Mayo’s great hope Kobe McDonald set to sign for AFL side

A monumental loss.

The son of Mayo great, Ciarán McDonald, is seen as one of the best Gaelic football prospects in recent memory, after a standout season with the Crossmolina Deel Rovers' senior side.

There had been speculation in recent months over a move Down Under for the 17-year-old, and it now looks like a deal with Melbourne, whom he visited earlier in the year, will be announced in the next week.

We reported previously on some of McDonald's club performances, including a 1-5 man of the match showing in Crossmolina's Mayo SFC clash against Belmullet.

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Former Mayo player and coach of Cuala footballers, Austin O'Malley, summed up the talent of the young man.

He said: “He’s just the real deal.

“The little bit of software up top seems to be really, really good in terms of his composure and his decision-making.

“So, he is the most exciting thing I’ve seen in a jersey in quite a while.”