Ireland V Austrailia International Rules Official Thread 2008

[Our Nail Loney]

I see the odds compilers have been paying attention to the Irish Squad selection

Yeah I see R Clarke in there a few times!

[feetofflames]

So we play the convicts and they compare us to leprechauns.  Before going into renovating this series we should have been asking is their a basic level of respect there from either side.  The Australians obviously dont respect the irsih and how are we as Irish with our history to accord respect to a people who stole the land of their indigenous inhabitants - not a bad bit of colonisation for a nation of convicts.  Its like us playing the brits in the sun..   

[Hardy]

I hear there's to be a pre-series dinner for both squads (together in the same room, like), based on what they do at the Ryder Cup. I dunno about that for an idea. I think all the cutlery should be removed for a start. It will be easier for our lads to learn to eat with their hands than the vice versa.

[full back]

I dont know why people are upset about the comments made about Boylan.
I would take it as a bit of craic & it was probably said to wind the Irish squad up

Big deal, get over it & do the talking on the field

[feetofflames]

My memories of Australian women form a previous trip would certainly not let me be bitter and i think in general thats the reason many nations around the world love going to Oz (all done in the name of Sport) We wiish the Irish team a successful trip and also good luck at the Compromise rules as well.   

[cornafean]

P Bradley not a bad price at 11/2.

Nor a bad price at 20/1 to be first Irishman to get sent off 

[feetofflames]

I really hope we tr**p these guys into the ground.  Traditionally any team Boylan puts out always knew how to combine the darker arts, so lets hope they pay back for what happened Graham Geraghty 2 years ago. 

[scalder]

Feck just when you start to look forward to this they go and throw this shit in your face!

[The GAA]

I don;t really like this game but i have to agree with the aussies on boylan's rant last time. i like sean and the manner in which his teams have always played but my heart sank when i heard him complaining like that after the last test. irrspective of the rights or wrongs of what he had to say, the timing was wrong and he came across as a bad loser.

[Jinxy]

You have to look at Boylans reaction that day in the context of what happened to Geraghty. Forget all the rest of the nonsense that went on. The Irish mentors would have been well aware during the build-up to the game that Graham was going to be targetted. The tackle that got him in the end was borderline but lacked any real malicious intent. However, I was in the stadium at the time and when play moved on most peoples eyes followed the ball. When people copped that Geraghty was still on the ground and had gone into spasms a few people started saying the australians had done him and I began to think something had happened after the initial tackle while I was following the play. I was pretty incandescent with rage as it was obvious Geragthy was in serious trouble. A woman in front of me said out loud "Oh god, I think they've broken his neck." There was a huge amount of anger in the area I was sitting. Now, Seán wasn't much closer to the incident than I was. I'd imagine his emotions were pretty much the same, except he would have been good friends with Graham for many years. So he thought straight away, "They've said they would get him and now he's seriously injured." And him with a young family. For what? This makey uppey nonsense? I fully understand why he was so upset that day. Without the benefit of multiple replays and different angles, it seemed pretty obvious what had happened. The rest of the bullsh*t that went on, i.e. the systematic targetting of Irelands best players so that a number had to be replaced due to injury and the resulting reduction in numbers on our interchange bench, was just the icing on the cake. But the Geraghty thing was definitely what tipped him over the edge.

[under the bar]

I really hope we tr**p these guys into the ground.  Traditionally any team Boylan puts out always knew how to combine the darker arts, so lets hope they pay back for what happened Graham Geraghty 2 years ago.  

Fer fuxache the only chance Ireland have of 'payback' is to outplay the Aussies.  If they decide to get rough the Aussies will eat them for breakfast.  Not too many players on the panel will want to sacrifice several teeth for Graham Geraghty.

[muppet]

Sheedy:

"There is one thing I would like to pass on to the Irish ahead of the revived International Rules series. You can punch an Australian and we won't be totally insulted. But if you kick us you are going the wrong way about it."

