International Rules 2010/2011

[cavanmaniac]

Tohill's point isn't a bad one but the biggest danger to losing the match is if the Aussies decide to play at anything greater than the half-aggression we force them to limit themselves to, in order to even out the contest and stop it from being an annihilation.

We don't kick the ball well, that's one thing, but another is that we've gone down the soccer route and over sanitised our own game to the point where anyone ending up on he ground gets a free 80% of the time. We could handle Aussie aggression back in the 80s due to a combination of them being only semi-pro at the time and us being a hell of a lot tougher than we are now. As it stands, I really don't think any series where one team has to play at half-tilt so as not to steamroll the other is in any way viable. I used to really enjoy it but not any more.

[The Konica]

Aussies are taking it serious enough I hear....

I heard the Aussie coach, Malthouse I think it is?, flew a former Ulster GAA coach down to Melbourne for week to help plan and prepare their training program for when they come together.

[an púca]

Some nice footage here of past international rules glory!

http://gaabeo.wordpress.com/2010/07/20/ireland-v-australia-international-rules/

[Canalman]

Only way to reign in the Aussies (agressionwise) is to carry any suspensions into next season's AFL season.
When I was in Oz, they (the AFL public) didn't care a whit about this mongrel of a game. Varely covered in Melbourne papers (it was all Cricket).

Personally think the series should be done way with............. maybe the McAnallen trophy could be given instead to theYPoTY or man of the Match in AIF.

[Hardy]

I too wish we'd get rid of this awful shite.

What's it for?

[Jinxy]

I'm not sure that is a fair criticism of our players, I don't see any major deterioration in our kicking abilities from years gone by. IMO we were never all that well able to kick the ball accurately and more importantly we rarely work on timing the kick and the run from the forward or on what areas we should be kicking to.

The mark completely changes the nature of the kicking game.
Our game requires that the ball is kicked into space.
Their game requires that the ball is kicked directly to the forward.
A good pass in gaelic football is not necessarily a good pass in aussie rules and vice versa.

[DUBSFORSAM1]

I'm not sure that is a fair criticism of our players, I don't see any major deterioration in our kicking abilities from years gone by. IMO we were never all that well able to kick the ball accurately and more importantly we rarely work on timing the kick and the run from the forward or on what areas we should be kicking to.

The mark completely changes the nature of the kicking game.
Our game requires that the ball is kicked into space.
Their game requires that the ball is kicked directly to the forward.
A good pass in gaelic football is not necessarily a good pass in aussie rules and vice versa.

Yes but it doesn't matter what type of kicking is required you should be able to kick it to the right place....Their game is more for the ball to be kicked to where the forward will be in front of the defender in a period of time as its more about leading to the ball than having it kicked on top of you...

[Redhand Santa]

I too wish we'd get rid of this awful shite.

What's it for?

Here's a few reasons to keep it:
1) Gives players from smaller counties a chance to play along with top players and get more exposure.
2) Provides coverage of our players at a time of the year when the media is dominated by soccer and rugby
3) The players enjoy it and get a few perks for taking part
4) People complain about Croke Park sitting empty in the off season, why not attract a big crowd to it to watch our own players and at the same time make some money out of it.
5) A lot of people obviously enjoy it and hence the decent attendances in the past in Ireland.
6) Gives our own top players the opportunity to compete against top professional players from another sport

I'm aware some people don't like it but no one is asking them to watch it. I hate the way people are straight on these threads saying they hate the game.

[Canalman]

Redhand Santa, I think we are quiet entitled to our opinions (as are you).

[Hardy]

I hate the way people are straight on these threads saying they hate the game.

That's tough. I don't mind you liking it at all. It's a free country.

[Jinxy]

It is an incredibly boring 'sport' in fairness.

[supersarsfields]

Have to say I don't find it boring at all. Granted you wouldn't get the same "interest" you might get from a gaa game involving your county/ club but I have to admit enjoying it whenever it's on! 

[Redhand Santa]

I hate the way people are straight on these threads saying they hate the game.

That's tough. I don't mind you liking it at all. It's a free country.

