Football

Earley looks to AFL

FORMER AFL recruit Paul Earley believes Gaelic footballers should adopt the hand-passing technique used in Aussie Rules. The Ireland International Rules manager was one of the first wave of players to make the move Down Under. After two years with Melbourne, Earley returned to play for his native Roscommon. Having been coached how to fist-pass in both codes, he believes the Australian method is more effective.

Speaking at the Ulster GAA Coaching Conference, Earley said: "If you watch the International Rules games over the last number of years, you'll notice that the Australians' hand-passing is much slicker. "They hit the target more often, they generally hit the target where you should hit the target, which is out in front, the accuracy is better, the trajectory of the hand-pass is straighter, and it gets to the target quicker."