This is a euphemism for don't whinge when we punch your lights out but don't dare do anything we find unacceptable.

Typical Sheedy, if any one individual is responsible for the demise of a great spectacle it is him.

[Puckoon]

Anybody know the best place to watch the games in Las Vegas?

Ludor  - check with McMullans Irish bar

McMullan's Irish Pub
www.mcmullansirishpub.com

4650 W Tropicana Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89103
(702) 247-7000
Get directions


or the 9 fine irishmen in the new york new york.

Nine Fine Irishmen
www.ninefineirishmen.com

3790 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 740-6463
Get directions

For the city that never sleeps - neither place is answering

[ludermor]

Cheers for that Puck, we are staying in new york new york, hopefully iy will be showing

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

How The Irish Times reported this particular game on Monday, October 22nd, 1984. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose...

Aussies ignore rules to triumph


Former GAA correspondent Paddy Downey watched a physical Australian side prove too strong (70-57) for Ireland in Croke Park in the autumn of 1984

NOW WE have a new slant on the problem of marital breakdowns. The wedding of two forms of football half a world apart was consummated with ferocity and many recriminations at Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday when Australia beat Ireland by a margin of 13 points in the historic first Test match between the two countries.

Showing a vast improvement in their kicking of the Gaelic ball compared with their performance in Galway last Wednesday - when they lost to a Connacht selection - the Australians won by two goals (six points each), 15 overs (three points each) and 13 single points to Ireland's four goals, eight overs and nine points.

The Galway match was shadow-boxing a kid glove affair in comparison with yesterday's volatile engagement. The Irish players at the end of the day were overwhelmed by the touring team's lethal combination of fierce tackling, superior fielding, ball control, positioning and fitness - and, not least, their ability to kick scores at long and short range from play and set pieces.

The match was excessively physical and in the third quarter erupted into a free-for-all which embroiled most of the players on both sides and a few intruders - substitutes and officials - from the sideline.

The Australians appeared to forget or ignore the agreed rules governing the tackle and frequently pulled down opponents in possession of the ball. The short arm tackle was used a few times with unfortunate results for the Ireland fullback, Mick Lyons, and substitute John Costello, who were taken off the field with concussion.

The neutral observer must, however, try to identify causes for the tourists' tactics. They entered the match with an implacable will to win and in their commitment to that objective, they often resorted to the touch physical contact which is a notable feature of their own Rules game.

The result was a succession of fouls under the composite rules agreed for this series , but it is only fair to assume that many of their infringements were instinctive rather than deliberate. It must also be said that the Irish players invited crunching tackles many times because of their tendency to dally in possession of the ball, especially when they chose to play on after taking a "mark".

The Irish players appeared to be intimidated by their rivals' remorseless physical approach at an early stage of the proceedings and thus lost the initiative in later man-to-man confrontations.

Here a word of warning must be spoken. After the match the Irish officials, selectors and players were loudly critical of the Australians' tactics. But people in glasshouses cannot afford to throw stones. The persistent fouling and rugby-type tackling of the Aussies are not alien to Gaelic football. We complain about them every week.

It was ironic that the free-for-all in the third quarter was caused by an Irish player. The centre-half back Tom Spillane pulled down an opponent and from that action erupted the fight which, though vicious for a few moments, happily did not grow into a really embarrassing "international incident".

The weather conditions did not help either. Rain fell all through the match, making the ground slippery and the ball greasy and difficult to handle.

Now to the other side of the coin. When the fouling is excepted there was a great deal to admire in the quality of football played by both teams, and particularly by the Australians, who had made such a remarkable improvement since their mid-week display in Galway.

Last Wednesday's match was largely a "handball" affair but yesterday kicking, and very often excellent kicking, predominated. Play often flowed freely and swiftly and the Australians, all fine athletes, showed a remarkable degree of skill in their fetching and holding of the ball, their quick deliveries and pinpoint combination.

