Setanta Ó hAilpín facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Setanta Ó hAilpín
Personal information
Full name	Setanta Ó hAilpín
Nickname(s)	Carlos
Date of birth	(1983-03-18) 18 March 1983 (age 42)
Place of birth	Sydney
Original team	Na Piarsaigh (club)/Cork (hurling, county team)
Draft	2011 National Draft: No. 79 (Greater Western Sydney)
Position(s)	Forward, ruckman

Setanta Ó hAilpín (born on March 18, 1983) is a famous sportsman from Fiji and Ireland. He played hurling for the Cork county team in Ireland. Later, he became a professional Australian rules football player. Setanta has both Irish and Rotuman family roots. His brothers, Seán Óg, Teu, and Aisake, are also well-known athletes.

Setanta's Early Life and Gaelic Games

Setanta Ó hAilpín was born in Australia. His father was Irish, and his mother was from Rotuma, an island that is part of Fiji. In 1988, his family moved to Cork, Ireland. There, Setanta started playing both hurling and Gaelic football for a club called Na Piarsaigh. He eventually focused mostly on hurling.

In 2000, he was chosen to play for the Cork minor team. This team is for younger players. He also studied at Waterford Institute of Technology. In March 2003, he was a star player on their team that won the Fitzgibbon Cup.

Playing for Cork County

Setanta joined his older brother, Seán Óg, on the Cork county team. This was for the 2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Their team reached the final but lost to Kilkenny in September. Setanta's great playing during that season earned him two special awards. He received an All-Star award and the Young Hurler of the Year award.

In December 2003, Setanta decided to move to Australia. He wanted to play Australian rules football for the Carlton Football Club in Melbourne. This was a bit of a surprise. Usually, Australian rules football teams looked for Gaelic footballers in Ireland. Setanta, however, had focused on hurling. His younger brother, Aisake, later joined him at Carlton. His older brother, Seán Óg, continued to play hurling for Cork.

In 2004, Setanta returned to Ireland. He played for the Irish team against Australia in the 2004 International Rules Series. During this visit, he also played alongside his brothers for Na Piarsaigh. They won the Cork Senior Hurling Championship that year.

Setanta's Australian Rules Football Career

Starting at Carlton

Setanta first joined the Carlton Football Club as a "rookie" player. He played very well for Carlton's team in the VFL, the Northern Bullants. Because of his strong performances, he was moved to the main team in 2004. However, an injury slowed him down that season. He made his first AFL game appearance in 2005. He had limited time on the field but scored a goal with his only kick.

Ó hAilpín in 2011

In 2006, Setanta was officially on Carlton's senior team. For his first few years, he mostly played as a forward. But in early 2006, he started playing in the half-back position. He began to play regularly in the senior team late in the season. He played in the final ten games of that year.

Versatility and Popularity

Setanta started the 2007 season playing as a full-back. He played the first six games in that role. When another player, Cameron Cloke, got injured, Setanta took his place as a back-up ruckman. He also moved between the ruck and forward positions. This made him a very flexible player.

Setanta became a favorite player among Carlton fans. His nickname, "Carlos," came from how "Setanta" sounds similar to "Santana." This is the last name of the famous musician Carlos Santana. Setanta's birth name, "Setanta," was also the original name of Cúchulainn. Cúchulainn is a hero from old Irish mythology.

In February 2009, Setanta was disciplined by the Carlton Football Club. This was because of an incident with his teammate, Cameron Cloke, during a practice match. The AFL's review panel looked into the event. Setanta was suspended for four weeks by the AFL tribunal. He almost returned to Ireland after this.

Return to Play and Achievements

Setanta was back playing in Round 5 for Carlton's game against the Western Bulldogs. In Round 11, he played his 50th AFL game against Brisbane. He was the third Irish player to reach this milestone. He kicked a goal and helped set up another.

Setanta played one of his best games in Round 12 against the Saints, who had not lost a game yet. He kicked a very important goal in the last quarter. He also helped set up another goal. Setanta's performances kept getting better. For the first time ever, he kicked four goals in a game against Fremantle. Carlton came from behind to win that important match.

Before the game that would have been his first AFL final, Setanta was not chosen to play. This was for the elimination final against Brisbane.

After another player, Brendan Fevola, left the team, Setanta became a regular full forward or half forward for Carlton. He started scoring more than two goals per game. On May 2, 2010, he kicked a career-high five goals. He was the first Irish player to do this.

At the end of 2010, there were talks about Setanta moving to the Western Bulldogs. He was reportedly unhappy about being dropped from Carlton's team during the season. In 2011, he played eight matches, including two finals. However, he was removed from the team at the end of the season. Carlton said they wanted to keep him, but league rules required them to make changes to their team list.

Playing for Greater Western Sydney

After leaving Carlton, Setanta was chosen to play for the new Greater Western Sydney Giants team. This happened in the 2011 AFL National Draft. He played his first game for Greater Western Sydney in Round 6 of the 2012 season. This game was against his old team, Carlton. He kicked two goals but then injured his anterior cruciate ligament in the third quarter.

He made a strong comeback from this injury in Round 4 of the 2013 season against Melbourne. He kicked five goals in that game. Setanta was removed from the Giants' team at the end of the 2013 season. He had played seven games for the club. In December 2013, he was given a new role. He became the "Multicultural Program Coordinator" for Western Sydney. This role helps promote Australian rules football in diverse communities.

Playing for Albury

Since 2014, Setanta Ó hAilpín has played for the Albury team. They play in the Ovens & Murray Football League. His brother Aisake also plays for Albury. In 2014, Setanta was the league's top goal scorer, kicking 103 goals. He was also part of the Albury teams that won championships in 2014 and 2015.

See also

• Irish experiment