Martin Clarke
Encyclopedia
Martin 'Marty' Clarke (born 13 November 1987) is a Gaelic football
er from Cranfield Point
, County Down
, Northern Ireland. He is also an Australian rules footballer for Collingwood
in the Australian Football League
.
talent. He starred for Down GAA
Minors http://www.downgaa.net, helping them to the 2005 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
and also played a large part in bringing his school, St Louis, Kilkeel, to 2 MacRory Cup
finals in 2005 and 2006, and also to a MacLarnon Cup and an All Ireland Colleges 'B' title in as many years he was part 0f the down under 21 team that won an ulster championship in 2005.
He played senior football at local club level with An Ríocht.http://www.anriocht.com as a centre half forward.
He was invited to an AFL training camp in July 2006. He impressed scouts even more and on 22 August 2006 signed a contract with Collingwood Football Club
, becoming the first ever truly international rookie for the club.
In October 2007, when Clarke returned home from Australia for a three week holiday and during that time helped his local club An Ríocht
lift its first ever Down Division One league title, defeating Kilcoo
in the final. Clarke scored 2–1 in the final, which was played under lights in Pairc Esler, Newry on 26 October 2007. In 2008 Clarke also lined out for An Ríocht.
Clarke has been dubbed by Collingwood assistant coach Guy McKenna
as "the Irish equivalent of Nathan Buckley
."
Clarke was developed through Collingwood's VFL
affiliate the Williamstown Football Club
, where he played a number of games semi-professionally as a rookie before debuting at AFL level. It was there that he made a name for himself as a quick midfielder with an ability to accumulate a high number of possessions. He was not only able to adapt extremely well to the oval ball, but brought across some gaelic football skills which made publicity, particularly his ability to toe poke the oval ball off the ground into his hands. On one such occasion, he was able to do so at full speed in wet conditions while being closely pursued by an opponent which was featured on Before the Game
.
On Friday 16 February 2007 he made his AFL debut in a preseason game with Sydney Swans
at the North Sydney Oval
. He had an outstanding game.http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2007/02/16/1171405443373.html This led Pies assistant coach Gavin Brown to say http://www.irishnews.com/access/breakingnews/story.asp?j=218175722&p=zy8y76453&n=218176553&x=
Clarke made his debut in a premiership season game on Saturday, 23 June 2007, also against the Swans. Again, his game was outstanding, with 20 possessions in front of a crowd of 64,222 at Telstra Stadium
in Sydney.http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21958122%255E19742,00.html Some sources have even called his performance "one of the best debuts in the history of the game". http://ninemsn.sportal.com.au/default.aspx?s=afldisplay&id=30088
His second game came in Round 13 against Hawthorn on 1 July 2007. In another promising display, Clarke picked up nineteen possessions and three goals, playing on former brownlow medallist Shane Crawford
in a sell out crowd in front of 50,248 at the Telstra Dome
in Melbourne. For his 3 goal near best on ground performance earned him a nomination in the NAB AFL Rising Star award in just his second game and a year to the date that he first arrived in Melbourne.
After his sensational debut year, Clarke started 2008 in a run of poor form which saw him dropped from the Collingwood side to play the Brisbane Lions. He would not return to the side for several weeks later and combined with a run of injuries did not recapture his 2007 form. Clarke was ruled out of representing Ireland in the 2008 International Rules Series
due to an ankle injury.
In the 2010 season, Clarke succeeded in establishing himself in the Down senior team. Down
made it to the National League Div 2 final but were beaten by Armagh
in Croke Park
. His poor form in the early stages was followed by a series of increasingly influential performances as Down reached the Ulster championship semi-final and recovered from defeat in this game to successfully make their way through the qualifiers. In the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
quarter-finals they recorded a surprise win over Kerry
before narrowly overcoming Kildare
in the semi-finals setting up and All Ireland final meeting with Cork Downs first since 1994. In the end however Down ended up on the losing end of a 0–16 to 0–15 scoreline, Clarke ended the game scoring 0–03. In 2005, Down lost the Ulster minor for the second year in a row but he won an All-Ireland and an Ulster Under 21 championship.
in the 2011 AFL Draft, marking his return to the AFL. Clarke opted not to play in the International Rules Series
between Ireland and Australia, instead completing the start of preseason training with his new team.
