The arrival of new Adelaide Irish recruit Karl Gallagher has been some four years in the making. 

A talented gaelic footballer, hailing  from Monaghan, the 21-year-old first appeared on Adelaide Recruiting Manager Hamish Ogilvie’s radar in 2019, after he attended a European combine. 

While a global pandemic would thwart his first attempt to head down under, both parties maintained a mutual interest, and when an opportunity presented itself late last year, Gallagher made his long-awaited trip to West Lakes. 

Speaking to the media on Monday, he explained the process behind becoming a Crow.  

“In 2019 I was invited to the European AFL combine in Dublin, and that is where I first made contact with Hamish (Ogilvie) and the Crows team,” Gallagher said. 

“We had talks and I was supposed to come over for a look at the facility and things in late 2019 and early 2020 but COVID-19 unfortunately put a dent in those plans. 

“It had always been in the back of my mind, but in 2022 and 2023 I was keen to break into my senior Gaelic team so I fully committed to that. 

“But once the past season ended, I wanted to give the AFL another crack and was happy to have the Crows still interested in getting me across.” 

Gallagher trained with the Crows squad for the first three weeks of pre-season, impressing coaches and players, which led to being offered a contract prior to the Christmas break. 

Heading back to Ireland for the break, he conferred with his loved ones, before officially committing to the move in the new year. 

“It was definitely a tough decision to officially make the move, I went back home over Christmas and had some long chats with my family and friends,” Gallagher said. 

“It’s a big commitment moving across the world, and something I didn’t take lightly.

“Opportunities like this don’t come around too often, so I was happy to take it with both hands and commit to being part of this footy Club for the next two years.” 

Now officially a Crow, Gallagher’s mindset for the coming months is simple. 

He is going to put his head down, and go to work. 

“The training sessions are quite similar (to Gaelic), but the big thing for me is getting used to the ball, and that is just going to come with more reps over the summer,” Gallagher said. 

“I don’t have too many expectations for this year, it’s all about getting the fundamentals right and seeing where that takes me. 

“Everyone knows to get into an AFL team you just need to put your head down and work, and that is my mentality for 2024 and beyond.”