Ireland V Austrailia International Rules Official Thread 2008

[kickingmule]

other than that, what a load of rubbish, this nonsence of a game has been going for 30 years now,

Another bloody begrudger from Drearysteeple land 

Enjoyable game, nice to see us winning and hope we can win this seris.

Sorry don't do begrudgery ....NOTE : AS STATED ... players deserve this break, now you come out of drearysteeple land:
What has this game done to promote gaelic football in 30 years???    ...

[Rossfan]

[What has this game done to promote gaelic football in 30 years???    ...

Probably a lot more than hurling (or Kilkenny) has . Yet no one wants hurling abolished.

[AFS]

other than that, what a load of rubbish, this nonsence of a game has been going for 30 years now,

Another bloody begrudger from Drearysteeple land 

Enjoyable game, nice to see us winning and hope we can win this seris.

Sorry don't do begrudgery ....NOTE : AS STATED ... players deserve this break, now you come out of drearysteeple land:
What has this game done to promote gaelic football in 30 years???    ...

Might be a good question if the sole purpose of the game's existence was to promote the GAA. Its not, try to look at it as a purely sporting contest.

On a side note, I think too people get wrapped up in this fairytale of promoting the GAA to unconverted masses throughout the globe. There seems to be this presumption that all we need to do is tell people about it and they will instantly be a GAA convert. As blasphemous as this may be to say but maybe our game isn't as exciting and accessible as we like to think. Maybe no matter how much money and effort we pump into promoting it abroad the cold fact of the matter may be that not too many people beyond our shores actually think its any good.   

[armaghniac]

On a side note, I think too people get wrapped up in this fairytale of promoting the GAA to unconverted masses throughout the globe.

Exactly. How many people here are familiar with Lacrosse or Bandy, do you suppose these will become big in Ireland. No, a university may have a team but thats it.

[Zulu]

On a side note, I think too people get wrapped up in this fairytale of promoting the GAA to unconverted masses throughout the globe.

Exactly. How many people here are familiar with Lacrosse or Bandy, do you suppose these will become big in Ireland. No, a university may have a team but thats it.

Well I do think football in particular would have a decent chance of growing beyond these shores but it would be a very longterm project so in the mean time IR is the best alternative. As AFS points out people need to look on this from a purely sporting context, and when i do that I can only see positives in the game. It isn't a threat to the GAA , it has little impact on GAA activity, it allows us to compare ourselves to professional athletes who play a similar game to our own, it gives the top players a well earned trip to Oz and an opportunity to play for their country. I just can't see the harm in it, if you don't like the game itself fair enough but just don't watch it and you'll be fine.

[magickingdom]

Couldn't agree more AZ, this is what I posted immediately after the game on the 'Score 1' thread..."the compromise rules game again highlighted the poor footwork, movement, thinking and worst of all shooting of our lads". I should have included foot passing and control of the ball, I also pointed this out after the last series but many on here disagreed, believing that our poor technique was a consequence of the Aussies overly physical approach, it is not. The reality is this game punishes poor technique, slow play and poor support running more than our own game. As a coach I'm fascinated by the way we play IR as opposed to the Aussies and I really believe that IR is underlining the fact that we have only scratched at the surface of what teams are capable of in football. The fact of the matter as far as I'm concerned is we don't play football particularly well and this is being shown up in the IR series.

spot on, the standard of gaelic football is not great right now. in fact one of the arguments that could be made for professionalism is that the standard would go up but lets not go there! if an afl coach ever got his hands on an inter county team it could be very interesting..

[orangeman]

[What has this game done to promote gaelic football in 30 years???    ...

Probably a lot more than hurling (or Kilkenny) has . Yet no one wants hurling abolished.

Bullshit

[cavanmaniac]

Might be a good question if the sole purpose of the game's existence was to promote the GAA. Its not, try to look at it as a purely sporting contest.

