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Kildare's Paddy Brophy and Sean Hurley. Lorraine O'Sullivan/INPHO
Making Their Mark

Kildare seniors Brophy and Hurley amongst 11 Irish players in European AFL squad in London

The Tadhg Kennelly coached squad play an Australian selection next Saturday afternoon.

KILDARE SENIOR PLAYERS Paddy Brophy and Sean Hurley are amongst 11 Irish players in the European Legion squad that will take on Australia in London next Saturday.

Brophy and Hurley have both been regulars for Jason Ryan’s Lilywhite side in this season’s league campaign. They are joined in the European squad – which is coached by Kerry’s Tadhg Kennelly – by Kildare brothers Daniel and Luke Flynn.

Daniel Flynn returned to Ireland last month from AFL side Port Adelaide ‘on a leave of abseence’ due to homesickness while his grandfather is also ill.

The other Irish players in the squad include Mayo pair Stephen Coen and Sheroz Akram, and Tyrone’s Conor McKenna. Coen was part of the victorious Mayo All-Ireland minor winning side last September that defeated McKenna and his Tyrone teammates.

The other Irish players are Armagh’s Ciaran O’Hanlon, Tipperary’s Colin O’Riordan, Kerry’s Padraig Lucey and Galway’s Peter Cooke. O’Riordan plays for Tipperary in tomorrow night’s Munster U21 football final against Cork.

Colin O'Riordan James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

The European squad that was announced last January originally featured eight Irish players with Hurley, Daniel Flynn and Akram the new additions.

Flynn, Brophy, Lucey and Hurley all lined out in last year’s corresponding fixture as did Dublin duo Shane Carthy and Niall Scully, and Armagh’s Ethan Rafferty.

The game between the European selection and a squad of Australia’s best U18′s takes place at Harrow School in London next Saturday afternoon and is part of the annual Easter Series.

The squad in full is:

  • Croatia - Filip Lenic, Josip Habljak , Zvonimir Murkovic;
  • Denmark - Aksel Bang, Chris Campion, Mathias Biron, Mikkel Kjoege, Nathan Campion, William Anderson;
  • England – Cameron Cope, Ollie Dilieto, Sam Willatt, Sean Walton;
  • Germany – Jakob Jung;
  • Ireland – Ciaron O’Hanlon, Colin O’Riordan, Conor McKenna, Daniel Flynn, Luke Flynn, Paddy Brophy, Padraig Lucey, Peter Cooke, Sean Hurley, Shehroz Akram, Stephen Coen; and
  • Sweden – Hampus Olsson.

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