Stefan Okunbor has no plans to resurrect his Aussie Rules career, with his full focus now on earning a position on the Kerry senior football team in 2023.
The 24-year-old returned to Ireland in late 2021, following a three-year stint with Geelong Cats. Tyrone’s Conor McKenna is to try reignite his AFL career next year, while in the past Marty Clarke and Tadhg Kennelly both returned to play Aussie Rules after spells in Ireland.
“I’m still young enough but, to be honest with you, if I went back to play AFL football I’d feel like I’m going backwards in life,” says Okunbor, who is in his final year studying for a Bio-Medical Engineering degree at the University of Limerick.
“I’m very happy with where I’m at at the moment. College is progressing, life is going really good, friends and family are there for me at the moment. If I go back to Australia I think it’d only be for a holiday!”
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Okunbor played the first half of Kerry’s McGrath Cup game against Limerick on January 5th but that was to be his only game-time with the Kingdom all season. Later that same month he suffered a shoulder dislocation during Na Gaeil’s All-Ireland club intermediate semi-final defeat to Steelstown. It was an injury that was to massively curtail his progress, with Okunbor managing his shoulder issue for the rest of the year.
Just days after the All-Ireland final he underwent surgery and while his recovery is on track, he has yet to resume contact training. Okunbor’s aim is to be available for Kerry’s McGrath Cup campaign in January.
“I’m probably three and a half months out of surgery, so the timeline for me should be come January I should be fully fit,” he says. “So everything is going really well in terms of rehab and I’m very confident with where I’m at.
“The second my body is fully fit come January I’ll be trying my best to nail a spot on that team. It’s a very hard thing to do, very competitive, a very high standard, so I’ll do what I can.”
Given the amount of injury setbacks he endured, Okunbor’s resilience was tested during the season but he was able to get one of the coveted 26 match-day jerseys for the All-Ireland final – a victory in itself for a player who had been battling from the fringes all year.
“Possibly a lot of players would take a year out if they had such a serious injury like a shoulder dislocation,” remarks Okunbor. “But there is just something special about the group and I couldn’t step away for a year.
“I think making the panel was just a testament to me getting back from every single injury because I don’t think I had four weeks straight without being injured. There was Achilles, calf, groin, shoulder injuries, so I was just very privileged and blessed to be part of the whole squad.
“I didn’t play, that’s totally fine, and next year I’ll hopefully push on for a starting sport. But it definitely ticked a big box for me anyway and it’s been a dream, it’s anyone’s dream is playing Gaelic football.”
Unsurprisingly, Okunbor, who sees his best position anywhere around the middle third, is an advocate for the contentious advanced mark rule in Gaelic football.
“I think it’s massive, it kind of brings back in the big, tall full forward, it is a bit more tactical but I think it is great. It just brings another layer to our game.”
Stefan Okunbor will take part in Plant For The Planet Games in Kenya this month. The funds raised will go to Self Help Africa to support the planting of trees.
