Kobe mania sweeps through Crossmolina ahead of Mayo club game

Within seconds of the final whistle, children rushed onto the field with pens, paper and mobile phones. They surrounded Kobe McDonald, turning Crossmolina’s 0-16 to 2-10 draw with Mayo Gaels into a carnival built around an 18-year-old player.

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We knew coming in that there was going to be a big crowd but we didn’t anticipate, I suppose, the level of interest around it.

Crossmolina Deel Rovers manager Brian Benson said he had never seen this level of attention around a Mayo senior championship group game. The crowd outside the dressing room included children and adults, and McDonald had to remain inside longer while fans waited for him.

McDonald, who sat his Leaving Certificate in June, has spent the past few months at the center of an extraordinary surge in interest. He was eventually escorted to a car driven by his brother, Jordan Flynn, after an attempted escape through the crowd failed.

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It’s tough on Kobe as well, it’s not easy on him but he has a serious head on his shoulders so he’s well able for it.

McDonald said he was grateful to St Kilda, his Australian Rules club, for allowing him to play for Crossmolina during the AFL off-season. He said the club and the people of Crossmolina had made his achievements over the previous year possible and that he wanted to give something back.

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I’ve said it many times, without this club, without the people of Crossmolina, I wouldn’t have been able to do all the amazing things I’ve done over the last 12 months.