Sean Cavanagh has revealed in today's Irish Independent that he once turned down a contract offer from AFL club Carlton that was 'hundreds of thousands of dollars.'
They Tyrone man has always seemed the perfect fit for Australian Rules; he has the physique, the stamina and of course seems to have already mastered the tackle. So it's no surprise that he was twice approached by the AFL sides, with Brisbane offering him a rookie contract many years ago before Carlton approached with a lucrative proposal.
'It's nice when you see it there in print, but to me I had everything I wanted at home in Ireland. I was never motivated by money or going over and playing a sport I may not have enjoyed in a foreign land,' Cavanagh tells the Independent.
Ironically, Cavanagh uses an analogy about his Aussie Rules style tackle on Conor McManus this year to describe why he turned the deal down, 'It's a bit like the Conor McManus tackle during the year, you almost think of things with a risk and reward and to me, I wasn't willing to risk the two or three years I was going to lose out on at home to go out and play in Australia. I've had a good run with Tyrone and I've never regretted it.'
Imagine if he had gone; would Joe Brolly have had to emigrate with him?