My problem was more with you looking rid of it as opposed to not liking it. If I don't like something I generally ignore it as opposed to shouting looking rid of it. Why should people who do like it miss out because others don't like it? The crowds at the games will prove their is interest in it.

[Hardy]

I hate the way people are straight on these threads saying they hate the game.

That's tough. I don't mind you liking it at all. It's a free country.

My problem was more with you looking rid of it as opposed to not liking it. If I don't like something I generally ignore it as opposed to shouting looking rid of it. Why should people who do like it miss out because others don't like it? The crowds at the games will prove their is interest in it.

That's a good point. I can only say I want rid of it for more reasons than simply not liking it. Principally, I think it's dangerous to pit amateur players against professionals in any contact sport. It's even more dangerous when the amateurs are the ones unskilled and untrained in the main physical aspect of the sport - the tackle. Gaelic players don't naturally brace themselves for a physical hit other than a shoulder when in possession. To take a full body tackle unbraced could be very dangerous. And that's not even to mention the illegal hits that pervade this game. I came to that conclusion when I thought for a few minutes that Graham Geraghty had had his neck broken in Croke Park a few years ago.

This has nothing to do with manliness vs. softness or anything of that sort. I have no doubt we could muster up a team of hardchaws who could out-savage the Australians. I'm talking about the dangers of unexpected hits on players who are untrained in taking them and unready for them. It's a bit like asking a team of cricketers to take on a team of hurlers in a hurling match and expecting them to take naturally to shoulder charges, overhead swings and hand-breaking pulls which is something they're not used to as they run up to bowl the ball. They wouldn't have the first clue about maxims every hurler learns at under-8 - get in close, don't pull out, hip-to-hip, shield your hand, etc.

As well as that I don't see any benefit for the GAA in contacts with a commercial sports-entertainment business on the far side of the world, whose only interest in the whole thing seems to be to better facilitate the poaching of our best talent.

Also, I don't think we can learn anything or derive any benefit from fraternising with a "sporting" culture whose values and ethos are wildly at variance with our own, as evidenced in everything from the contrasting demeanours of the two sets of players to the aspects of the respective games that the rival supporters treasure.

[ross matt]

I hate the way people are straight on these threads saying they hate the game.

That's tough. I don't mind you liking it at all. It's a free country.

My problem was more with you looking rid of it as opposed to not liking it. If I don't like something I generally ignore it as opposed to shouting looking rid of it. Why should people who do like it miss out because others don't like it? The crowds at the games will prove their is interest in it.

That's a good point. I can only say I want rid of it for more reasons than simply not liking it. Principally, I think it's dangerous to pit amateur players against professionals in any contact sport. It's even more dangerous when the amateurs are the ones unskilled and untrained in the main physical aspect of the sport - the tackle. Gaelic players don't naturally brace themselves for a physical hit other than a shoulder when in possession. To take a full body tackle unbraced could be very dangerous. And that's not even to mention the illegal hits that pervade this game. I came to that conclusion when I thought for a few minutes that Graham Geraghty had had his neck broken in Croke Park a few years ago.

This has nothing to do with manliness vs. softness or anything of that sort. I have no doubt we could muster up a team of hardchaws who could out-savage the Australians. I'm talking about the dangers of unexpected hits on players who are untrained in taking them and unready for them. It's a bit like asking a team of cricketers to take on a team of hurlers in a hurling match and expecting them to take naturally to shoulder charges, overhead swings and hand-breaking pulls which is something they're not used to as they run up to bowl the ball. They wouldn't have the first clue about maxims every hurler learns at under-8 - get in close, don't pull out, hip-to-hip, shield your hand, etc.

As well as that I don't see any benefit for the GAA in contacts with a commercial sports-entertainment business on the far side of the world, whose only interest in the whole thing seems to be to better facilitate the poaching of our best talent.

Also, I don't think we can learn anything or derive any benefit from fraternising with a "sporting" culture whose values and ethos are wildly at variance with our own, as evidenced in everything from the contrasting demeanours of the two sets of players to the aspects of the respective games that the rival supporters treasure.

Great points all of which I agree with. I would add that it's not even a game. It's a clobbered together bastardised mess. The only thing however is that the players are very positive about it and they are entitled to international representation I suppose.