THE FIRST of many, we can safely assume.
James Madden caught the eye of Brisbane Lions recruiting staff when he broke the all-time AFL Draft Combine 20 metre sprint record at the European Combine back in December of 2017.
In Ireland, he played Gaelic Football at a high level for Ballyboden, and was a star of a Dublin minor team before he headed down under.
And unsurprisingly to any who have seen him play, he is really starting to impress in Oz.
Three weeks after making his first start for Brisbane Lions, he has just scored his first goal for the side.
In classic Madden fashion, he turned on the after burners and accelerated away from the opposition player with ease, before burying it between the sticks.
The packed crowd went wild, as did his teammates, who were only delighted to see him score his first goal in the sport.
Take a look:
Talk about jets!
James Madden's first goal in the AFL was magnificent!#FootyOhWhatAFeeling | #AFLLionsTigers pic.twitter.com/fjmR2vMkmm— AFL (@AFL) May 21, 2021
Madden's goal helped Brisbane Lions convincingly beat 2020 Grand Final winners Richmond Tigers.
While the young man is clearly lightening fast, his coaches have also been impressed by his physical strength.
It wasn't too long ago that he was scoring very similar goals for a very strong Ballyboden side.
James Madden's goal for Ballyboden St. Enda's narrows the gap between the sides as the second half gets underway! pic.twitter.com/bQFAylPjJt
— The GAA (@officialgaa) April 14, 2018
Simply put - the hype is real.
We can only assume the celebrations in Brisbane will be brilliant tonight after a win like that. Hopefully Madden is at the center of it...
