What was wrong with the IR team?

[swan_song]

Apart from Nathan Brown...well, the less said the better. What was wrong with it? Personally I think there were too many Sainters and Bummers in it...DalSanto, Aussie Jones, Reivolt...Hird, McPhee, Solomon... that's almost half the damn team from two clubs...
Did we take it seriously enough? Or indeed, should we take it seriously at all. For me, I don't mind the game...it's nothing special, but it has something. Its detractors call it a hybrid of course and laugh at it. But hey, when a schoolkid picked the real football up off the ground and stuffed it under his shirt at rugby school and scooted down to a goal, that was a hybrid game too. Things can develop...

[Sanecow]

I blame the coach and selectors mainly. Plus I believe the fifth pint was dodgy, as it often is.

[The Boot]

And was it true that Jack Love gave the prematch address?

[swansrule100]

its a rubbish series that is going to die soon enough i think

i like the idea in theory but to me it just isnt working

[ScottH]

Maybe they should use an oval ball????

They have never been able to kick the round one like the Irish do.

[Sanecow]

If we played the Irish game with an oval ball it would be closer I reckon.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Originally posted by swansrule100
its a rubbish series that is going to die soon enough i think

i like the idea in theory but to me it just isnt working

But why isn't it working? Because the Australians, at least during the 1st match, were decided half-arsed about it. And played as if they had no idea about the rules and the usage of the round ball. Kicking out from fullback/goalkeeper both short and towards the boundary line is tantamount to footballing suicide in IR. There are no boundary umpires to through the ball in unbiasedly. Most of Ireland 3 pointers in the 1st test were from stuff-ups the Aussies made trying to play it defensively toward the boundary.

But when you get professional footballers worried about injuries playing against butchers and greengrocers playing out of their skin to repesent not only their country but its unique proud keltic culture, you get results like the ones we saw in Ireland.

What is the answer, I don't know. I'm sure some AFL clubs were rather unenthusiastic about their players playing in it. And at probably the worst time of the year for us, it is highly debatable as to whether any Aussie players had trained on since the end of the AFL season, let alone with a round ball.

I like the concept. And along with several others are dead set keen to try and get an official Australian Cheer Squad going next year with supporters of all the other AFL clubs cheering their country side by side. I'll be at the Melbourne match next year for sure, hopefully with several others from Sydney!

It is not in Ireland where the biggest changes need to be made. It is in our own backyard.

International Rules WILL work, but only if WE want it to!

JF

[Glenn]

As you say the main reason it doesnt work (apart from the timing), clubs are unwilling to risk players, unfortunatly the clubs/players have to realise, if they don't play the nest available team and take it seriously (ie training), the game is going to wither on the vine at a intenational level (if it hasn't already)

[liz]

From some of the comments here you would think that the Irish team has established a dominance that has extended over several seasons. Sure, they won both matches here convincingly, and the first test was the least competitive game since the genre was reborn, but the Australians had won the past two series and previous ones had all been close. That indicates that the handicaps that each side faces are relatively even.

The Australian team probably does need a few more of its "stars" to play, and in particular needs greater continuity from one year to the next so that players start to get the hang of the skills required (ala Nathan Brown) but the concept is far from dead on the basis of one poor and one mediocre Australian showing.

Changing tack a bit - it was good to see Kennelly showing his wares at this level. He was very impressive last night, switching from defence to attack and back again.

[swansrule100]

Originally posted by JF_Bay22_SCG


International Rules WILL work, but only if WE want it to!

the players have to want it too as well

[satchmopugdog]

Liz
I agree with your assessmant of Tadgh's game. He was just about impassable in the third quarter,except when he got the giggles going up for a ball against Kirk.
Craig Bolton was much better this game. His delivery was more accurate and he used space better.
Brett Kirk did a good defensive job as well and hardly wasted the ball.
But the highlight for the Swans players was Jude playing the ball along the sideline trying not to get his fingers bitten off by the dog. It reminded me of that movie "Shakespeare in Love" where someone says during the fight scene "..and there's a dog." the play is complete.
All the dog needed was a 4 on one side and Plugger on the other and history was nearly repeating itself. It was so farsical it was hilarious.

[ScottH]

Originally posted by satchmopugdog
All the dog needed was a 4 on one side and Plugger on the other and history was nearly repeating itself. It was so farsical it was hilarious.

I thought Akermanis ahd lost his jumper!!!

[cruiser]

The series should be dumped. Its a complete waste of time and there is very little real interest in it here. The behaviour of the Irish media and some fans was a disgrace, especially for a supposed "friendly". They don't deserve to have our almost best playing over there. Nor is the series worth the risk of injury to our players. As for the dog, why the @@@@ didnt they stop play to remove it from the field? What a joke.

I'm off to the beach for the next four months.

[Margie]

I enjoyed the second game more than the first, though it's obvious the Irish soccer skills and round ball come into play a lot. They also go direct through the middle, whereas we play out wide and over utilise the wings.

We could do with continuity of players, but I guess there are always going to be more available when it's played here than over there. Nathan Brown is the only real standout this time around and it would be interesting to see players like the Burgoyne brothers or a few more with soccer backgrounds being selected.

[Damien]

I am not in favour of this series at all, it is not Aussie Rules, and the pinacle to me is a Grand Final...I would suggest bringing back a full State of Origin Series in October with each state being involved....however that is unlikely of course......

If they want to get the best players involved each time - why not make it every two years and turn it into more of an event?.

That way if players are selected to tour Ireland - it is a once in a 4 year opportunity and the players would be perhaps more likely to take up the opporunity instead of 17 players pulling out which makes it a farce.

But I am afraid while it remains Aussie Rules players using a soccer ball, the interest in Australia is simply not going to be any bigger than a casual interest from most people, and of course novelty factors and end of season boredom probably helps add a bit of interest to the Australian based games.