Setanta Ó hAilpín
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Setanta Ó hAilpín (born 18 March 1983) is a Fijian-Irish sportsman. He played
hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...
at senior level for the Cork county team before becoming a professional
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
er. Ó hAilpín is of mixed
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
and Rotuman background. His brothers Seán Óg, Teu and Aisake are also noted sportsmen.


Early life and Gaelic games

Ó hAilpín was born in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
to an
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
father and a mother from the Fijian dependency of
Rotuma Rotuma is a Fijian dependency, consisting of Rotuma Island and nearby islets. The island group is home to a large and unique Polynesian indigenous ethnic group which constitutes a recognisable minority within the population of Fiji, known as " ...
. The family moved to
Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
in 1988 and Ó hAilpín played both
hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...
and
Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...
for
Na Piarsaigh Na Piarsaigh are a hurling and Gaelic football club based in the north side of Cork City, Ireland. History Formation In 1943 a group of idealistic young men drawn mostly from the hurling nursery of North Mon laid the foundations of Cumann I ...
, eventually concentrating on hurling. In 2000, he was selected for the Cork minor team. He studied at
Waterford Institute of Technology The Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT; ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Phort Láirge) was an institute of technology, located in Waterford, Ireland. The institute had six constituent schools and offered programmes in business, engineerin ...
and starred on its
Fitzgibbon Cup The Fitzgibbon Cup ( ga, Corn Mhic Giobúin) is the trophy for the premier hurling championship among higher education institutions (universities, colleges and institutes of technology) in Ireland. The Fitzgibbon Cup competition is administered ...
-winning side in March 2003. Ó hAilpín joined his elder brother, Seán Óg, on the Cork county team for the 2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, with the team losing the final to
Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...
that September. His contribution to the campaign earned him an All-Star award and the Young Hurler of the Year award. In December 2003, Ó hAilpín announced his move to Australia to play
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
for the
Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Mel ...
in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. This was considered surprising, as AFL recruiters in Ireland primarily targeted Gaelic footballers and Ó hAilpín had concentrated on hurling. Younger brother Aisake followed Setanta to Carlton, while elder brother Seán Óg continued with the Cork hurlers. Ó hAilpín returned to Ireland in 2004 to play for the Irish team against
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in the 2004 International Rules Series. During his trip, he also turned out alongside his brothers for Na Piarsaigh as they won the
Cork Senior Hurling Championship The Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Co-Op Superstores Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Cork PSHC) is an annual club hurling competition organised by the Cork County B ...
.


AFL career


Carlton

Originally placed on the
rookie list The rookie list is a means for Australian Football League (AFL) clubs to maintain additional players outside the 38-man primary or senior list. Rookie listed players are not eligible to play in AFL home-and-away or finals matches unless they are e ...
, strong performances for Carlton's , the
Northern Bullants The Preston Football Club, which trades and plays as the Northern Bullants, is a long-established Australian rules football club based in Preston, Victoria, Preston that plays in the Victorian Football League (VFL). It plays its home games at t ...
, saw Ó hAilpín elevated to the primary list in place of Anthony Franchina during 2004; however, injury stunted his progress during that season. He made his
AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...
debut during 2005, but had limited game time, scoring a goal with his only kick – a set shot at the very end of the game. Ó hAilpín was placed on Carlton's senior list in 2006. After playing largely in the forward line for the first years of his development, he was shifted to half-back in early 2006. He gained regular senior selection late in the season, going on to play in the final ten games of the season. Ó hAilpín began the 2007 season playing at full-back, playing the first six games there. An injury to
Cameron Cloke Cameron Cloke (born 20 December 1984) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club, Carlton Football Club and Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is th ...
then saw Ó hAilpín replacing him as a back-up ruckman. He was also rotated forward from the ruck position, making him versatile. In June 2007, he exchanged punches with teammate
Cain Ackland Cain Jed Ackland (born 16 March 1982) is an Australian rules football player formerly in the Australian Football League (AFL). Originally from South Australian National Football League (SANFL) club Port Adelaide Magpies, Ackland was drafted ...
in a training match. The event drew some media attention, however the club at the time brushed the incident off. Ó hAilpín became a crowd favourite among Carlton fans. His nickname, "Carlos", is derived from the similarity between "Setanta" and "Santana", the surname of the Mexican-American guitarist
Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...
. "Setanta" was the birth-name of Cúchulainn, hero of the
Ulster Cycle The Ulster Cycle ( ga, an Rúraíocht), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid. It is set far in the past, in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly coun ...
of
Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by C ...
. On 6 February 2009, Ó hAilpín was suspended indefinitely by the Carlton Football Club for his involvement in a violent altercation with teammate
Cameron Cloke Cameron Cloke (born 20 December 1984) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club, Carlton Football Club and Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is th ...
in an internal trial match. His actions were scrutinised by the AFL's match review panel on 9 February and he faced being forced into anger management counselling. On 9 February 2009, Ó hAilpín was suspended for four weeks by the AFL tribunal after being charged with a level four offence for striking Cloke and a level two offence for kicking him. He came close to returning to Ireland. Ó hAilpín was back in the side in Round 5 for the Blues' game with the
Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...
. In Carlton's Round 11 clash with
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
at
the Gabba The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The nickname Gabba derives from the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located. Over the years, the Gab ...
, Ó hAilpín played his 50th AFL game, the third Irishman to achieve the milestone. He kicked a goal and set up
Brendan Fevola Brendan Fevola (born 20 January 1981) is a former professional Australian rules footballer. He played with the Carlton and Brisbane Lions football clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL). Fevola is regarded as one of the most effective ...
for one as the Blues won by six points. Ó hAilpín played one of his best games against the unbeaten Saints on Round 12 clash. He kicked a vital final quarter goal and set-up another to Brendan Fevola. Ó hAilpín's match performances only got better and, for the first time ever, he kicked four goals in a game against
Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
in which the Blues came from behind at three quarter time to score an important win. Before the game that would have seen Ó hAilpín play his first AFL final, he was dropped by the Carlton selection committee before the elimination final against Brisbane. Following the departure of Fevola in the 2009/10 offseason, Ó hAilpín became the regular full forward/half forward in the Carlton line-up. He began to average over two goals per game, and on 2 May 2010 he kicked a career high five goals, becoming the first Irish player to do so. During the AFL Trade Week at the end of 2010, Ó hAilpín was linked with a move to the
Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...
after apparently being unhappy at being dropped from the Blues' side midway through the season and never getting back in. He played eight matches in 2011, including two finals, but was delisted at the end of the season; Carlton indicated that it would have preferred to have kept him on the list, but was forced to delist one more of its out-of-contract players due to league requirements that clubs make three changes to their primary list each season.