If the fouling problem can be sorted out - and this may be done when officials of both sides meet in Dublin on Tuesday night - the remainder of this series and the whole future of the internationals can be a success. Everything possible must be done to avoid "marital breakdown".

Although the Ireland team lost by a decisive margin, they were not disgraced, and will probably regroup their forces for the second Test at Croke Park next Sunday.

They started yesterday's match in a dreadful quandary. Their chosen goalkeeper, Martin Furlong, turned up at Páirc Uí Chaoimh with a shoulder injury and informed the selectors that he wished to withdraw from the team.The Irish side's problem, however, was that the selectors had not named a reserve goalkeeper. Dublin's John O'Leary had been named as a standby player but did not travel to Cork and, in a state of panic, the selectors tried to contact the Kerry goalkeeper, Charlie Nelligan, in Castleisland to invite him to make a dash to take over from Furlong.

Nelligan could not be located, however, and Furlong was forced to line out with his left arm virtually useless. He played courageously, however, but his disability was responsible to some extent for Australia's two goals which were scored by the midfielder Mark Lee and left-full forward John flatten.

Ireland's goals were scored by Jimmy Kerrigan, Matt Connor (from a penalty), both in the first quarter, and Barney Rock and substitute Brian O'Donnell in the fourth quarter.

Ireland had the better of the play, if not the tackling, in the opening quarter and at the first interval led by 17 points to nine. At that stage, the attendance of nearly 8,000 people were feeling sympathy with the visitors whom they felt were destined for a heavy beating.

But the scene changed quickly and in the second quarter the Australians jumped to a lead of 31 to 20. In that period, Ireland scored only one over - equal to three points.

Ireland fought back again in the third quarter and when Connor scored his penalty goal, they had reduced their arrears to only three points (39 to 42). The Australians then regained control and were in no real danger of defeat at any time in the last quarter.

Their goalkeeper, Gary Mclnlosh, played outstandingly and on three occasions stopped what seemed certain to be Ireland goals. The tourists' backs also played powerfully, with Brad Hardie, Gary Pert, Robert Flower and Murray Rance covering and fielding in splendid style. Maurice Rioli was an industrious midfielder while Craig Bradley, Ross Glendinning, Platten and substitute Stephen Kernehan and Michael Aish formed the powerhouse of their attack.

The indefatigable Jack O'Shea was a hero of the Irish team in spite of the heavy knock he received early in the first quarter.

There were also outstanding displays for the home team by Tom Spillane, Jimmy Kerrigan, Noel Roche and Séamus McHugh in defence and Eoin Liston and Dermot McNicholl in the forward division.

Substitute Liam Tierney was also an outstanding figure on the Ireland team and Brian O'Donnell when he came on repeated the fine performance which he gave for Connacht last Wednesday.

AUSTRALIA: G Mclntosh, C Holden, G Pert, B Hardie (3 points), R DiPierdomenico, M Rance, R Flower (4), M Lee (10), M Rioli (6), C Bradley (10), R Glendinning (10), A Daniels (1), S Malaxos (capt), T Daniher (2), J Platten (. Subs used: M Aish (9), P Motley, R Wiley, D Ackerley, S Kernehan (7), S Madden.

IRELAND: M Furloug (Offaly), N Roche (Clare). M Lvons (Meath) S McHugh (Galway) J Kerrigan (Cork) 6, T Spillane (Kerry), P J Buckley (Duhlin) 1, J O'Shea (Kerrv) capt 9, S Fahy (Kildare). B Rock (Dublin) 9, E Liston (Kerry) 13, D McNicholl(Derry) 4, C O'Rourke (Meath) 3, T O'Dwyer (Carlow), M Connor (Offaly) 6. Subs: S Walsh (Kerry), R Connor (Offaly), L Tierney (Longfordl), J Costello (Laois), L Hayes (Meath), B O'Donnell (Galway) 6. Liam Austin (Down), originally selected for mid-field, cried off because of injury and was replaced by Shay Fahy.

Referees: F Murphy (Cork) and R Sawers (Australia).