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
er from Cranfield Point
Cranfield Point
Cranfield Point is the southernmost point of Northern Ireland. It is located at the mouth of Carlingford Lough in the townland of Cranfield, County Down....
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, Northern Ireland. He is also an Australian rules footballer for Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
.
Underage
Clarke was an outstanding underage Gaelic footballGaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
talent. He starred for Down GAA
Down GAA
The Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down...
Minors http://www.downgaa.net, helping them to the 2005 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
The All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition for under-18 competitors of the game of Gaelic football played in Ireland...
and also played a large part in bringing his school, St Louis, Kilkeel, to 2 MacRory Cup
MacRory Cup
The MacRory Cup is an inter-college Gaelic football tournament in Ulster. It is staged every year with the stipulation that players must be under eighteen-and-a-half at the start of the tournament...
finals in 2005 and 2006, and also to a MacLarnon Cup and an All Ireland Colleges 'B' title in as many years he was part 0f the down under 21 team that won an ulster championship in 2005.
He played senior football at local club level with An Ríocht.http://www.anriocht.com as a centre half forward.
AFL career
He was first alerted to AFL scouts in the 2005 McRory Cup final, at which the Australian U17 International Rules team was present.He was invited to an AFL training camp in July 2006. He impressed scouts even more and on 22 August 2006 signed a contract with Collingwood Football Club
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
, becoming the first ever truly international rookie for the club.
In October 2007, when Clarke returned home from Australia for a three week holiday and during that time helped his local club An Ríocht
An Riocht GAC
An Riocht GAC is a GAA Club based in County Down, Northern Ireland. The club provides teams from underage level to adult level in both gaelic football and camogie...
lift its first ever Down Division One league title, defeating Kilcoo
Kilcoo GAC
Kilcoo Owen Roes GAC is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in Kilcoo, County Down, Northern Ireland. The club's colours are black and white.- History :...
in the final. Clarke scored 2–1 in the final, which was played under lights in Pairc Esler, Newry on 26 October 2007. In 2008 Clarke also lined out for An Ríocht.
Clarke has been dubbed by Collingwood assistant coach Guy McKenna
Guy McKenna
Guy Lindsay McKenna is an Australian rules football coach and former player. He is the current coach of the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League . McKenna also played 267 games for the West Coast Eagles, including the 1992 and 1994 premiership wins...
as "the Irish equivalent of Nathan Buckley
Nathan Buckley
Nathan Charles Buckley is a former professional Australian rules football player, commentator and coach, best known for his time as captain of the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
."
Clarke was developed through Collingwood's VFL
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
affiliate the Williamstown Football Club
Williamstown Football Club
The Williamstown Football Club, nicknamed The Seagulls, is an Australian rules football club based in Melbourne and are currently playing in the Victorian Football League...
, where he played a number of games semi-professionally as a rookie before debuting at AFL level. It was there that he made a name for himself as a quick midfielder with an ability to accumulate a high number of possessions. He was not only able to adapt extremely well to the oval ball, but brought across some gaelic football skills which made publicity, particularly his ability to toe poke the oval ball off the ground into his hands. On one such occasion, he was able to do so at full speed in wet conditions while being closely pursued by an opponent which was featured on Before the Game
Before the Game
Before The Game is an Australian rules football/comedy television show in Australia on Network Ten. The show is hosted by Andrew Maher, with regular panelists including Mick Molloy, Dave Hughes, Sam Lane, and Lehmo. The format of the show is a light-hearted discussion of issues relating to the...
.
On Friday 16 February 2007 he made his AFL debut in a preseason game with Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
at the North Sydney Oval
North Sydney Oval
-Development:* The first cricket pitch was laid on 6 December 1867, making it one of the oldest cricket grounds in Australia.* The first structure built, in 1879, was a simple pavilion overlooking the cricket ground...
. He had an outstanding game.http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2007/02/16/1171405443373.html This led Pies assistant coach Gavin Brown to say http://www.irishnews.com/access/breakingnews/story.asp?j=218175722&p=zy8y76453&n=218176553&x=
"He was probably the stand-out player from the point of view that he had never played a game of Aussie Rules before.
