Ireland V Austrailia International Rules Official Thread 2008

[antoinse]

Rossfan, if only your co board were as good at figures as you!!!

[ziggysego]

Gaelic Life's Interviews Video

[orangeman]

Australia handed the series to Ireland, no doubt about it - they handed the trophy over by not having a goalkeeper !!


This was a big advantage, shooting into an empty net.



Looked like a few of our lads weren't going full tilt for the ball either.

[Top of the hill]

Certainly more commercially viable than he international Gaelic Football events being touted by some of the usual begrudgers here.

At least we'd be talking about Gaelic Football, not some mange-ridden mongrel of a yoke 

Sure aren't all pedigrees breeds created by crossing with other breeds to capture the best traits of the parent animals.  

Yep, but pedigrees are never inferior to the donor breeds! 

But remember FoSB, pedigrees have a higher tendency to suffer from hereditary defects due to too much in-breeding. Mongrels are generally healthier, it does no harm to add new blood to the gene-pool once in a while  

OK, i think i might be taking the pedigree/mongrel analogy a bit too far now. This sounds more suited to a discussion board on the Kennel Club website.  

I will concede that i would prefer to see the GAA promote Gaelic Football and Hurling as opposed to "some mange-ridden mongrel of a yoke". However i do think a lot more could be done to promote the games in counties where they are traditionally weaker before even thinking of promoting them overseas, but that is probably an argument for a different thread

[glenullinabu]

but sadly, Stevie McDonnell managed to edge Paddy Bradley and Michael Meehan (assist for today's goal aside) for least effective player of the series.

[Zulu]

Lyng goin back to play for his club was his own persoanl choice and for that i won't criticise the lad. But in all seriousness he shouldn't have had to make this choice. No club player in Ireland should be ask to choose between their club and country. There are not many other sports in the world that would ak their players to do this. Especially an organistion founded on nationalistic and cultural principles.  The choice is a direct contradiction of the founding principles.These principles in essence come from the clubs, neglect the clubs and you will see serious problems for the future.

Just seeing your post now, I agree with this part of it. But nobody is grasping the nettle that is grossly inefficient county boards parking their club programmes for weeks at a time every summer while their county team is involved in championship. Even in Cavan where we were out in round one of the qualifiers, our county SFC final was played in mid-October! I ask you, with scheduling like that is it any wonder there's a clash between club/International Rules/Interpros every year?

And then everyone cries for competitions to be abolished when a bit of tighter scheduling and strict policing by Croke Park would solve all the problems at a stroke.

Correct, I meant to post that myself earlier but didn't get the chance. Again this GAA trait of blaming someone else for our own mistakes and never taking responsibility for our own failings raises its head. Today is the 31st of October and most clubs have been training since Jan/Feb so who's fault is this clash of competitions the IR or the CB's? Today was a great sporting occasion and something that meant a great deal to all involved I'm sure. It's not perfect and has no future other than these annual..ish meetings, but so what? It is the best we have at the moment and allows our best players to compete for Ireland. It also gives our players and administrators a free trip to Australia every second year or so and they all deserve that, yes even the administrators. I give out about CB's more than most but every administrator out in Australia is fully deserving of this 'bonus', it is too easy for critics of this game to suggest it is only a free junket for the 'suits' but what have these same keyboard warriors ever done? At least all those suits have stood up and actually tried to develop the GAA, not simply spew all the answers from the comfort of their armchairs. This series is, by and large, a good thing for the GAA and is the least of our problems as an organisation.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

OK, i think i might be taking the pedigree/mongrel analogy a bit too far now. This sounds more suited to a discussion board on the Kennel Club website.  

We've gone to the dogs all right  

[orangeman]

Ireland international captain Sean Cavanagh has said that the international rules format is one of the most enjoyable games he has ever taken part in.

Cavanagh was talking in the aftermath of Ireland's series win over Australia and played up the strengths of the game, which he said the players are huge supporters of.

"You have to give it to this great sport. Some people don't like it but when you look at the two tests and especially out there tonight, you have 27 of the best gaelic footballers going at it hammer and tongs," said Cavanagh.

"It is one of the most exciting games to play. I'll challenge anyone to say otherwise."

Asked what the win means to him Cavanagh said it rounded off a wonderful year and has real significance for all involved.

"It is a fantastic achievement for all the lads. It is really something special," added the Ireland captain.


?? Euphoric or what ??

[BigJohnBrowne]

Lyng goin back to play for his club was his own persoanl choice and for that i won't criticise the lad. But in all seriousness he shouldn't have had to make this choice. No club player in Ireland should be ask to choose between their club and country. There are not many other sports in the world that would ak their players to do this. Especially an organistion founded on nationalistic and cultural principles.  The choice is a direct contradiction of the founding principles.These principles in essence come from the clubs, neglect the clubs and you will see serious problems for the future.

Just seeing your post now, I agree with this part of it. But nobody is grasping the nettle that is grossly inefficient county boards parking their club programmes for weeks at a time every summer while their county team is involved in championship. Even in Cavan where we were out in round one of the qualifiers, our county SFC final was played in mid-October! I ask you, with scheduling like that is it any wonder there's a clash between club/International Rules/Interpros every year?

And then everyone cries for competitions to be abolished when a bit of tighter scheduling and strict policing by Croke Park would solve all the problems at a stroke.

