Aussie Rules or International Rules?  That has been the question some Australian Football fans have been asking since the re-birth of the hybrid game several years ago.  Arguments are made for and against the concept, with some seeing International Rules as a vehicle for promoting Aussie Rules amongst younger Australians who want to see international competition and also as a tool for growing awareness in the footy community of international possibilities for our game.  Others condemn it as barely a hybrid and more a slightly modified version of Gaelic football and question whether the AFL will not back Australian Football and forsee a future of International Rules only.  Of course most people hold a view somewhere in between these extremes, or haven't given it much thought at all.  Recently David Matthews, the AFL's General Manager of National and International Game Development, gave his views on what role International Rules may have long term and whether that clashes with dreams of Australian Football going global.

The Gaelic Athletics Association yesterday voted to officially suspend the International Rules series at a meeting held at Croke Park yesterday. While there is still a possibility that the tours may resume in future, many are tipping that 2006 will be the last for some time, possibly forever.

As part of the decision, it was reported that the junior (under 17s) series will also be put on ice - possibly a blessing for international Aussie Rules if it means the planned tour to South Africa takes its place.

As reported in The Age, Melbourne, on 8 December, the AFL has contingency plans for the under-17 Australian team, if the GAA pulls the plug on International Rules for both senior and under-17 competition between Ireland and Australia - contingency plans being a tour instead to South Africa.

This may happen as early as this weekend with the GAA Central Council meeting at Croke Park, however the Belfast Telegraph suggests the GAA will delay a final decision until after meeting with the AFL in Dubai in January.

The first International Rules Masters (players over 35 years of age) test was played on October 28th this year at the GAA club in Annaghdown, Galway, Ireland. There was both an A and B squad match, with Ireland winning both games.

For the first time ever, an Australian women's team have followed the footsteps of the men's Australian International Rules team, setting out to do what the men have since 1998, test their wares against the Irish Gaelic footballers. The team has just completed a tour of Ireland, with very one sided results in favour of the home side resulting in Ireland taking the inaugural series easily - though not surprisingly given a critical rule difference compared with the men's series.

The second International Rules Test of 2006 has highlighted problems with the series like no other match between the two proud sporting nations. The rancor expressed by both sides has been unprecedented, and it is difficult to reconcile that respected voices from both camps, and indeed their supporters, can view the same incidents with such extremely opposing views.

The 2006 International Rules Series in Ireland saw Australia retain the Cormac McAnallen Cup, coming from an eight point deficit to win on aggregate in a series embroiled with plenty of controversy, leading to widespread speculation that the annual matches will be scrapped.

The second test of International Rules to be played at Croke Park, Dublin to contest the Cormac McAnallen Cup is scheduled for Sunday November 5 at 2pm local time. Tickets have been sold out since just before the first test, with a capacity crowd of around 83,000 expected, which would make it an all-time record crowd for an International Rules match. The current record of 71,532 was set at Croke Park in 2002. A preview and TV and radio schedules follow.

This year sees the first ever night test of International Rules to be played at Pearse Stadium, Galway to contest the Cormac McAnallen Cup. The game, scheduled for Saturday October 28, 2006 has been sold out since early in the week, with a capacity crowd of 30,000 expected.

As reported earlier, due to the scheduled night game in Galway, this has ensured an excellent timeslot and for the first time, an Australia vs Ireland match will be televised free to air at the same time in all of the the major cities, including Sydney and Brisbane, which to date have received red eye telecasts.