If he’s even half as successful as his brother has been in recent years, then a successful Australian Rules career awaits for Cian Hanley.
Brisbane paper The Courier Mail have revealed that the Brisbane Lions have Pearce Hanley’s younger brother Cian, who captained the Mayo minors this year and won an All-Ireland title with the Green and Red last year.
Hanley is currently sidelined with a cruciate ligament knee injury suffered in Mayo’s defeat to Kerry in the All-Ireland minor semi-final but the Lions have decided to press ahead with plans to sign the 17-year old, who will link up with the AFL outfit when the squad returns from their annual leave.
Hanley had been identified as a potential prospect by Brisbane scouts and they were sold on snapping him up when older brother Pearce returned from his Christmas holidays with a positive update on how Cian had coped with an off-season training programme devised by Lions fitness coach Brett Burton.
“I may have him covered for pace, but endurance wise, he was light years in front of me,” Pearce Hanley is quoted as saying in The Courier Mail.
“I’m thrilled I can be here to help him out but having family here, and another Irishman, will be great for me too.
“I have missed out on watching him play his football so far, so I am really looking forward to that also.”
Commenting on the acquisition of Cian Hanley, Brisbane Lions football manager Dean Warren said: “It (the ACL injury) is really shattering for him, but we have made a commitment to him and we will stick by him.”
“It is an opportunity for us, he will be able to do a lot of skill acquisition training and work in the gym so we don’t think we’ll lose that much time because of the injury.’’
Much as Mayo fans would like to see him in green and red, Pearce Hanley doesn’t seem to be in any hurry home having recently signed a five-year deal with the Lions and having lit up the AFL with a series of eye-catching moments this season.
Cian has a long way to go if he’s going to reach the same levels as his older brother, but he couldn’t ask for a better mentor and in a week where it was confirmed that Down duo Marty Clarke and Caolan Mooney will be returning to Ireland, it appears as if there’ll be an Irish presence Down Under for some time yet.