Correct, I meant to post that myself earlier but didn't get the chance. Again this GAA trait of blaming someone else for our own mistakes and never taking responsibility for our own failings raises its head. Today is the 31st of October and most clubs have been training since Jan/Feb so who's fault is this clash of competitions the IR or the CB's? Today was a great sporting occasion and something that meant a great deal to all involved I'm sure. It's not perfect and has no future other than these annual..ish meetings, but so what? It is the best we have at the moment and allows our best players to compete for Ireland. It also gives our players and administrators a free trip to Australia every second year or so and they all deserve that, yes even the administrators. I give out about CB's more than most but every administrator out in Australia is fully deserving of this 'bonus', it is too easy for critics of this game to suggest it is only a free junket for the 'suits' but what have these same keyboard warriors ever done? At least all those suits have stood up and actually tried to develop the GAA, not simply spew all the answers from the comfort of their armchairs. This series is, by and large, a good thing for the GAA and is the least of our problems as an organisation.

I couldn't agree more !

[cavanmaniac]

Stevie McDonnell managed to edge Paddy Bradley and Michael Meehan (assist for today's goal aside) for least effective player of the series.

zzz zzz zzz

the entire squad trained like madmen to win the series, all of them

PQ

It might have escaped you there while dozing but I never said these lads didn't work hard out there, they were just three of Ireland's weaker performers across the two tests IMHO, at least as far as you can judge on TV. Bradley looked a degree sharper than last week but didn't get on the ball enough to showcase his undoubted talent kicking from the hand. McDonnell for someone with such talent had a shocker I thought, he got a lucky goal the first day and shot wide after wide today, and messed up a great goal chance by being greedy with a team mate better placed.

I didn't see Meehan on the ball at all really to be honest.

[Hardy]

Bradley scored a great over from the sideline against the wind, though. And Meehan set up Coulter's first goal. He didn't get much game time really. I thought he'd have done well with a chance, though he seemed anxious to be rid of the ball in a hurry.

[the real slim shady]

From Melbourne newspaper HeraldSun

What's International Rules' about and who really cares?
Jon Anderson | October 29, 2008 12:00am


PLEASE don't judge the success of this Friday night's International Rules game at the MCG by size of the crowd.
That fact hit home last Friday when picking up my sons from primary school and immediately being offered a couple of free tickets to the Australia-Ireland "Test".

Tickets that had been given to my 11-year-old via a teacher as part of an AFL promotional tool. And who can blame them for that?
But if 60,000 front up at the MCG for the bastardisation of two codes, don't claim it's a vote for the concept.

In fairness, I thought of taking Jack and Sam, partly to see something different involving Australia and partly just to see what it's like live.
Then I remembered their soccer commitments and my experience a decade ago of International Rules when I was left wondering what in the hell was going on.

Think about it. Two countries playing a game strange to its participants, let alone those who watch it every couple of years.
And odd or unappealing to football fans if a poll of 20 people in this office yesterday is any indication.
Eighteen didn't watch the first match in Perth on Friday night and had no intention of paying to watch this week's match -- or going on a freebie.
Of the two who said they stayed up on Friday night, one is a true enthusiast and the other said most of the game had been "pretty boring" but "the last bit was all right because it was close".

Because we have the professional footballers we agree to play with a round ball and agree not to bash the life out of the accountants, bartenders and taxi drivers who make up Ireland's team.   That normally ensures a close contest, allowing the organisers to pat themselves on the back as they chase international recognition for their respective codes.

And the AFL has kept the media criticism to an acceptable level via the lure of a trip to Ireland every second year, a tactic also used with the odd recalcitrant coach.
Five of my colleagues have enjoyed Irish junkets in a decade, every one of them, naturally, loving the journey and returning International Rules devotees.
The cynic could suggest they are hardly going to come back bagging it, although all say sitting in the crowd at Croke Park with 70,000 locals is right up as a memorable sporting experience.  No doubt the atmosphere is great but how about what takes place out on the pitch?

Great sporting events are built on the class of the combatants, the history of the sport, the culture of the code.
Ali v Frazier, Boston v the Lakers, Borg v McEnroe, Manchester United v Liverpool, Warne v Lara, Boston Red Sox v New York Yankees and Carlton v Collingwood.
And then there's Australia v Ireland in the 14th International Rules series. A game played a couple of times every year before being forgotten by those who care and never remembered by those who don't.

But keep giving those tickets away and, hopefully, enough will turn up out of curiosity to provide some atmosphere.
The pity is, many will leave wondering what they have just watched and it all meant.

[cavanmaniac]

Yeah Hardy that's the Bradley over I had in mind, kicked one the first day too and I'd like to have seen him get more opportunities like that, but otherwise he was sluggish in open play. At one stage in the 2nd quarter I think a great ball came into him after a turnover of possession and we were well placed, but he bungled the collect and eventually played a terrible pass staright to an Aussie.  

[Jinxy]

The last line in that article is spot on.

[GaillimhIarthair]

I didn't see Meehan on the ball at all really to be honest.
[/quote]
Highlights tonight CM at 9.35 on RTE 2 and I'm sure you'll see him heavily involved in Coulters goal (obviously) and also McGinleys.  I thought he did quite well to be honest allowing for the amount of game time he actually got.  I really enjoyed the game this morning and played within the rules its quite a good spectacle.  Well done to all the irish boys and the management team.