Paul Earley's Ireland International Rules Squad

[moysider]

Should Gavin Duffy not have been brought in for this?

Obviously.

[Jinxy]

James Horan would actually be a good call for manager next time.

[INDIANA]

All is going to plan i'd say. With a cup on the table the mayo players are doing exactly what they always do..
Worst irish team ever?

Sounds like someone's sister has been riding Mayo men all around her and poor lawnseed is jealous 

I agree with indy. The outcome of this game was decided when early got the job.  The gaa didnt want to win this game. It was austrailia's turn. The mayo players were there to garantee that ireland would be beat.. And hey wadda you know they nearly kept ireland scoreless even from 25 meters

If you want to be silly about it so be it.

[sans pessimism]

James Horan would actually be a good call for manager next time.

jinky, give hayseed a call

[orangeman]

Great bit of thinking from Darren Hughes taking the ball out of the Aussie msn's hands and running with it, leading to Ireland's second goal.

The media are mad keen on talking up the future of the series ! 

[Eamonnca1]

This is a hugely popular competition and always has been. Why do people consistently change the subject to scrapping the series every f***ing time it's played?

[Syferus]

This is a hugely popular competition and always has been. Why do people consistently change the subject to scrapping the series every f***ing time it's played?

+ 1

Good crowds in Aus this year, usually decent crowds in Ireland regardless of who they send over. If Australia continue to respect the fixture by fielding proper teams it certainly has a future.

[Rossfan]

This is a hugely popular competition and always has been. Why do people consistently change the subject to scrapping the series every f***ing time it's played?

It's a GAABoard orthodoxy thing - like dissing the GPA and Dónal Óg 

[clarshack]

Its definitely more enjoyable when the Aussies take it seriously.

[lawnseed]

Its definitely more enjoyable when the Aussies take it seriously.

And we'll enjoy the game alot more when we get a squad who can take simple scores

[BennyHarp]

This is a hugely popular competition and always has been. Why do people consistently change the subject to scrapping the series every f***ing time it's played?

It's not a competition, it's an exhibition game. It's not a series, it's now a one off game. It's not a game that's played competitively by anyone, anywhere in the world outside this exhibition game. I personally don't mind it as it gives the players a bit of representative honours and recognition and it's a bit of fun. But I wouldn't get upset that people don't discuss it like its a serious competitive competition.

[Eamonnca1]

Point taken about the series, but it's not an exhibition game. It's a competitive game. Both teams take it seriously enough to try their best to win, the fans have a team to root for, and people care about the outcome. This is why it was played in front of a sell-out crowd and a TV audience. When was the last time you could say that about the Railway Cup?

The All-star game is an exhibition. There's no team to root for. Nobody there cares about the outcome, the players included, which is why it's such a lame anti-climactic misrepresentation of what the sport is supposed to look like. Where's the annual debate about scrapping the All-star game?

[Chimley]

No need to backtrack now. You ssid the exact same in effect that it wad picking Mayo players that lost us the match.

All is going to plan i'd say. With a cup on the table the mayo players are doing exactly what they always do..
Worst irish team ever?

Sounds like someone's sister has been riding Mayo men all around her and poor lawnseed is jealous 

I agree with indy. The outcome of this game was decided when early got the job.  The gaa didnt want to win this game. It was austrailia's turn. The mayo players were there to garantee that ireland would be beat.. And hey wadda you know they nearly kept ireland scoreless even from 25 meters

If you want to be silly about it so be it.

[orangeman]

You can't be much more positive that this :

Future of the series secure after talks with GAA and AFL - Australia are coming to Ireland next year.

It follows the success of last Saturday's test in Perth where a near full-house crowd of 38,262 turned out for the game in Patersons Stadium, Perth. A huge Irish contingent attended and while they were disappointed to see Australia win by ten points (56-46), it was a great occasion.

"It meant so much to so many Irish people. The game was excellent - sporting, hard and fair.  We needed a good game and we got that. It put International Rules back on track, which was clearly needed. It's easier to go back to Central Council now and make a case (for the series to continue)," said Paraic Duffy, GAA Director-General.

Australia are keen to take the series to the US - possible Boston or New York - but that's unlikely to happen for some time, although Duffy did not rule it out completely.

"When you see the turnout of Irish people here (Perth) - you could replicate it in a place like Boston. I wouldn't close the door on it but let's get a series next year - whether one or two games - and then look at the bigger picture," he said.

[BennyHarp]

Point taken about the series, but it's not an exhibition game. It's a competitive game. Both teams take it seriously enough to try their best to win, the fans have a team to root for, and people care about the outcome. This is why it was played in front of a sell-out crowd and a TV audience. When was the last time you could say that about the Railway Cup?

The All-star game is an exhibition. There's no team to root for. Nobody there cares about the outcome, the players included, which is why it's such a lame anti-climactic misrepresentation of what the sport is supposed to look like. Where's the annual debate about scrapping the All-star game?

It's not a competition in the respect that it's just two made up teams playing a one off game that neither need to qualify for and there is no progress beyond. Neither players practice or train for it until a few weeks beforehand. In that sense it's a one off exhibition game, an experiment of mixing two sports. Can you really say that the Aussies always take it seriously?

It's the novelty factor combined with a little bit of National pride in our games and the potential for a scrap that makes people want to watch it. In a sense we are supporting Gaelic games v Aussie Rules. We want to see how our amateurs fare against professional athletes. It's a pride thing, not a love of the IR itself but we dont get too upset when we lose. I don't know why the Railway Cup is always bought into the discussion with International rules. One is GAA the other is a made up game not played anywhere else at any time. Just because it gets bigger attendances than the railway cup seems to be an argument trotted out every year. On that logic it gets a bigger crowd than than most club championship games, why don't we scrap those?

Like I said, I don't mind it, it fills a gap in the calander (which to be honest is becoming more and more filled with much more important club championship matches which is reducing my appetite even more for the IR) and gives the players involved an opportunity to represent their country. But I don't take it seriously as some form of international competition and I can understand why people are suggesting that it's run it's course.