark O’Connor to line out for Dingle in Sunday’s All-Ireland club senior football final at Croke Park.
O’Connor, after playing a prominent role in Dingle’s Kerry and Munster SFC triumphs, had returned to Australia in December to begin pre-season AFL training with Geelong.
However, he was subsequently given permission to play in Dingle’s All-Ireland semi-final against Ballyboden St Enda’s on January 3rd and will now be available for the Kerry champions when they face St Brigid’s of Roscommon in Sunday’s showdown.
Clarke made 73 AFL appearances for Collingwood between 2007 and 2014 – with a break midway through his Aussie Rules career during which he returned to Ireland to play for Down, helping them progress to the 2010 All-Ireland decider.
“It’s just such maturity and what a great club they are, Geelong, and they’re so successful because of this,” said Clarke on the permission given by the Cats for O’Connor to play for Dingle.
“When they come to Ireland to pick a player, they know the difference between club and county and everything because they take the time to do that. And I was fortunate as well with Collingwood, they really got to know me, know my family, and then you can work to get the best out of your athlete.
Former Down footballer Marty Clarke at the launch of TG4’s upcoming Laochra Gael series at the Light House Cinema in Dublin. Photograph: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile
“I think it’s phenomenal for Mark to be able to experience this with his club and then he’ll head back across to play in front of 90,000 at the MCG. Everyone’s winning in that respect.”
Geelong won the AFL Grand Final in 2022 and also contested last year’s showpiece event Down Under, losing to the Brisbane Lions.
Clarke feels O’Connor’s stature in Aussie Rules is underappreciated in Ireland.
“He’s absolutely so important to one of the best teams in the AFL, a team who have been consistently at the top level,” added Clarke.
“He’s in their leadership group, it’s definitely underestimated how good he is over there.
“He plays with authority, he’s sometimes sent out to tag or man-mark the opposition’s key players. He’s just willing to do whatever it takes for the team.
“His head coach is a guy called Chris Scott, who would be well-renowned as being the top coach in the AFL. He always speaks so highly of Mark, so you can’t get a bigger compliment in the game than that.”
Clarke, who is currently a selector and coach with the Down senior footballers, has had reason recently to keep a close eye on sporting matters in the United States too.
Marty Clarke in action for Down in the 2010 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final defeat to Cork. Photograph: Donall Farmer/Inpho
Clarke was a selector with the Down under-20s when they won the Ulster title at that grade in 2021. The Down under-20 goalkeeper that season was Charlie Smyth, who has recently experienced a life-changing few weeks during which he became the kicker for the New Orleans Saints.
“He actually got Ulster Player of the Year as a goalkeeper (with the under-20s that year). So, you can imagine the quality he had then long before the two-pointer came in,” recalled Clarke.
“He really deserves the success he has had this season because of the work he put in and the dream he had – and he made it possible. It’s spectacular, really, and incredible when you see the level he’s at.”
Clarke says he has been able to offer some words of advice to Smyth.
“I kept in good touch with him because he sort of reached out in terms of playing professional sport when he went across.
“There are a long number of hours in a week where he’s in a big city where there are not too many people he knows. They’re the sort of things I would have chatted to him about.
Former Down under-20 goalkeeper Charlie Smyth is now making a name for himself in American football with the New Orleans Saints. Photograph: Chris Graythen/Getty Images
“After he plays well or after he makes an error, what’s he going home to? Because professional sport is very difficult when you make mistakes.
“It’s okay if you have really good support around you and you’re at home, you can go to Mayobridge or in my case, Cranfield, but [you can’t] when you’re driving through a city of five million people – that was Melbourne’s population.
“But he’s doing really well. The challenges will always be there in that game. It’s so cut-throat but he seems to have really made his name now, so it’s a matter of just pushing on.”
Smyth is currently home in Ireland as the NFL season is over for New Orleans and Clarke says the former county goalkeeper will be invited to attend a Down training session.
“We’ll have him about and give him a bit of slagging, show a few of his misses to keep him grounded,” said Clarke with a smile.
As for the possibility of Smyth returning in the future to play for the Mourne Men, Clarke can see the bigger picture.
“I hope for himself, because of how much he wants to make it over there, I hope we don’t see him but we’ll always be here.
“We’d love to have someone like that around but I think for himself, he wants to max out for as long as he can – and you can kick into your forties in that sport.”
♦ Clarke was speaking at the launch of the 24th series of TG4’s celebrated Laochra Gael programme. He is one of the eight players featured in the new series – alongside Conor McManus, Cyril Farrell, Grace Walsh, Pádraig Horan, Neil McManus, Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh and Kevin McManamon. The first episode, with Conor McManus, will be broadcast on Thursday, January 22nd at 9.30pm.