COLM SHALVEY REPORTS
Emyvale and Monaghan star Karl Gallagher has signed a two-year deal with AFL club Adelaide Crows. The 21-year-old has signed as a rookie with the Crows, having been on the radar Down Under since 2019 when he was a standout at an AFL Combine testing day in Ireland, before the pandemic hit. Gallagher won back-to-back Ulster MFC titles with Monaghan in 2018 and 2019, when he was one of three players to start the provincial finals in both years, being named Man of the Match after a memorable display of high fielding in the latter. Also a Minor double winner with Emyvale later that year, Gallagher put serious shoulder and hamstring injuries behind him in recent seasons to represent Monaghan at U-20 and senior levels, as well as Ulster University in the Sigerson Cup.
16 of his 18 senior appearances (to date) for Monaghan arrived last year, as an impressive season saw Gallagher nail down a regular place, drifting between midfield and the attack, featuring in all 15 league and championship games, all but two as a starter. His athleticism and leap had caught the eye of AFL scouts and after trialling in Adelaide before Christmas, he was offered a…