On a side note, I think too people get wrapped up in this fairytale of promoting the GAA to unconverted masses throughout the globe. There seems to be this presumption that all we need to do is tell people about it and they will instantly be a GAA convert. As blasphemous as this may be to say but maybe our game isn't as exciting and accessible as we like to think. Maybe no matter how much money and effort we pump into promoting it abroad the cold fact of the matter may be that not too many people beyond our shores actually think its any good.   

It's a good point. Perhaps an even better question would be the ask the many series' detractors just what is being done besides the International Rules series to promote the gaelic football code in any real way? Not a lot that has as much impact as the IR series I'll wager, despite the fact it admittedly achieves little in that respect. That's not belittling the various pockets of GAA around the world, I'm just saying that the IR in one fell swoop garners way more attraction and profile for the GAA than anything else. It at least exposes our top players to a large audience in Australia and keeps the game in the public eye at a dead time of the year and I think there's alot to be learned from the Aussies as well.

There's also a degree of over-thinking going on about the whole thing. It's not trying to reinvent the wheel or take over the world, it's just a bloody harmless one-off exhibition match, and a nice honour for the players at the end of the season, as long as it's played in the fashion it was today. Some people are really getting their knickers in a twist about it when all it is, is just a diversion at the end of the playing season that the vast majority enjoy watching. The thuggery two years ago almost turned me off it completely but I think it has a future if it continues to be played in the right spirit, and the second test will tell a tale in this regard as the Aussies are a win at all costs bunch normally.

[The Blegard]

two passages of class : McMahons pass to Glynn for well taken goal
                              : Donaghys pass to Cavanagh FOR SCREAMER in top corner.

other than that, what a load of rubbish, this nonsence of a game has been going for 30 years now, ...yet it still has no future for the gaa.

a nice holiday for the players .... well deserved!  ... and excuse for the top dogs and WAGS for a free holiday!!!!

Agree to a certain extent on the officials but Im all for the players having a good time and bring their WAGS or even someone elses WAGS. They play hard every year good luck to them. Compare them to some of the "professional" spolit brats in OZ in AFL and NRL going around as "role models" then selling their rehab story to womans weekly

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

...Perhaps an even better question would be the ask the many series' detractors just what is being done besides the International Rules series to promote the gaelic football code in any real way? Not a lot that has as much impact as the IR series I'll wager, despite the fact it admittedly achieves little in that respect. That's not belittling the various pockets of GAA around the world, I'm just saying that the IR in one fell swoop garners way more attraction and profile for the GAA than anything else. It at least exposes our top players to a large audience in Australia and keeps the game in the public eye at a dead time of the year and I think there's alot to be learned from the Aussies as well.

Perhaps it would be best of all to ask the powers-that-be in the GAA why they're so hell bent on forcing square pegs into round holes instead of promoting our own great games on as global a stage as possible?... That would be your best bet, or at least ask them why they're not expending 10% of the effort on Gaelic Games internationally, or even nationally (witness the Inter-Pros), as they are on this hybrid.

Look, I'm delighted for the lads that get to represent their country; but it's a damned pity it's not representing their country at the game they've made their name at, instead of this bastardisation that we call 'International Rules'. I'm especially happy for the likes of Leighton Glynn, but I'd be a whole lot more delighted if he were representing Ireland in Gaelic Football, which he's very capable of doing too. We shouldn't settle for second best.

[AFS]

...Perhaps an even better question would be the ask the many series' detractors just what is being done besides the International Rules series to promote the gaelic football code in any real way? Not a lot that has as much impact as the IR series I'll wager, despite the fact it admittedly achieves little in that respect. That's not belittling the various pockets of GAA around the world, I'm just saying that the IR in one fell swoop garners way more attraction and profile for the GAA than anything else. It at least exposes our top players to a large audience in Australia and keeps the game in the public eye at a dead time of the year and I think there's alot to be learned from the Aussies as well.

