EVERYWHERE you look there’s signs the season is nearly upon us, even in the sky above.

Friday night I was out in Clontarf as a guest at their pre-season dinner where it was great to catch up with old friends and hear the latest gossip as Cricket Leinster cranks up once more. It was particularly good to see Alex Cusack after a difficult period for him and I expect him to make a big mark this year, both as player with Tarf and as assistant coach to the Ireland team in women’s cricket.

The next day I wrote up an interview with Seán Terry, the English-born, Australian-raised batsman who has turned down a contract with Hampshire in a bid to impress the Irish selectors. On Sunday I was mooching around twitter and came across an interesting video interview with Nick Larkin, whose Ireland career seems to have fizzled out.

And then on Monday I met Trent Johnston at a fund-raiser for Gorey CC, fresh from having his 198 Irish caps boosted to 199 and still hoping that John Boomer and Gerry Byrne can find just one more down the back of his statistical sofa. ‘TJ’ was in great form, fresh from an excellent first season as coach of New South Wales who he took victory in the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup and the brink of a Sheffield Shield final.

The common denominator between all four of those encounters is of course Australia, the far-away land that has fostered close links with Irish cricket for almost two centuries. The four men concerned all have a tale to tell too, and can help illustrate a looming issue for the game here.

Johnston’s story is well-known to most followers, and was recounted in a Q&A session in Gorey at which the former Ireland skipper was forthright about his experiences here and around the world. His skills were initially sought out by the old Irish Cricket Union, with the-then coach and captain persuading him to give up his life Down Under and help Ireland qualify for the 2007 World Cup. Brisbane-born Cusack, with Irish parents, was a club pro here and welcomed with open arms by the side and became a huge contributor to its successes.

Johnston was a key man in the 2007 World Cup team that also featured fellow-Aussies Jeremy Bray and Dave Langford-Smith, both naturalised by marriage. Andre Botha, too, was a central figure whose Irishness was sealed in wedlock.

Since that time others born on foreign shores have been called up, such as Thinus Fourie, Peter Connell, Regan West, Phil Eaglestone, Nigel Jones, Albert van der Merwe, Reinhardt Strydom, John Anderson, Tim Murtagh, the Poynter brothers and Max Sorensen. Almost all were living here for a while before they were picked and almost all those whose playing career is over have remained in Ireland.

There have been periodic debates over whether this is a good thing or not, with concerns that local players would be squeezed out or find their development restricted. Adrian Birrell was conscious of the tightrope act involved, and told me he reckoned that we wouldn’t get away with more than four non-native born Irishmen in his sides (although Phil Simmons picked five on at least half-a-dozen occasions).

With the increased profile caused by global events, Cricket Ireland was regularly contacted by would-be internationals whose parents had left these shores for England, Australia and other parts. “Come over here and show us what you’ve got” was the response, which frightened off most of them.

Others did come, good club players who wanted to follow their dream of playing for the land of their fathers. Andrew Poynter moved to Dublin and played his way to a cap.

While Cricket Scotland and the Netherlands board began a sometimes unedifying worldwide trawl of heritage players, Cricket Ireland hardened its policy, insisting players come and live in Ireland and contribute to game here. An exception was made for long-serving county pro Tim Murtagh, who has a rich Irish heritage and whose Irish-born uncle Andy played for Hampshire.

Although he should have walked on to the Irish side at the time, Tim was put through several hoops to test his commitment. He met with Phil Simmons several times, and while there was no interpro series in 2012, he was selected – and travelled over – for two South v North games, and came over for training too. He wasn’t selected for the World T20 qualifier that autumn, but was flown out to Dubai towards the end of the tournament when John Mooney was injured. Again, his commitment was tested as he did no more than carry drinks in a dayglow bib. In time he became a first choice player and is still passionately committed to the cause.

Even more came from Down Under, players like Mick Delaney, Ronan McDonald, Mick Grainger and Nick Larkin. All had varied degrees of fortune, but none will look back on Ireland with huge fondness. McDonald arrived just after making his Queensland debut, taking five wickets in his first two Sheffield Shield games. He flew home six weeks later complaining that neither the Cricket Ireland nor Cricket Leinster coaches had even bothered to watch him play.

Larkin couldn’t have done more than he was asked, scoring plenty of club runs for North Down and 247 for Northern Knights, the highest score in the 125-year history of interpros. He was finally picked for a pair of mid-season (i.e. no county players) games against Sri Lanka A and just as quickly discarded.

He hasn’t heard a word from Cricket Ireland since before the 2015 World Cup, despite being a shining light in Australian cricket. He won the player of the season award in the U23 competition recently, with scores of 163, 148 and 118 in the 697 runs he made at an average of 77 – and forced his way into the New South Wales shield side.

And while Ireland were plodding to defeat to Oman in Dharamshala, Larkin was back home in Sydney, perhaps framing the Sixers shirt he wore as the first Irish international to play in the Big Bash League. “Cricket Ireland have missed out on a really top-class player”, Trent Johnston told the Gorey audience.

So when Seán Terry fetches up in Dublin cricket this summer, and with luck in Leinster Lightning colours too, remember that he too, just like Larkin, and McDonald, and Delaney, have given up a lot to give Irish cricket a go. And when people tut-tut about the lost opportunities for local youth, remember that his desire to play for Ireland is no less valid than that of anyone born in Donemana or Donaghmede. And anyway, the best youngsters are finding other ways of getting noticed through English uni’s (Tector, McCollum, Gamble, McKinley) or counties (McCarthy, Adair).

Irish cricket was robbed blind of its three greatest talents over the last decade, while its associate rivals packed their sides with passport holders and day-trippers. The game here will face huge challenges over the next three or four years, and the slide to 16th in the T20 rankings was a warning that the golden generation is growing old.

It’s time to put that welcome mat out again.