“I HAVEN’T SEEN guys hit bombs in so long. Thank you for allowing me watch you guys do your thing. The international lads showing up the way you did, great work.”
Pat McAfee, a former NFL punter and kickoff specialist, had just watched a showcase of kicking at a Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. These were his notes to the group. NFL scouts were in attendance too, sniffing out picks for rosters.
The event, which was just a few weeks ago, caused some ripples in Ireland as there were two local hopefuls among the pack, plotting a path to the NFL through the International Pathway Programme [IPP].
One of them is Ross Bolger, a former Laois Under-20 footballer who has already been making tracks since earning a two-year scholarship at a Division One American football University in Idaho State.
The other is a fresh fish.
Mark McNamee, a goalkeeper from the Ballyboden St Enda’s club in Dublin, always had a curiosity about the sport. Now he’s moving in for the kill. He nailed 13 of his 14 kicks at that event in Indianapolis, while Bolger converted 12.
McAfee was audibly impressed. McNamee was feeling confident. And he really only had one goal in mind for the day that was in it.
“Show the NFL scouts that I have a big leg and I have talent, and that I belong at the combine.”
****
Mark McNamee joins the IPP Class of ‘25 from the @officialgaa! 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/ODuCPGzR8D
— NFL UK & Ireland (@NFLUKIRE) February 27, 2025
McNamee’s love for American Football started at home. His father, Frank, a Tom Brady fan and former footballer for Longford, introduced him to the Super Bowls as a child. No team ever drew him in but his interest grew anyway through watching NFL Red Zone on TV every week. He had a special interest in the kickers. Since he was a goalkeeper by trade, he saw a natural affinity with them and took what he could from their kicking style.
Advertisement
He combed through Youtube clips “trying to mirror their steps” and bring some American flavour to the Gaelic Football field.
So when McNamee saw Ross Bolger starting his American Football journey on TikTok, he wanted to take his curiosity further. Tadhg Leader, the former Connacht player, was on those videos too helping Bolger finesse his technique. Through his business ‘Leader Kicking,’ Leader identifies Irish players who have a flare for kicking and help them find entry points into the sport.
“I connected with Tadhg in April of last year and were in contact over and back,” McNamee continues.
“I was busy playing Gaelic Football but kept up to date with everything. And then I attended a few open sessions. Tadhg runs talent ID sessions in Sport Ireland which are open to all. You just come and kick. I wasn’t interested in going the college route because I was already working full time and felt I was a little bit old for it.
“So, I had one eye on this programme but wasn’t exactly sure how things would transpire, or do a tryout to get into it. I just kept in contact with Tadhg and went back playing Gaelic football through the summer and into October.”
McNamee then got word of a tryout in December. Kick well there and you’re in with a shout.
“I kicked ok,” McNamee recalls. “I made some big kicks but I wasn’t overly consistent so I had a secondary workout five days later in Sport Ireland with a couple of other guys. The day after, Tadhg was like, ‘Yeah, you’ve done enough to get in.’ And that was literally it, a very quick turnaround.”
****
McNamee has been in Florida since 7 February, decamping at the IMG sports academy which is the IPP’s training base for the foreseeable. Bolger is there too and has been an important sounding board for McNamee throughout this transition. Bolger is at a more advanced stage in the sport, and McNamee has learned so much from simply watching his Laois colleague.
McNamee attended some camps in Dublin before flying out and the training has gotten progressively more difficult since then. In Indianapolis, the participants took their 14 kicks between the 25-yard line and 55-yard line, retreating five yards back for each kick.
“We kick from a hash mark which is directly in line with either post,” McNamee adds. “We had seven kicks down one hash from 25 to 55 [yards] and seven down the other hash.
“Tadhg’s been incredible. Aside from being an incredible coach and getting the best out of us, he took a real punt on me. So far, it’s paid off but he’s been unbelievable. There’s a lot of coaches in a lot of sports who will try to mould you to what they think you should look like. But, especially in coming from a background where we haven’t played the sport, Tadhg understands that we have basic skills and we all look completely different.”
WhatsApp Image 2025-03-07 at 18.30.09McNamee and Ross Bolger.
The goalkeeper role in Gaelic Football has become more functional and versatile in the modern game. Interestingly, it’s more comparable with the quarterback position these days. But the duty of accurately putting boot through ball is still essential and that’s what NFL scouts want from their prospective kickers.
“There’s no outfield part of it,” says McNamee. “There’s no kicking it out of the hands part of it for me. You’re there to do two jobs: kick-off and field goals. It’s a really specified position which I enjoy because kicking is what I enjoy most in Gaelic football so there is a hugely technical side but we’ve tried to let go of getting overly technical.
“Myself and Ross have been kicking off the ground since we were children so kicking comes naturally to us. We found the more we delved into the weeds, the harder it got. If we were able to break it down, keep it as simple as possible and swing hard at the ball, that’s when we got the best results.”
****
The next step for McNamee and the rest of the IPP group is a Pro Day in Florida on 26 March. It will be a smaller version of the Combine event in Indianapolis. Crucially, the scouts will be free to attend again to take a reading. There’s no defined end point in the process although McNamee believes that any indication on whether or not a team is interested in him will come after the NFL Draft in April.
Others have walked this road recently, including Monaghan’s Rory Beggan, ex-Connacht rugby player Darragh Leader, and Wicklow’s Mark Jackson. The door didn’t open for them but for Down goalkeeper, Charlie Smyth, the New Orleans Saints offered him a two-year deal earlier this year after having him on their practice squad. (Former Derry
new-orleans-saints-place-kicker-charlie-smyth-39-warms-up-before-an-nfl-preseason-football-game-against-the-tennessee-titans-sunday-aug-25-2024-in-new-orleans-ap-photogerald-herbertNew Orleans Saints kicker Charlie Smyth. Alamy Stock PhotoAlamy Stock Photo
U20 footballer Jude McAtamney, meanwhile, debuted for the New York Giants in November but is more seasoned in his new sport having played college football with both Chowan and Rutgers after moving to the States in 2021).
“Charlie doing it last year is massive for us,” says McNamee. “Someone has already done it and the path has been opened up.”
McNamee understands that professional sport is a cut-throat racket and he might not get a cinematic ending. When speaking about his experience last year, Beggan revealed that he thought he was trending in the right direction after being selected to train with the Caolina Panthers. But was abruptly told at a rookie camp that no deal was forthcoming.
Even if that’s his fate, McNamee is happy he explored the curiosity he had for sport that he started watching with his Dad. His football with Ballyboden is on ice for the moment while he sees this American project through. And hopefully continue kicking bombs for the scouts looking on.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to be hear and I’m enjoying every second of it. It is incredible. No matter what happens, we’re getting to live like professional athletes for three months. We’ll be the better of it in anything we do going forward.”