WHERE has the time gone?

It feels like not that long ago that Matt Duffy and Rob Monahan were making the trip across the world together to the unknown of Australian Rules football. But there’s plenty that’s happened since then.

It was the week leading up to the Blues’ 2023 elimination final win over Sydney that the two Irishmen were unveiled as the Club’s newest Category B rookie. Their first live helping of AFL was a Navy Blue win in front of over 92,000 people.

Since then, Monahan played every VFL game for the Carlton Reserves in what was always going to be a learning year for the new recruit. However, he had to do it without Duffy alongside him, after he ruptured his ACL finishing off his Gaelic season before returning to Melbourne.

“It’s been a quick first year, gone in the blink of an eye really,” Monahan told Carlton Media.

“It feels like yesterday when I got that call to come over. It’s been a great year and I feel like I’ve learned a lot about myself and the team in my first year at Carlton.

“It was tough in my first year without him. When we first came, the boys thought we were best friends and we knew each other - to be honest, I didn’t know who Matt Duffy was and he didn’t know who I was either. But he’s like a brother now: it’s huge to have him over here with me.”

The first months of Duffy’s recovery were spent rehabbing his injury back home in Ireland, before arriving in Australia in May to continue his rehabilitation and get assimilated into the Carlton way of life.

While on the other side of the world, Duffy still made sure to do as much as possible to link up with his new colleagues on the other side of the world. He had Zoom calls with the Club’s development coaches for education sessions, while he would wake up first thing in the morning on weekends to watch Monahan in the VFL and then tune in for the AFL games.

“It’s a bit of a different journey to Rob, of course. After I was announced, I was told to finish my season and ended up doing my knee - it wasn’t the ideal start,” Duffy said.

“I’m obviously thankful to the Club for supporting me through that and getting my rehab done. Now I’m starting to get some contact work back in which is the last phase of it: the idea of getting into match sim is really exciting, I can’t wait to get stuck in.”

In that time, Duffy has worked closely with Jack Silvagni, who is recovering from an ACL injury in his own right.

For someone who has grown up with footy a massive part of his life, Silvagni has made sure to assist Duffy during their time recovering from their respective injuries.

“I’ve had to listen to him quite a bit in the last few months. He’s a great mentor for me - he’s still trying to get me to perfect my kick, I think I’m getting there slowly!

“He’s been a great support. We’re on similar phases of our rehab, we’re starting to wrestle each other a bit and I’m finding out he’s pretty strong. I’m going to have to keep building my strength to compete with him, but he’s been great.”

Monahan looks at the likes of Lewis Young in the early days (“he was like my father for the first few months… don’t say that to him”) as well as close mates Jesse Motlop, Corey Durdin, Harry Lemmey and Ollie Hollands who have aided him massively with the move without Duffy alongside him.

But crucially, he wasn’t alone at IKON Park, with Erone Fitzpatrick and Dayna Finn of the Blues’ AFLW program ensuring Monahan had some familiar voices to listen to and catch up with.

There’s more to come, too, with Síofra O’Connell and Aisling Reidy joining the Club for the 2025 AFLW season.

“They’re too great girls, Ronnie and Dayna, and it’s good to catch up with them every once in a while. Aussies mightn’t know it, but just hearing that Irish accent rids that homesickness every once in a while,” Monahan said.

Duffy added: “Hopefully we’ll have four of them on the field: the Irish girls in the W competition are really ripping it up, so more power to Carlton for getting two more”.

We’re sure both Irish boys are looking forward to the day they run out alongside each other for the first time - and if pre-season is anything to go by, they could be in very close proximity to one another on the field.

“I think I might be joining the dark side across half-back,” Monahan said, who split his time largely between half-forward and the wing in year one.

“It’s probably looking like a defender at this stage, but I’m open to playing wherever I’m told,” Duffy said.