Ciaran Byrne is a young Irishman, awestruck by the bright lights of Melbourne and the game at its core.

The 18-year-old, who hails from the small Irish town of Dundalk in County Louth, is pretty handy with a football. So much so, that he’s preparing to switch codes and move half way across the globe to do it.

Carlton recruiters first spotted Byrne when he was just 16 years old. He was invited to attend a football camp in the Irish city of Limerick, back in 2011.

The teenager remembers the life-changing day well.

"I didn't even have any shoes,” Byrne recalls. “It was pretty full on - I wasn't expecting it.

“Later I received a call from Carlton, asking my parents for permission for me to visit the Club. It was amazing - we were all jumping around. We couldn't believe it."

Two years later, and with some football boots in hand, Byrne has found himself at Visy Park. He’s being put through his paces by coaching staff, with a view to returning on a permanent basis.

Carlton’s Recruitment Manager, Wayne Hughes says the Irishman has impressed both coaching staff and players at training.

"If you'd have said to someone the other day, there is someone out there training for the first time, you wouldn't have been able to pick who it was.

"Aussie Rules at this level is not an easy game to play both on and off the field – there are little tests about your character. We have put Ciaran through it all, to see whether he can stack up, and I think he understands that."

Hughes says Byrne’s sporting abilities were immediately obvious to the Carlton staff that attended the football camp at Limerick two years ago.

Since then, the Blues have been watching Byrne excel in Gaelic football.

"In his game, he's a very good player,” Hughes says. “He’s got all the athletic qualities that you look for. The ball skills and game style are the hardest things to learn.”

"Ciaran’s county experienced some reasonable success in their competition this year.

"He was due out (to Melbourne) a couple of weeks ago, but they kept winning. They've had a very good season."

Making the move from Ireland to Australia would be a daunting prospect for many. Hughes says family support is paramount in assessing any potential international recruit. Thankfully for Byrne, and for Carlton, his family is right behind him.

"Their son is a very good sportsman and they would like him to pursue this in a professional sense,” Hughes says.

"His dad was an excellent Gaelic player. As a youngster he was going to go to America and play Gaelic football, but decided against it. I don't think he regrets it, but he understands that Ciaran has been given a fantastic opportunity and should give it a try."

Carlton, like other AFL clubs, is increasingly looking to the international market for potential talent. Hughes says Carlton recruiters are always looking at a range of athletes from different codes and overseas.

"It's an opportunity to get players from other sports around the world.

“The rules allow you to have up to three players that sit outside your list, which can include one Irishman.

“The logistics involved can be complex, with Carlton having a local group in Ireland who form part of the network on the ground. 

"The crew in Ireland prepare information for us. We then have a guy from Australia who we send over twice a year to assess the prospective."

Although the international recruitment process can often be long and complex, it can pay off. Big kicking Irishman Zach Tuohy is among Carlton’s recent success stories.

"They obviously have to want to do it – and they have got to have a love for the game. It has to be genuine, otherwise it won't work."

As for Byrne, he’s set to head home in another week after a couple of weeks of training, going to games and getting to the know the team. So far – and let’s hope it stays that way – he has only witnessed Carlton win.

"I need to continue going to the games,” he says. “I seem to have the luck of the Irish!"