Interesting offer from the Aussies

[Gnevin]

I actually played it when i spent a year down under Gnevin and i thought it was very difficult to be honest but thats just me i was never much good at Gaelic either i was always better at hurling and at that other sport that i shouldn't mention around the Gaa side of the board!!!

From what i've heard the Gaelic kick is a real problem for the lads heading down their ,you many of had the same thing but no one was their to coach it out of you





or maybe your just crap

[thebandit]

We had an Aussie lad training with our club earlier in the year, he was  6ft tall, strong and quick, but he couldn't catch kick or fistpass. He couldn't be rivalled for breaking a ball though.

[the Deel Rover]

didn't zinzan brooke (spl) the former New Zealand captain play gaelic games off season to keep himself fit, he also said it helped his ball handling skills. i think he was pictured at croke park during the six nations this year 

[Jinxy]

Every single GAA player who has gone to the AFL has been in the top % of his clubs best runners during their first pre-season in Oz. What does that tell you? It's not running ability that is the problem. Martin Clarke and Colm Begley were in the top 2-3 athletes based on running ability pretty much as soon as they stepped off the plane.The fitness gap is manifested in the Irish players inability to recover quickly from being tackled and dragged to the ground which happens umpteen times a game in compromise rules. Thats what saps the energy from the Irish lads as they aren't conditioned for it. Constant wrestling off the ball doesn't help either. If you took that out of the mix I honestly believe they would be running just as hard as the aussies come the final whistle.

[Gnevin]

didn't zinzan brooke (spl) the former New Zealand captain play gaelic games off season to keep himself fit, he also said it helped his ball handling skills. i think he was pictured at croke park during the six nations this year 

Are you sure it wasnt Shane Ryan in disguise ?

[Romeo]

Kennelly would walk back onto any GAA team in the country - simple as that. The fact is that it's harder to convert to AFL from GAA than vice versa, and the only substantial reason for this is the difference in the shape of the ball, it's a lot easier for anyone to read the bounce of a round ball than an oval one - fact.

That's not what they think in Oz. Funniest thing I ever heard was when I was in Adelaide at one of the compromise rules games, the Ozi's in the crowd whinging that their lads couldn't judge the bounce of the round ball!

Also played the game when I was out there and yes it is difficult to adapt to kicking the oval ball. One of the more didfficult things was to get out of the habit of landing the ball in front of a guy so that he could run onto it on after a bounce (like u would in Gaelic). Obviously once the oval ball it hits the ground in front of a guy it can go anywhere!

[magpie seanie]

Is Jim Stynes some kind of retard?



From Hoganstand.com:


Stynes says GAA needs International Rules


16 August 2007


Former Dublin footballer and Aussie Rules legend Jim Stynes says unless the GAA makes positive moves to ensure the continuation of the International Rules series more young Gaelic footballers will make their way Down Under.

Stynes believes that the series needs to be relaunched sooner rather than later if the GAA isn't to suffer a drain of its brightest young stars.

"After last year, some officials saw it as their chance to put an end to the series and the concept," Stynes claimed.

"However in their haste they overlooked the long-term damage broken ties would do to the most exciting talent coming through the underage ranks of the GAA.

"The GAA needs this game to stay alive to have any say in future drafting.

"This is the only way the GAA can stop large numbers of kids leaving for Australia each year."

[Star Spangler]

The GAA needs this game to stay alive

[jimmykeaveney]

An australian, with no background in our game, could not make it at our game. certainly their fitness is more than adequate but the nuances of playing the game are so different from the afl. it would take a top level professional from the afl two years to get his skills and understanding of the game to a level where he could compete for a place on a county panel.

You can't be serious. If the likes of Nathan Buckley, Nathan Brown, Daniel Kerr or many others who have played International Rules and showed up our players' skills over the years took up Gaelic Football, they would walk onto any county panel. Many of these guys are supreme ball players who would easily adapt.

[Gnevin]

An australian, with no background in our game, could not make it at our game. certainly their fitness is more than adequate but the nuances of playing the game are so different from the afl. it would take a top level professional from the afl two years to get his skills and understanding of the game to a level where he could compete for a place on a county panel.

You can't be serious. If the likes of Nathan Buckley, Nathan Brown, Daniel Kerr or many others who have played International Rules and showed up our players' skills over the years took up Gaelic Football, they would walk onto any county panel. Many of these guys are supreme ball players who would easily adapt.

Their is a huge difference between a game where once you catch the ball you've got loads of time to kick it . No solo, no hop, no running on to a pass , no looking for the space ,no dodging tackles , most of lads listed above would struggle with the pick up alone

[Star Spangler]

didn't zinzan brooke (spl) the former New Zealand captain play gaelic games off season to keep himself fit, he also said it helped his ball handling skills. i think he was pictured at croke park during the six nations this year 

I met him in one of the boxes at the 2001 semi between Derry and Galway clearly enjoying the game.  Sound bloke who can put away a pint of Guinness in some style!!

[Jinxy]

An australian, with no background in our game, could not make it at our game. certainly their fitness is more than adequate but the nuances of playing the game are so different from the afl. it would take a top level professional from the afl two years to get his skills and understanding of the game to a level where he could compete for a place on a county panel.

You can't be serious. If the likes of Nathan Buckley, Nathan Brown, Daniel Kerr or many others who have played International Rules and showed up our players' skills over the years took up Gaelic Football, they would walk onto any county panel. Many of these guys are supreme ball players who would easily adapt.

Their is a huge difference between a game where once you catch the ball you've got loads of time to kick it . No solo, no hop, no running on to a pass , no looking for the space ,no dodging tackles , most of lads listed above would struggle with the pick up alone

The australians are very adept tactically at putting a man in space for a shot or getting a mark for a shot on goal, but if they had to turn on a sixpence as soon as they got the ball or had a couple of defenders breathing down their neck they would be in serious bother. The aboriginal lads would probably meke better gaelic footballers as they are in general far more nimble and possess more flair than the other AFL players. There are obvious exceptions but to say that just because a guy is good at kicking the ball in IR when he has a second to compose himself and watch the ball onto his foot, he would be a star in the GAA is a bit of a leap.

[jimmykeaveney]

Jinxy I don't think it's that much of a leap to say that the cream of their game would make it at ours when you see the speed at which the like of Martin Clarke and Colm Begley have adapted to their game. IMO the difficulty in adapting to Aussie Rules for a Gaelic footballer is still greater than vice versa. I'll grant you that the proposal from Richmond is a bit of an insult though.

[Tiger Craig]

I wonder if some of you guys have ever actually seen a game of Aussie Rules. Players actually do run, turn, dodge, evade tackles, and kick on the run (all with the knowledge that if they are too slow they will get smashed)

[Mike Sheehy]

Their is a huge difference between a game where once you catch the ball you've got loads of time to kick it . No solo, no hop, no running on to a pass , no looking for the space ,no dodging tackles , most of lads listed above would struggle with the pick up alone

but if they had to turn on a sixpence as soon as they got the ball or had a couple of defenders breathing down their neck they would be in serious bother

Its the opposite, excluding the mark, in Aussie rules you have much less time in general play  to do something with the ball when you get it. You have approx 2-3 seconds before you get flattened. At least with Gaelic you can "ride" the tackle to some extent.