Paul Earley was this week named as the new manager of the Irish team for the 2013 International rules series against Australia. The two match series will be played in Ireland in October this year at a yet to be named venue in Ulster and at Croke Park.

Earley was the first Irishman recruited from Ireland to play in the VFL. Earley played for Melbourne in the VFL in the last match of 1984 after being recruited from gaelic football where he played for Roscommon. He then returned to Ireland and continued his GAA football career and played in the 1987 International Rules series for Ireland.

 

The TV promos before the second International Rules Test at Carrara on the Gold Coast were about ‘intensity’, an Australian team needing to ‘settle the score’. They would do it by pressure, tackling and hitting harder, within the rules.

They also tagged key players, including Tadhg Kennelly who was tagged by Sydney Swans teammate Ben McGlynn.

That reality led to numerous spot fires in the third quarter with three Australians and two Irish yellow carded and off the bench for a time.

In fact, it was Irish skill which still trumped the Australians - better high marking! (as when Kieran Donaghy outmarked Ben Griggs near the Irish goal), astonishing evasive skills, lay-offs of the ball under pressure with the speed of the Harlem Globetrotters, and precise kicking.

Although the Irish did not race away in a scoreless first few minutes, they inched towards a slight lead at the time. Steven McDonnell, the highest scorer in the history of the series, kicked an Over (above the cross bar) from the boundary line in the last minute of the quarter, Ireland taking a 12-8 lead into the break.

As an Irish commentator said, the Irish were handling the tackle better than in the past, particularly important for players who normally play a non-tackling game. In contrast, from early in the game Australia’s Mitch Robinson looked like he was angling for a prize fight next year with Barry Hall.
 

Ireland won the football, Australia narrowly won the niggle, but depite plenty of the latter there were no real fireworks.

After a fairly listless performance by Australia in the first International Rules test before a small crowd in Melbourne the main talking points going into the second match were whether the Aussies would lift their intensity in general but including at the man, whether they could regain some respect, whether anyone would turn up to watch, and whether the series has a future.

Certainly the intensity was there, with a match under their belts helping the Australians, many of whom were returning from holidays for the series.  Their skills with the round ball were improved, even managing to take a few good marks, although as always none of the high flying sort seen in the AFL.

For Ireland, who were reportedly banned by management from visiting the Gold Coast's beaches, it was all about winning game two to sweep the series, not just winning on aggregate.

International Rules has always been a clash of cultures, which I wrote about regarding the sporting exchange's first three decades (later republished on WFN).  Old and new versions of cultural differences were on display at Docklands Stadium on Friday night.

Some past and present events might explain why the first of the two Tests (the second is at Carrara on the Gold Coast, aka Metricon Stadium, on Friday 4 November) resulted in a 44 point victory to Ireland in a one sided game and three Mexican waves from a crowd in search of entertainment.

In this opinion piece, I want to begin by considering the past. Australians have three misunderstandings about the series and its history over a quarter century since 1984 and over four decades since 1967.

First, they tend to assume the professional VFL/AFL players will be superior to the Irish amateurs, which is not true. In fact, most series have been won by the away team due to greater team bonding, team skill and application. The matches have often been exciting and passionate as when 1980s VFL President Allen Aylett was excited by this ‘space age football’.

Australia's AFL players have been humiliated as Ireland ran rampant in Game 1 of the two part 2011 International Rules series.

The Irish now have virtually both hands on the Cormac McAnallen Cup with the series decided on aggregate margin and Australia starting the second match an unprecedented 44 point behind.  Ireland didn't let the AFL selection into the game and were never threatened.

The hybrid sport brings together aspects of Australian football and Gaelic football so that the elite players from each code can represent their countries.  Over the years the concept of a mostly All-Australian side has been diluted due to some elite players making themselves unavailable and also in recognition that some players in the All-Australian side are not well suited to IR.  For their part this year the Irish were disrupted by some county matches continuing so some players been torn between club and country.
 

Dublin, OH - This past Saturday, Oct. 22, the Aussie Rules and Gaelic Clubs of Ohio joined forces to throw the Inaugural Ohio International Rules Football Challenge. The picture-perfect pitch at Darree Park in Dublin - the future home of the 2012 49th Parallel Cup, and '13 or '14 USAFL National Championships - was an ideal setting on a beaut fall day to kick-off this soon to be regular post-season (and perhaps preseason) contest.

Ohio is heavily concentrated in both of these foreign games. The Australian footy-ballers were represented by the Cincinnati Dockers, the upstart Cleveland Cannons, hopeful Dayton ARFC and in-state powerhouse and hosts, the Columbus Jackaroos. The Gaelic lads pulled from past and current players of the Cleveland St. Ignatius, Cleveland St. Pat's, and the first year local Columbus Naghten Street.

Ireland has named a preliminary 31 man squad for the upcoming Cormac McAnallen trophy squad.  The squad includes current AFL listed players Tommy Walsh, Michael Quinn, Chrissy McKaigue, Zach Touhy, Tadhg Kennelly and Pearse Hanley and former listed players Colm Begley and Brendan Murphy.  Martin Clake who has been linked to an AFL comeback with both Collingwood and Carlton was not available for selection.  A final 23 man squad will be named on October 23rd.

The Australian squad is expected to named after a meeting today to discuss who is avaialble from Saturday's Grand Final teams.  The Australian team will be coached by Rodney Eade who has just joined the Collingwood coaching staff and the team will train in Torquay near Geelong prior to the first match in Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.

Queensland will host its first International Rules series match between Ireland and Australia at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast in November. The event is set to deliver a boost to the local tourism industry and reinforce the city's reputation as a world-class sporting events destination.

Sports Minister Phil Reeves made the announcement this morning with key AFL players and representatives from the Gold Coast Suns. "This means the second match in the two-match International Rules Series for the Cormac McAnallen trophy will be played right here at Metricon Stadium on November 4.