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Fresh from pulling on the Irish jersey in the two game International Rules series, player after player has called for the series to continue.
After an enthralling International Rules series there’s certainly plenty of enthusiasm among the players for continuing the games here and Down Under. The AFL are actively targeting a match in the East Coast of the US next time around, a move that would clearly appeal to the Irish American audience and the huge numbers of expats from both countries. GAA director general Paraic Duffy indicated that he is visiting the US in the coming weeks and would take the opportunity to review the stadia available.
Five things to take away from the Series:
Those Aussies Can play Ball
The perception, wrongly over the years has been of the Australians as larger than life lumbering labourers. Not so, they proved again that they have skill and ability in abundance. The ability to evade the tackle in small spaces and master kicking an unfamiliar round ball is highly impressive. The athleticism is supreme and it is testament to the quality of the Irish team that they were able to compete so well with their professional opponents. The mark claimed by Nat Fyfe on Saturday morning was itself worth getting up for.
The Irish Coaches Know their Corn
The Aussies praised the Irish team for their adaptability and flexibility in the way they adjusted their set up and game plan between the two tests. That in itself proved the folly of a single test which, as a one-off has no opportunity for revising the approach or re-testing against the best.
We Can Learn From AFL
Whilst it may be unwise to tinker too much with the playing rules of Gaelic football, there is no doubt the arrival of the mark has introduced a new dimension. One thing to note is the ability and habitual practice of the AFL players to skip the tackle an evade contact in the tight. The Dublin team showed aspects of this in their capability to create scores. It is one area that we could learn from and improve our players’ foot speed and movement at close quarters. GAA players tend to draw the tackle rather than evade and it is one area in which they were caught.
Tactical Innovation
Play your goalie as a full back and push the defenders up the field in a press. Not what we expected to see but it worked.
Two matches are better than one
As a spectacle, for marketing reasons and for sporting reasons a one of match has been shown up to be a bad idea. Whilst the International Rules will always attract criticism it is more likely to survive with the momentum of two games. Three would be even better if the US experiment comes to pass.
They said. . .
"It's an incredible honour to be asked to play for your country. If it's on in Jupiter, we'll go to Jupiter - wherever it's on we'll try to attack it.”
Clare's Gary Brennan.
Belfast Telegraph
"The atmosphere in the last quarter was pretty electric. It shows there is a grá (love) for the game here. There is a future in the series."
Conor McManus, Player of the Series
RTE
"This is the only chance we get to represent our country and that's something not to be taken lightly. To be able to bond and play with some of the best players, and hear from some other coaches from around the competition … is an opportunity that I'd jump at again."
Nat Fyfe
AFL.COM
"It’s a bit of a different understanding in the game plan and the rules and what is acceptable in Ireland and what is acceptable in Australia. In Ireland when you hand pass the ball you don’t really get any contact, in our game when you hand pass the ball you brace yourself because there might be contact coming"
Tadgh Kenneally
"I really enjoyed the tour, the two games are a big thing as you able to get your teeth stuck into the first game and knowing you have a second one and to play here in front of a huge Irish crowd. We toured well and we really got on well together.”
Micheal Murphy
"Keep it going and make it even better. If there's no International Rules series, it would be a shame for all the players that have played it and who want to play it."
Joe Kernan