Irish Gaelic football star Cathal McShane is weighing up a move to the AFL to join Brisbane.
The Tyrone forward finished as the Championship’s joint top scorer in 2019 and was named as Ireland’s best full forward for his performances.
The 24-year-old has flown to Australia for 10-12 days with the Lions believed to have tabled a two-year deal for McShane to join the record 17 Irish players on AFL lists for 2020.
“He (McShane) has been wooed by some people in the AFL,” Tyrone manager Mickey Harte told the BBC.
“I think he’s gone out there for a few days to see what that might be like.
“There has been no final decision yet on whether he’s going to go or whether he will stay with us but, at the moment, he’s certainly considering that move.”
Harte is still hoping that McShane commits his future to Tyrone but says he will wish the 193cm forward the best if he decides to make the move to Brisbane.
A vocal critic of the Gaelic Athletic Association’s (GAA) relationship with the AFL, Harte also hit out at former Gaelic footballers who are acting as intermediaries for players’ moves Down Under.
“I’ve not been a fan of the engagement we’ve had with the AFL over many, many years now,” he said.
“In the past, we had unknown Australians trying to woo our players out to the AFL league.
“Now we’ve got ex-Gaelic players doing it, which really saddens me.
“We’ve got recruits for the AFL within our own ranks of the GAA, and that’s sad.”
The Lions have former Dublin underage footballer James Madden, who they signed in 2018, in their squad.
Brisbane were beaten by GWS in last year’s AFL semi-finals.