Dublin’s next big thing makes move Down Under to AFL club

He will be a big loss for the Dubs in the years to come, there's no doubting that.

James Madden has been one of the brightest young prospects in Dublin GAA for a couple of years now. Two years a Dublin minor, the talented attacker, best noted for his blinding pace, played a key role in the Sky Blues 2017 Leinster minor triumph. This year, he was a part of Tom Gray's under-20s who were eventually defeated by Kildare in the Leinster decider. A 6 ft 1 in powerful forward, he's been turning heads in the capital city for a number of years now and has long been mooted as a future senior star. It will then come as a huge blow to Dublin football that the the Ballyboden St Enda's club man has instead opted to follow the path of his late club mate, AFL legend Jim Stynes Down Under when he signed on the dotted line with the Brisbane Lions side in the last couple of days.

“A lot of Irish lads would love to get this opportunity. You’ve really got to cherish it. It’s a good challenge obviously, new experience, new country, new city,” Madden told the his new club's website. "I knew it had been coming for a while now and it’s great to finally be here," he continued.

Talks had been in motion between Madden's family and the club after the athletic forward stood out at the AFL Combine trials in UCD in December 2016. His impressive showing here propelled him to trials in Florida along with a number of fellow Irish including Derry's Anton Tohill and Cork's Mark Keane but it was Dublin's Madden who stood tallest again. Madden is following in the footsteps of Mayo brothers Cian and Pearce Hanley, as well as Laois' Colm Begley down to Brisbane where there is a strong Irish connection. Indeed, Mayo senior Cian Hanley was reported to have played a major part in the Dublin star's move, convincing him that the Lions was a sound choice for him to begin his professional journey. That will make the loss even tougher to take for Dubs fans.s The club are already labelling Madden as their Irish 'speedster.' https://twitter.com/brisbanelions/status/1029287761759494144 That's no surprise given he broke All-Time AFL Draft Combine 20 metre sprint record at trials last year. https://twitter.com/brisbanelions/status/1029265112660504577 With Dublin not as dominant at underage level as they had been in years gone by, his move to Australia will surely be seen as a blow to the county, who haven't lost many players to the AFL since Ciaran Kilkenny's move back in 2012.