BACK TO WEXFORD: Wexford star PJ Banville is one of a number of top GAA players who decided to leave Ireland for Australia. Sadly, Banville has had to return to Ireland for personal reasons.

With an estimated 250 GAA players being lost to clubs around Ireland every month due to emigration, there’s no doubting the Gaelic fields of Ireland will be quieter this year. In contrast, GAA clubs around Australia are abuzz with new members as the influx sparks a big rise in the numbers participating. Catherine Murphy talks to club officials and players about swapping winter training back home for sun baked sessions down under…

GAA clubs across Australia, who in the past have struggled to even field a team, are noticing dramatic changes.

Ireland’s economic catastrophe and the subsequent evacuation of thousands of young Irish people, has seen the GAA Down Under prosper.

Record numbers at training are in stark contrast to attendances during the Celtic Tiger when new participants instead populated GAA fields back home.

2010 League and championship winners Brisbane Harps is just one of the clubs that have benefitted.

Club treasurer Eunan McGovern has noticed that turnout to training is up by over a third on this time last year.

“It saves us going chasing people,” McGovern says.

“Last year we went around town with flyers and you were torturing every fella you met at the pub to try and get them to play. This year they’re just turning up on our doorstep.”

Meanwhile the capital city’s first ever Gaelic club, the Canberra Gaels has welcomed a sharp rise in players since its foundation in November.

“It was a bit of a slow start when we first got going,” Gaels’ captain Kenny Dowling says.

“We were ringing people trying to spread the word and get people involved. But since Christmas there’s nearly enough for another football team with the new fellas that have turned up.”

For Melbourne based club the Wolfe Tones, the biggest change in 2011 is a decrease in the turnover of players.

“We always get a lot of new players at this time of year,” Wolfe Tones GAC secretary John Vesey says.

“The difference this year is that we tend to get players who just stay at the club for a year but this year a lot of our players are staying around.

“They’re on longer visas…a lot went away to country Victoria to work on farms to enable them to apply for a second year visa. So there’s a natural build up with players staying and new players coming in.”

Vesey says the trend is resulting in a much stronger club culture.

“There are more familiar faces. Because players are here longer than a year they get more involved in the club instead of just playing. They get involved in committees at the club and that’s a real benefit.”

And training numbers at the Melbourne based club may not yet have peaked.

“I’m getting about 20 calls a week,” club president Ciaran Mohan says.

“Between people ringing from home who are coming out here and new people who’ve just arrived. We have around 15 extra players than we did this time last year.”

While the quantity of new players is high, so is the quality. Inter-county players haven’t been immune to the economically fuelled exodus from Irish shores.

Clare hurler Brian O’Connell, Louth All-Star nominee John O’Brien and Limerick footballers Pádraig Browne and Conor Ranahan are all reported to have made the decision to emigrate to Australia.

One county that was ruing the loss of one of their stars was Wexford.

PJ Banville moved to Sydney and had donned the jersey of the Cormac McAnnallen’s club before a family illness forced his unexpected return to Ireland last week.

Before he received his bad news, Banville spoke about the decision to leave Ireland and the anxiety of a top player leaving the game in Ireland.

His girlfriend Aishling Colfer had moved over in September after a period of unemployment. She picked up work as a beauty therapist in Bondi Junction. Banville was working for Rossman construction.

“The way we looked at it was, I wanted to come out here in the next few years anyway and she was out of work so why wait for two years?” Banville said.

“Why not go now when we have the chance and the time is right. It would be good to go back home in a couple of years when things might be better. But we just felt it was the right time to do this.”

He admitted that watching his native county on Setanta Sports, and probably in an Irish bar, rather than running onto Croke Park himself was not easy.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed one of the county’s most successful periods, which included an appearance in the All-Ireland semi-final in 2008. He’s also enjoyed highs at club level with Horeswood, winning senior county championship titles in 2005, 2006 and 2009.

“I really miss it,” he conceded.  “It will be very hard come championship time. I won’t miss the winter training but when it comes to the summer it will be tough.  I’ll definitely be watching it. Hopefully Wexford will have a good year… I’ll miss the club too.”

While Banville’s Aussie sojourn may have to wait, it looks like Ireland’s loss will be Australia’s gain for Gaelic games this year.