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Tag: International Rules Series

  • International Rules: Star-studded Aussie side prove too good for Ireland

    International Rules: Star-studded Aussie side prove too good for Ireland

    David Moran, Ireland, in action against Nic Naitanui, Australia. Virgin Australia International Rules Series, Australia v Ireland. Paterson's Stadium, Perth, Australia. Picture credit: Ray McManus / SPORTSFILE
    David Moran (right) in action against Nic Naitanui of Australia (left) during the game in Perth’s Patersons Stadium. Picture credit: Ray McManus / SPORTSFILE

    Australia regained the International Rules Series title on Saturday November 22 after seeing off a late comeback from their Irish counterparts. 

    Paul Earley’s side struggled to keep up with the Aussies for the first half, scoring only one point in the first quarter, and went in trailing 35-7 at half time.

    “Australia were incredibly accurate in the first quarter – I think they had nine shots at goal and hit seven overs. We were uncharacteristically wild with our kicking and we didn’t hit our targets up front which we had worked on all week,” Earley said in the post-match press conference.

    “Outside of that first quarter, we actually won the game. We changed it in the second half, pushed up and went man to man, adapted our system and were much more competitive,” he added.

    Ireland did indeed rally in the third quarter, putting on an exceptional performance by dominating midfield and keeping the Australian side under immense pressure. Monaghan’s Darren Hughes got Ireland’s first goal of the game in the sixth minute of the second half, which helped cut the deficit to 41-14.

    By the end of the third quarter, Ireland had cut the gap to 16, with Man of the Match Conor McManus and fellow Ulster men Darren Hughes and Mattie Donnelly leading the Irish charge with some superb scores.

    The luck of the Irish was with this group of players when Australia’s Nick Smith struck the ball into his own net earning Ireland six points with only four minutes left in the game.

    McManus then scored his fourth over of the game to bring Ireland back to within 10 points, but it was not to be, as the die had already been cast and the home side held on to win a fiercely fought contest.

    The match – and indeed the way in which the end result panned out – was just what this hybrid series needed, as Ireland had come out on top in the last four meetings. The competitive nature of the tie showed that this traditional fixture does have a future.

    Following the sell-out attendance of 38,262 in Patersons Stadium, Perth, the series seems set to return to Irish soil in 2015 with a provision in place for Australia to travel to Croke Park in November of next year. There was a visibly large attendance of Irish immigrants at the match too.

    “It meant so much to so many Irish people. The game was excellent – sporting, hard and fair. We needed a good game and we got that. It put International Rules back on track, which was clearly needed. It’s easier to go back to Central Council now and make a case (for the series to continue),” said Paraic Duffy, GAA Director-General.

    Many of the Irish squad who travelled Down Under will be re-packing their bags for the All Star’s trip to Boston which takes place at the end of November 2014.

  • Why save Andy Merrigan?

    Why save Andy Merrigan?

    Every year after the dust settles and the All-Ireland has been won, the attention quickly turns to the Club game.  Local pride, playing with family and friends, the parish team are all at the core of club football, but unfortunately our game’s biggest prize is flawed.

    There are lots of reasons, out of the GAA’s control, that don’t allow the club model to function as well as the county one.  I will look into some of the main reasons why the Andy Merrigan cup is over shadowed by Sam MaGuire.

    Karl Lacey played every single game for club and county in 2012 but only played once in 2013 due to injury .ie
    Karl Lacey played every single game for club and county in 2012 but only played once in 2013 due to injury credit gaa.ie

    1. Staggered championships

    The County Championships are all staggered, depending on when your county exits the race for Sam.  The Louth championship could start in early June whilst the Dublin equivalent won’t begin until late September.  With no fixed start date but a fixed final date it can lead to too many games in short spaces.  When Donegal won the 2012 All-Ireland their club championship was ran off in five weeks, champions St. Eunan’s played eight games in that period.  ‘‘I remember going to games on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s in the middle of November’’ said Mark Boyle of Ardra.

    2. Bad Conditions

    The club championships are usually played over the winter months, especially the provincial series’.  By playing these games on soft pitches and in desperately cold conditions players don’t get to express themselves as they would do over the summer.  Due to the conditions games are much slower and more players get injured. Leg injuries are ripe in the Provincial Club Championships.

    3. External Commitments

    Should you be lucky enough to prevail in your county and have county players or students on your team, it is nearly a burden.  County players are wrecked after a tough seven months, at least, and both the colleges and schools are just beginning their campaigns.  Also, the selection to play with your province and country are problems as both the Railway cup and the Cormac McAnallen cup squads are being finalised.

    The distraction of playing for your country is hurting the club game. [image: zimbio.com]
    The distraction of playing for your country is hurting the club game. [image: zimbio.com]
    4. Burnout

    A professional Rugby player and/or a professional soccer player gets six weeks off at the end of a season, this time is used to recover and allow the body to relax after a tough season.  The most a club player gets due to one commitment or another is, at the very most, three weeks.  Training for county and clubs starts the first Tuesday in January.  Harry Dawson of Skerries Harps says that he feels mentally and physically wrecked all the time ‘’I find it hard to go training and all I want to do is sleep’’.

    I don’t know whether its a coincidence or a fact,  but if you look at the counties and provinces winning the All-Ireland’s you’ll very quickly see that the club football in those counties is struggling and vice versa.

    The All-Ireland club championship is the pinnacle of every single player’s career but due to the above reasons we are endangering of ruining our game.  The GAA need to reform their fixtures and get a more coherent agenda put in place.

    I have taken the first step by giving GAA president nominee Aogan Farrell a copy of this article.