"It just showed that he has an enormous amount of will and want, and he had put in a lot of hard work. It was fantastic for him today – a good step.
Clarke made his debut in a premiership season game on Saturday, 23 June 2007, also against the Swans. Again, his game was outstanding, with 20 possessions in front of a crowd of 64,222 at Telstra Stadium
Telstra Stadium
Stadium Australia, currently also known as ANZ Stadium due to naming rights, formerly known as Telstra Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush Bay...
in Sydney.http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21958122%255E19742,00.html Some sources have even called his performance "one of the best debuts in the history of the game". http://ninemsn.sportal.com.au/default.aspx?s=afldisplay&id=30088
His second game came in Round 13 against Hawthorn on 1 July 2007. In another promising display, Clarke picked up nineteen possessions and three goals, playing on former brownlow medallist Shane Crawford
Shane Crawford
Shane Barry Crawford is a former Australian rules footballer, having played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...
in a sell out crowd in front of 50,248 at the Telstra Dome
Telstra Dome
Docklands Stadium is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
in Melbourne. For his 3 goal near best on ground performance earned him a nomination in the NAB AFL Rising Star award in just his second game and a year to the date that he first arrived in Melbourne.
After his sensational debut year, Clarke started 2008 in a run of poor form which saw him dropped from the Collingwood side to play the Brisbane Lions. He would not return to the side for several weeks later and combined with a run of injuries did not recapture his 2007 form. Clarke was ruled out of representing Ireland in the 2008 International Rules Series
2008 International Rules Series
The 2008 International Rules series was the 10th annual International Rules Series and the 16th time that a test series of international rules football has been played between Ireland and Australia....
due to an ankle injury.
Return to Ireland
Clarke announced his retirement from AFL on 24 September 2009, citing his desire to return home and to play Gaelic football. He said that ultimately it was the desire to play Gaelic football that prompted him to decline the offer of another three-year contract in Australia and that "I could easily have stayed. But I think this is what I want to do more. I am more passionate about playing for Down than playing for Collingwood."In the 2010 season, Clarke succeeded in establishing himself in the Down senior team. Down
Down GAA
The Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down...
made it to the National League Div 2 final but were beaten by Armagh
Armagh GAA
The Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Armagh...
in Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
. His poor form in the early stages was followed by a series of increasingly influential performances as Down reached the Ulster championship semi-final and recovered from defeat in this game to successfully make their way through the qualifiers. In the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
quarter-finals they recorded a surprise win over Kerry
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
before narrowly overcoming Kildare
Kildare GAA
For more information see Kildare Senior Club Football Championship or Kildare Senior Club Hurling Championship.The Kildare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Kildare GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kildare...
in the semi-finals setting up and All Ireland final meeting with Cork Downs first since 1994. In the end however Down ended up on the losing end of a 0–16 to 0–15 scoreline, Clarke ended the game scoring 0–03. In 2005, Down lost the Ulster minor for the second year in a row but he won an All-Ireland and an Ulster Under 21 championship.
Return to AFL
On 10 October 2011, Marty Clarke was traded from Greater Western Sydney Football Club to CollingwoodCollingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
in the 2011 AFL Draft, marking his return to the AFL. Clarke opted not to play in the International Rules Series
International Rules Series
The International Rules Series is a senior men's International rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team and the Ireland international rules football team...
between Ireland and Australia, instead completing the start of preseason training with his new team.
See also
- Players who have converted from one football code to anotherPlayers who have converted from one football code to anotherThere are many players who have converted from one football code to another or even changed from other sports at a professional or representational level....
- Irish experimentIrish experimentThe Irish Experiment is the popular name for the interest, primarily from VFL/AFL clubs, in bringing Irish sportspeople to Australia to play Australian Rules Football professionally ....
- An RiochtAn Riocht GACAn Riocht GAC is a GAA Club based in County Down, Northern Ireland. The club provides teams from underage level to adult level in both gaelic football and camogie...
External links
- An Ríocht – GAA Club Co Down
- Down GAA Online – Ireland
- A Collingwood TV interview with Clarke on youtube
- BBC documentary from 2007 (30 minutes long) on Clarke's first year in Australia