Green Bay Packers Sign Irish Kicker to Replace Alex Hale, Fill IPP Slot on Roster

A day after releasing Australian-born kicker Alex Hale, the Green Bay Packers replaced him by signing Irish-born kicker Mark McNamee on Tuesday, one day before the first practice of training camp.

As was the case with Hale, McNamee will be the team’s International Player Pathway Program player, meaning he will not count against the 90-man roster or a potential spot on the 16-man practice squad.

McNamee spent the last month with the British Columbia Lions of the CFL but did not play in any games before his release on June 1.

McNamee will take some of the training camp burden off the Packers’ established kicker, Brandon McManus, who at age 33 is the oldest player on the roster.

While this will be a foot in the door for McNamee, he will join the Packers’ established punter, Daniel Whelan, in Green Bay. Whelan is from Enniskerry, Ireland.

“It’s definitely growing,” Whelan said of the sport’s popularity in his homeland. “Definitely growing in the kicking, punting side because of all the Gaelic and rugby players. It’s going to get really big in Europe soon. Watch.”

McNamee was a goalie in Gaelic football – a hybrid sport between soccer and rugby – for Ballyboden St. Endas in Dublin. He was invited to the Scouting Combine and made 13-of-14 field-goal attempts.

“It went very well. As a kicking unit we wanted to go there and flash our talent, let the scouts know that we are there for a reason and on merit,” McNamee told the BBC. “I wasn't overly focused on the numbers but more the process of kicking and making sure we came across well.”

The transition between sports meant getting used to the American ball, the 25-year-old said.

“Initially, I started kicking the ball too low, which meant it was over-rotating and getting no distance,” he said. “So, it was adjusting my angle and swing and, once I'd found where the sweet spot was, I was able to introduce power into it and dive a bit deeper into the foot angle, follow through, aim and finish.

“I don't really think about it now – it's more natural and I kick that ball like I've been doing it for years. As my technique's improved, I've added distance and there's more to come.”

The NFL employed former Irish rugby leader Tadhg Leader to unearth international talent. McNamee is among the pupils of Leader Kicking.

“I would’ve watched the Super Bowl with my dad as a kid and that got my interest sparked,” he told Balls.ie. “Then from when I was 11 or 12, it just grew as I got to watch the game more and more, particularly the kicking side. I used to watch a lot of kicking videos on YouTube of NFL kickers and almost tried to mirror it when I was a kid, the steps they did and how they kicked the ball, so I’ve had an interest for a long time.”