International Rules Swannies

[j s]

Originally posted by Sid
Goodes is the most surprising ommission. They usually dont accept tall players but he can run well.

All AA players are automatically in the side (regardless of their suitability) unless they choose to drop out.

Replacements and extras are then selected by the coach (Gary Lyons)

[TheHood]

Kennelly will make the Irish side.

Sydney Swans, the official winner in the race for superior representation in the IR series!

[j s]

Originally posted by TheHood
Kennelly will make the Irish side.

Sydney Swans, the official winner in the race for superior representation in the IR series!

Sorry. He was in the team but has officially withdrawn.

Here follow some articles from the GAA website http://www.gaa.ie/index_news.html

O'S? withdraws from Rules squad

Ireland International Rules team coach John O'Keeffe has lost another of his key players for the 2003 series against Australia.
Kerry midfielder Darragh O'S? has withdrawn from the squad with an ankle injury. O'S? picked the injury up in the Munster final against Limerick in July, but has been unable to shake it off.
So far, O'Keeffe has lost three fellow Kerry men, with Tadhg Kennelly and Seamus Moynihan also withdrawing from the squad. In the absence of Moynihan, Cork's Graham Canty has been named as the team captain.
O'Keeffe has confirmed 11 of his travelling panel with the rest set to be named tomorrow (Wednesday) at Croke Park.

International Rules Panel Announced
A panel of 27 players for the upcoming International Rules Test Series against Australia on October 24 and 31 was announced in Croke Park today.

The first test, in the Subiaco Oval in Perth on Friday, October 24 is already sold out but tickets are still available for the second test to be played in the MCG in Melbourne on Friday, October 31.

The panel of players is as follows:
Enda Murphy (Kildare)
Joe Bergin (Galway)
Declan Browne (Tipperary)
Graham Canty (Cork)
Kevin Cassidy (Donegal)
Paddy Christie (Dublin)
Colin Corkery (Cork)
Brendan Coulter (Down)
Gary Cox (Roscommon)
Cathal Daly (Offaly)
Brian Dooher (Tyrone)
Des Dolan (Westmeath)
Thomas Freeman (Monaghan)
Trevor Giles (Meath)
Joe Higgins (Laois)
Kevin Hughes (Tyrone)
Padraig Joyce (Galway)
Tom?s Kelly (Laois)
Sean Martin Lockhart (Derry)
Anthony Lynch (Cork)
Cormac McAnallen (Tyrone)
Ciaran McManus (Offaly)
Brian Mc Donald (Laois)
Steven McDonnell (Armagh)
Kieran Mc Geeney (Armagh)
Paul McGrane (Armagh)
Odhran O Dwyer (Clare).

The stand by players are:
Shane Ryan (Dublin)
James Gill (Mayo)
Sean Cavanagh (Tyrone)
Stephen Kelly (Limerick)
Declan Meehan (Galway)
#Stephen Cluxton (Dublin).

15 debutants in International Rules panel
Ireland's 27-member squad for the International Rules features fifteen players who will be making their debuts in the series.
They are: Enda Murphy, Declan Browne, Kevin Cassidy, Colin Corkery, Brendan Coulter, Gary Cox, Cathal Daly, Brian Dooher, Thomas Freeman, Joe Higgins, Kevin Hughes, Tom?s Kelly, Brian McDonald, Stephen McDonnell and Odhran O Dwyer.
The only survivors from the Ireland panel of 1998, when the games were revived following an eight-year lapse, are Kieran McGeeney and Sean Martin.
Sean Martin Lockhart is the only one of the non-debutants to not have been part of last year's panel.

O'Keeffe predicts tough challenge

International Rules manager John O'Keeffe is preparing for what he believes will be a very tough series Down Under later this month.
O'Keeffe, who named his 27-man panel on Wednesday, said: "They feel it's time they won the 'home' series and their manager Gary Lyons is getting more knowledgeable all the time in this code."
The Irish boss has named six standby players, with over two weeks to go before the group flies out to Australia. "We have two weekends training and some of the players are in involved in county championship matches," explained O'Keeffe.
He went on to outline his decision of bringing Colin Corkery into the panel as a target man, with Dermot Earley out through injury.
"I set out to unearth a target man and I had three in mind - Dermot Earley, Darragh O'Se and Colin Corkery," he began. "If there was another two months I feel sure that Dermot would be back and I reckon he'll have a big season for Kildare next year.
"Colin was the obvious choice - he spent two years in Australia, (beginning) as a 19-year-old (with Carlton in Melbourne) and has experience of their game as well. Colin's a very accurate kicker and is very enthusiastic."

O'Keeffe: We have pace advantage

Ireland's International Rules boss John O'Keeffe says that although Australia's players may appear to be fitter than his, he feels his men can get the jump on their opponents when it comes to pace.
"Because the Australians are professionals, they look like they have more stamina, but I feel we have an advantage in speed and we have very quick players in certain areas," he said.
However, O'Keeffe does accept that the professional training enjoyed by the Aussies is bound to give them the advantage in the tackle.
"Apart from that," the coach continued, "we don't want to compete with them in the area of tackling, because their upper-body strength is just better than ours. We have to devise ways of trying to limit that advantage. That's where our speed of foot and our speed of thought can come into play.
"Every player has to be adept at playing football with his head up, but that's the vision that these top players have. It enables you to release the ball before you get tackled. That's the whole idea of the game - to avoid walking into tackles."

Perth Test a sell-out!




The first International Rules Test between Australia and Ireland, to be held in the Subiaco Oval in Perth on Friday, October 24, has been sold out, it has been confirmed.

An attendance of approximately 43,000 is anticipated. When Australia played Ireland at the same venue in 1990 there was an attendance of less than 15,000.

Tickets for the Second Test in Melbourne's MCG Ground on Friday, 24th October have not yet gone on general sale, but a large attendance is also anticipated by the AFL.

Mr Sean Kelly, President of the GAA, stated that interest in the International Rules Series in Australia was unprecedented and reflected the entertainment value of the game an it's ever increasing status in both countries. The two games in Ireland last year attracted approximately one hundred and ten thousand spectators to Croke Park.

The Irish Team Manager, John O' Keeffe is proposing to announce the Irish squad selected to travel to Australia in the first week in October. The Irish party will depart Ireland on Saturday, 18th October and arrive back in Ireland on Friday, 7th November.

My group made up four of those 110,000 at last year's games!

[liz]

Re: Re: International Rules Swannies

Originally posted by j s
I can't wait to see BBH charging around the field. He should be unstoppable!

Absolutely. The Irish aren't going to know what's hit them (not literally I hope!)

[Jeffers1984]

Will Leapin play at Goal Keeper? His Agility would be of great use if he was to play at that possie

[ugg]

Originally posted by Jeffers1984
Will Leapin play at Goal Keeper? His Agility would be of great use if he was to play at that possie

Well, the article on afl.com.au stated that Jakovich was earmarked as keeper, a very puzzling decision if you ask me.

[Plugger46]

Originally posted by Jeffers1984
Will Leapin play at Goal Keeper? His Agility would be of great use if he was to play at that possie

I think they said Jakovich was going to.

[swan_17]

interesting line-up. Many players that I would have expected to play aren't named...
Though some are named such as Leo and Captain that probebly should have made the All-Oz team.

Good on ya swannies