Cillian Burke has followed in the footsteps of his fellow countyman Mark O'Connor, and has joined Geelong Cats in the Australian Football League.
The young forward broke onto the Kerry starting team last year, and played a big role in helping Jack O'Connor's men reach the All-Ireland semi-final, but defeat to Armagh ended the season on a disappointing note.
Former Kerry stars like Tomas O'Se had been critical of the AFL in the past, suggesting that they were recruiting the best players from the GAA, so there would have been pressure in The Kingdom to stay at home.
However, Burke couldn't resist the opportunity to play professional sport, and when speaking to the team's media channel, he said that the skillset that made him a successful Gaelic footballer, will help him greatly in the AFL.
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“The professionalism of the sport [AFL] stood out to me. Back home [Gaelic football] is obviously an amateur sport and everything, but seeing the professionalism and the facilities here it is hard to get our head around.
"The change and the personal nature of the sport, it is weird to see how much you can improve having that environment around you.
“At home I am an explosive kind of player with a strong running game, with pace and a fast player.
“There were probably other places they could have gone but seeing guys like Zach Tuohy and the other Irish players here, it makes everything a lot easier because you feel more comfortable.
“Everything with Geelong so far has been super smooth, they are very accommodating of all Irish players. That is why there is so many here, it has been very good so far.
“When Mark O'Connor originally came over here, seeing him play in a Grand Final gave plenty of interest to people back home because he was a local.
"I met him and Oisin [Mullin] back at home when they were over there recently, seeing them play and especially Oisin cause he is closer in age, it shows a pathway to know you can follow them. He also got into the team this year which was exciting, it was a journey that I could follow really.”
Geelong's history of attracting and nurturing GAA stars was certainly an appealing factor for Burke who has signed as a Category B Rookie for the 2025 season.
He will be hoping that he can do what the likes of Tuohy and O'Connor did for the Cats in 2022, and win the Premiership.
