Football

Caolan Mooney turned down Australia opportunity to spearhead Rostrevor's Ulster charge

Caolan Mooney turned down the chance to be part of the International Rules series in Australia as Rostrevor set their sights on their Ulster Club IFC campain. Picture by Seamus Loughran
Caolan Mooney turned down the chance to be part of the International Rules series in Australia as Rostrevor set their sights on their Ulster Club IFC campain. Picture by Seamus Loughran Caolan Mooney turned down the chance to be part of the International Rules series in Australia as Rostrevor set their sights on their Ulster Club IFC campain. Picture by Seamus Loughran

THERE can be no questioning Caolan Mooney’s dedication to the Rostrevor cause after the Down star revealed he rejected the chance to represent Ireland in Australia, focusing instead on the Reds’ Ulster charge.

Former Aussie Rules player Mooney attended trials throughout the summer and was on the standby list when Joe Kernan announced his squad to head Down Under.

However, when injury ruled out Conor McKenna and club commitments forced Paul Kerrigan’s withdrawal, the former Armagh boss got on the phone to offer Mooney the chance of a lifetime.

But rather than running out at the Adelaide Oval, the 24-year-old will be watching from home in the early hours of tomorrow morning as Rostrevor prepare for Sunday’s Ulster Club IFC semi-final date with Milford.

“Joe came to me on the Wednesday after the squad was announced and asked if I was available to go, but I had to turn it down because you might never play in an Ulster championship with the club again,” said Mooney, who was on the books of AFL giants Collingwood from 2011-2014.

“It was a decision made easy with the oul fella being a coach, so I definitely didn’t want to walk away from the chance of winning an Ulster with him.

“But I’ve always been a fan of the series. I remember the 2006 one where it actually got pulled for a while. Only a small percentage could handle themselves [against the Aussies] – I think McGeeney was there and he wasn’t for getting pushed about. The gap has closed a lot now between Gaelic and AFL players.

“I’ll make myself available in two years’ time. I went down to trials and got a taste for it - it’s different to Gaelic but it’s good craic and you’re interacting with a lot of players from across Ireland.

“Hopefully they can go and get a result out there.”

For Mooney though, there is only one result that really matters this weekend as Rostrevor take on the Donegal champions in Armagh.

The Petitt Park outfit dropped down to intermediate level for the first time this year, and Mooney bagged the Rostrevor goal as they saw off Antrim’s St Brigid’s in the last eight.

Shane Mulholland’s men have already secured their return to senior status next year after earning promotion from Division One in Down, and Mooney hopes these are the first green shoots of recovery for the club.

“We’ll know where we’re at next year because we’re playing against the best in Down. You can see from some of our results this year, you can sort of get brought down to other teams’ levels,” he said.

“When you’re at senior, you know you have to up your game. I’m not disrespecting Division Two but I think Rostrevor are a Division One club and that’s where we’re happy to be.

“There’s a couple of boys in their 30s but other than that it’s a pretty young squad – the average age is probably 23-24. There’s a good bunch of lads there and we’re looking forward to Sunday and seeing how it goes.”

Moy and Newbridge – who meet in the other Ulster semi-final on Sunday – have been installed as joint favourites for provincial glory, but Mooney is confident the Reds can be a match for anybody on their day.

He added: “We’ve heard a lot about the Moy and Newbridge, but by all accounts Milford did very well against Killeavy and got the win. We know what Killeavy are like so obviously you can’t underestimate Milford.

“If we play to our potential, I’m sure we’ll come out on the right side of the result. You might never get to this stage again with the club so you have to take the chance when it’s there.”