MEATH FOOTBALLER CIAN McBride is set to extend his career in Australia after the AFL granted his club Essendon special dispensation to keep a Category B Rookie beyond the usual limits.

McBride recently completed his third season with the Bombers and is yet to make his AFL debut. The key defender has spent three years as a Category B Rookie.

The Category B spot has previously been reserved for international recruits and is the traditional starting point for Irish players. Part of the attraction for AFL clubs in signing Irish athletes is that they can do so without needing to go through the draft or taking a spot on the senior list. It is essentially a ‘free hit’. 

In August, the AFL announced that due to Covid disruptions in 2020 and 2021, Essendon can re-list McBride as a Category B Rookie in 2023 for one year. The 21-year-old will have to go through the 2022 national draft and Essendon can then extend his stay provided no other club pick him. 

The pandemic had a significant impact on rookies as development coaches were let go and reserve leagues scrapped. The AFL also granted a dispensation for Collingwood basketball convert Tom Wilson and said they would consider any additional reasonable requests from clubs with Category B Rookies. 

The42 understands an agreement is in place between McBride and Essendon to pursue this option. He is due to return to Australia later in November. McBride has featured for his club St Ultans in the off-season and was granted permission to train with Meath in 2020 before suffering an injury. 

His return would have been a welcome boost for new Meath boss Colm O’Rourke but it is now unlikely. While he is still likely to be delisted, it is a move as part of the exemption to extend his stint Down Under.  

Kerry’s Deividas Uosis is also a Category B Rookie. He signed a two-year deal in 2021 and is yet to make his senior debut. Westmeath man Fionn O’Hara has just completed his first campaign as an International Category B Rookie with Hawthorn.