Greater Western Sydney

In the following offseason, Ó hAilpín was recruited to the inaugural AFL playing list of the
Greater Western Sydney Giants The Greater Western Sydney Giants (officially the Greater Western Sydney Football Club and colloquially known as the GWS Giants or simply GWS) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Sydney Olympic Park, which represents the ...
, the club using its fifth round selection in the 2011 AFL National Draft (No. 79 overall) to recruit him. He played his first match for Greater Western Sydney in Round 6, 2012, against his former team Carlton, kicking two goals before rupturing his
anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...
in the third quarter of the game. He kicked five goals on his comeback from this injury in Round 4 of the 2013 season against Melbourne. Ó hAilpín was delisted by the Giants at the end of the 2013 season after playing seven games for the club. In December 2013, he was appointed by NSW/ACT, the governing body of Australian rules football in New South Wales, as the "Multicultural Program Coordinator" for Western Sydney.


Albury

Since 2014, Ó hAilpín has played for
Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...
in the
Ovens & Murray Football League The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray are ...
, alongside brother Aisake; he was the O&M's leading goalkicker in 2014, kicking 103 goals in the home-and-away season, and was part of the club's premiership winning teams in 2014 and 2015.


Business

In 2017, Ó hAilpín bought a small coffee shop in Heathmont, Victoria, where he and his mother work. In 2019, their shop - "The Irish Butterbiscuit" - won an award for the third-most popular scone (non-jam category) for southern Victoria.


See also

*
Irish experiment The Irish Experiment is the popular name for the interest, primarily from VFL/AFL clubs, in bringing Irish sportspeople, particularly Gaelic footballers, to Australia to play Australian rules football professionally. The AFL's focus on Gaeli ...


References


External links

* *
Setanta Ó hAilpín profile in Blueseum
{{DEFAULTSORT:OHailpin, Setanta 1983 births Living people Albury Football Club players All Stars Awards winners (hurling) Alumni of Waterford Institute of Technology Australian emigrants to Ireland Australian Gaelic footballers Australian hurlers Australian people of Irish descent Australian people of Rotuman descent Carlton Football Club players Cork inter-county hurlers Dual players Greater Western Sydney Giants players Irish international rules football players Irish people of Fijian descent Irish people of Rotuman descent Irish players of Australian rules football Na Piarsaigh Gaelic footballers Na Piarsaigh hurlers Setanta People educated at North Monastery Sportspeople from Sydney Preston Football Club (VFA) players Sportspeople from Cork (city) Sportsmen from New South Wales 20th-century Irish people 21st-century Irish people Waterford IT hurlers Australian rules footballers from Sydney