BLACKBURN ROVERS HAVE confirmed they have signed Irish full-back James Brown.
The 23-year-old joins on a free transfer from Drogheda United after impressing on trial with the club last month.
An attacking right-back, Brown started his career at Shelbourne, where he broke into the first team at the age of 18.
After two standout seasons at Tolka Park, Drogheda swooped to secure his services in November 2018.
✍️ James Brown becomes #Rovers first signing of the January transfer window.
— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) January 6, 2022
🇮🇪 The 23-year-old joins on a free transfer from Drogheda United after impressing on trial with the club last month.#WelcomeJames 🔵⚪️
He helped the Louth club reach the play-offs in 2019, before winning the League of Ireland First Division title in 2020 and promotion back to the Premier Division.
The energetic full-back played a key role in helping Drogheda comfortably maintain their top-flight status last season, producing some solid defensive displays and contributing a host of assists, which saw him rewarded with a place in the PFAI Team of the Year for the second season in succession.
Brown is expected to initially link up with Rovers’ Under-23s, whilst also providing cover and competition for the right-back role in the senior squad.
The42 Rugby Weekly / SoundCloud
Jesus it’s starting to turn into an exodus! Having said that with the state of Gaelic football in Ireland and the extremely limited playing time for F. A. reward for weaker counties it’s no surprise
@jl: around 8 players spread over 32 counties is hardly an exodus and let’s not forget most return
This is a killer for Derry, Conor Glass, Tohill and now Browne. These are the kind of players you build an Ulster championship winning side around. While I wish the lads all the best in life as a GAA fan I would be delighted to see the them decide AFL is not for them after a few years of being trained up and end up being a loss making venture for their AFL club.
Lads picking soccer, rugby, hockey or what ever is grand, they get trained as kids by coaches from those sports but there is something that doesn’t sit right about cash rich aussie clubs swiping a a player that GAA volunteer coaches have given years of coaching.
I know people may say I’m daft, but is it time to have these guys sign a simple contract. So when this does happen the AFL have to compensate the club/county?? Or do they already get compensation?
@Anthony Corcoran: excellent question
@Anthony Corcoran: Why would anyone sign a contract that has zero benefit to them? Clubs and counties should be proud of their players that manage to make a career out of sport.
@Anthony Corcoran: hahahaha the players have to sign a contract??? So it’s not enough they work all day, train 3 times a week, their diet is a 24/7 thing so let’s not forget that, match day to contend with, pay their own membership costs and when the player eventually plays gets their performance judged by every hasbeen there so thats not enough and thats just bloody club level….increase it ten fold for county level. So what are the benefits to the player if they sign this contract? Please explain.
@Patrick McHugh: maybe have is a bit strong, and I did say some people would think I’m daft. The benefits are purely for a small club county who has in vested time and energy for the AFL to come in when they are 18 to hand pick the best players, thus making county’s weaker. So yeah maybe not a contract but the GAA needs to do something. The AFL employ our former players to go around and do all the camps.