Down star Marty Clarke has used his Irish Daily Star column to reveal he’s clearly pining for Australia and his former home Melbourne in particular.

Writing about his side’s national league opener against Mayo he said the conditions had made him think of the climate he used to enjoy Down Under.

“As the rain pelted down and we entered a waterlogged back field to warm up in Castlebar, all thoughts began to zoom in on the job in hand…fast forward two hours and I heard the ‘[Do you miss] Australia’ question. Suddenly I felt the cold pinch in the air. A bit of Melbourne sun would be nice,” he said.

Then the 2010 All-Ireland finalist appeared to criticise everything from the lack of a full bodied tackle in Gaelic football to the state of the ground at McHale Park.

“I gave away five free kicks in the tackle. Two resulted in Mayo points. They’d have been five commendable plays if I’d been out on the MCG. Castlebar was suddenly no MCG. In fact, I’d say it was one of the worst grounds I’ve ever played at – nothing but sand.

“Picking the ball up was a total nightmare. The ball simply didn’t bounce. Once it hit the ground it stayed there. It was like playing on a beach. St Kilda beach!”

If that wasn’t enough, the All-Star then blasted the small crowd at the Mayo venue.

“The PA system then announced a ‘large’ attendance, touching 6,000, had just watched the game. Ten times that watched my first game of the 2009 season in Melbourne.”

Mayo GAA have defended the ground and expressed disappointment at Clarke’s published rant.