CORK FOOTBALLER MARK Keane has returned home before the end of the 2021 AFL season with the approval of his club Collingwood.
The 21-year-old was granted early leave with two rounds of the home and away season still to play. He’s expected to return to Australia in late November for pre-season training.
“We can confirm Mark Keane was given approval to return to Ireland a couple of weeks early for his pre-season break, given the difficulty to get back over the last two years,” Collingwood said in a statement.
Keane made his AFL debut in 2020 and has appeared in five senior games for the club he joined in 2018. He underwent surgery to repair a finger tendon in January before returning to the field in April.
Keane, who is contracted to the club through the 2022 season, returned in 2020 to score a famous winning goal against Kerry in the Munster SFC semi-final having been granted special dispensation from the club to play.
He’s in line to feature for Mitchelstown in the 2020 Cork intermediate football final next weekend, while he may also see action in the 2021 football and hurling championships.