Perhaps it would be best of all to ask the powers-that-be in the GAA why they're so hell bent on forcing square pegs into round holes instead of promoting our own great games on as global a stage as possible?... That would be your best bet, or at least ask them why they're not expending 10% of the effort on Gaelic Games internationally, or even nationally (witness the Inter-Pros), as they are on this hybrid.

Look, I'm delighted for the lads that get to represent their country; but it's a damned pity it's not representing their country at the game they've made their name at, instead of this bastardisation that we call 'International Rules'. I'm especially happy for the likes of Leighton Glynn, but I'd be a whole lot more delighted if he were representing Ireland in Gaelic Football, which he's very capable of doing too. We shouldn't settle for second best.

Whats the alternative? The reason the IR exists is because there isn't another nation in the world where Gaelic football is played in any reasonable numbers. Your attitude is very idealist but is nowhere near the real world. 

[orangeman]

[What has this game done to promote gaelic football in 30 years???    ...

Probably a lot more than hurling (or Kilkenny) has . Yet no one wants hurling abolished.

Bullshit

You're probably not a proper Irishman if you don't like the compromise rules.

That's my excuse anyway and I'm sticking to it. 

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

...Perhaps an even better question would be the ask the many series' detractors just what is being done besides the International Rules series to promote the gaelic football code in any real way? Not a lot that has as much impact as the IR series I'll wager, despite the fact it admittedly achieves little in that respect. That's not belittling the various pockets of GAA around the world, I'm just saying that the IR in one fell swoop garners way more attraction and profile for the GAA than anything else. It at least exposes our top players to a large audience in Australia and keeps the game in the public eye at a dead time of the year and I think there's alot to be learned from the Aussies as well.

Perhaps it would be best of all to ask the powers-that-be in the GAA why they're so hell bent on forcing square pegs into round holes instead of promoting our own great games on as global a stage as possible?... That would be your best bet, or at least ask them why they're not expending 10% of the effort on Gaelic Games internationally, or even nationally (witness the Inter-Pros), as they are on this hybrid.

Look, I'm delighted for the lads that get to represent their country; but it's a damned pity it's not representing their country at the game they've made their name at, instead of this bastardisation that we call 'International Rules'. I'm especially happy for the likes of Leighton Glynn, but I'd be a whole lot more delighted if he were representing Ireland in Gaelic Football, which he's very capable of doing too. We shouldn't settle for second best.

Whats the alternative? The reason the IR exists is because there isn't another nation in the world where Gaelic football is played in any reasonable numbers. Your attitude is very idealist but is nowhere near the real world. 

The first thing we'd need to do is to actually capture the numbers that are playing Gaelic Games seriously in other places -- that little piece of work hasn't even been attempted (to the best of my knowledge). Yet, there are officials regularly going abroad to officiate, until such times as those areas are self-sufficient. You, and your ilk  , are very fond of throwing out these statements in certitude, yet no supporting facts (no alternative, it'll result in professionalism, we don't have the numbers, etc., etc.). I don't know the answer either, but what I am saying is let's be proactive about it and capture the details, and measure the viability. And when the body in whom we place our trust (the GAA) treats the Inter-Provincials with such contempt as they've shown recently, perhaps we can be forgiven for a degree of scepticism.

Don't come crying to me if next Fridays game degenerates into another thugathon... and if it doesn't, give it time, it will.

[Tyrone Dreamer]

I think for next weeks game there should be 2 threads open. One for people who are watching the game because they are interested and want to support the best players in Ireland representing their country. A second thread called the moaners thread for the moaners who are only watching/half watching the game so they can MOAN about how bad it is and talk about free trips etc. The thing is the people who are complaining about the games being rubbish will be the same people on moaning about it being rubbish next week. It would be like someone who doesnt like bread eating it over and over again so they can complain how bad it is - doesnt make any sense.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Or maybe it's like someone eating bread because no one has bothered their arse to make (vitamin fortified) cake, even though they'd all the ingredients to hand?