Louth’s Ciaran Byrne says Gaelic football has changed significantly since he departed for Australia almost six years ago and not for the better.
The 23-year old has been playing Australian Rules with Carlton FC since 2013 but is currently lining out with his club team St Mochtas as they bid for intermediate championship glory.
"Gaelic football is a much slower game now, much more negative," Byrne told RTÉ Sport.
"When I was playing it was basically six-two-six formation and for most games and it was one-v-one football.
"It's very slow now and when you go to the forward line there are often six players around you it can be very boring."
Byrne came on for his club in their county semi-final victory last weekend over Mattock Rangers. He featured for ten minutes and it was an experience he really enjoyed as his club reached the county final for the first time in 37 years.
"It was like I had to learn the game all over again. I came on near the end and I’d be lying if I said I shouldn’t have got sent off.
"Obviously with Aussie Rules you have the tackle and there was a couple of occasions I felt like grabbing my man and taking him down.
"It will take me a couple of weeks to get back into the swing of things but it was a lot of fun."
Earlier this week The GAA’s Standing Committee on the Playing Rules (SCPR) issued five proposed experimental rule changes.
The proposed changes relate to the handpass, sideline kicks, the mark, the sin-bin and kick-outs and if approved by the management committee, the proposed rule changes would be implemented as a trial during the 2019 Allianz Football Leagues.
"Some of the proposed rules are quite similar to how football is played in Australia, the mark is something that I enjoy and I’m used to it.
"The GAA are obviously trying to quicken up the game and get the ball into the forwards quickly and that can only be a good thing.
"I don’t mind the handpass rule either. From what I’ve seen the game is very slow so these rules are needed to quicken up the game. I also like the sideline kicks going forward too, there will be more forward play then as a result."
In 2013, Byrne played senior football for Louth and two years later made his debut for Carlton but a string of serious injuries has disrupted his progress in Australia and limited him to just 22 appearances.
"I left home when I was 17, I’ve been there almost six years. It went very quick. All during that time my full-time job was playing football.
"I lived with a couple of the lads and we got very close. We were off on Wednesdays, so bar that we were in the club training every day. It’s pretty full on and it takes over your whole life.
"When you come home you are thinking about what you are eating and drinking. Football is your job and you are always thinking of it.
"The biggest thing for Irish players is when injury strikes, I was there for six years and every year I had a pretty significant injury.
"That wouldn’t have helped but if you can go injury free out there, then there is no reason why you can’t forge a career for yourself."
Byrne hasn't yet confirmed whether he will return to Carlton to see out his contract or line out for Louth in 2019.
He is due back to Australia in November for pre-season but right now he is exploring all possibilities.
"I’m weighing up my options whether I’ll stay there or come back here. With Louth everything is flying, new manager is being announced tonight, new stadium to come too and the club is going great. It’s a decision I’ll have to make soon. I love being home, it’s such a great buzz."
If Byrne does commit to Gaelic football he feels he will have some changes to make if he wants to adapt to the game he left behind as teenager.
"Australian Rules is a very different type of fitness to Gaelic football, obviously when I went over at 17 I was very light framed, I was only 79kg.
"Because the Aussie Rules game is very high impact and lots of tackling. I had to put on a lot of weight and I got up to 90kg, which is probably too heavy for Gaelic football so in the next few months I’ll probably have to shred down and lose a bit of weight.
"It’s different type fitness, Aussie rules is more straight lines and long distance, Gaelic football is more sharp movements."
