After last year's flaccid disaster in Croke Park, Brian McEniff's Ireland bounced back to take the first Test of the 2001 Fosters International Rules series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday. A six-point lead means the outcome is still very open as the teams prepare for next week's second test in Adelaide.
Although the result was immensely gratifying, no-one in the winning dressing-room was disputing how lucky the visitors had been. Twice they looked to be on the way to a decisive defeat but great-hearted defiance by the defence and the blessing of two soft goals paved the way to victory.
Nothing defined this more than Kieran McGeeney's ultimately crucial score. Three minutes into the final quarter, he carried on a typically slick move out of defence and from a long way out, whacked a high ball into the Australian square. It looked to long for the forwards and not long enough for an over but novice goalkeeper Simon Goodwin misjudged the flight and allowed the ball drop in over his head for Ireland's second goal.
From a relatively perilous four-point lead, Ireland now had a commanding 10-point cushion to comfort them in the closing 15 minutes, traditionally the period when the Australians' superior fitness and familiarity with the 80-minute game gives them a significant advantage. In fact, Tadhg Kennelly could have added a goal but his swivel shot went for an over.
Ireland held out with six of those 10 points still in the bag but the match ended in controversy. Not fully realising the siren for full time doesn't become effective until after any dead-ball kick has been taken, the visitors celebrated enthusiastically as Stuart Maxfield's line-ball kick went for a behind, trimming the final margin by a point.
McEniff and his players emphasised that whereas they regarded the job as only half done, the win redressed last year's defeat had been very important to the team.
If the Ireland manager secured big-picture vindication, there were a few smaller satisfactions along the way. Not least of these must have been the performance of Donegal's Brendan Devenney, who ended up as top scorer on the night. Devenney's selection had prompted conspiracy theories around his and McEniff's common provenance despite some apparently impressive displays in practice.
By his own admission, last night was a rare entrance onto the big stage for the player but he delivered 14 valuable points - four overs and two behinds. In the early stages when more celebrated forwards were going dry, Devenney kept the scoreboard clicking.
The crucial inter-change system worked far better this year. After a hesitant opening quarter during which Australia managed 18 switches against Ireland's four, the Ireland management ensured key players were rested and available for the critical final quarter.
As in Adelaide two years ago, the Irish bucked the trend of final-quarter submission by embarking on the last 20 minutes only on level terms but pulling away purposefully before the end.
This may essentially be a team game but certain individuals were outstanding. Devenney's total speaks for itself. Captain Anthony Tohill was quickly sent in as a full forward and his determination and ability to win some excellent marks marked a huge contribution - one third-quarter catch with one hand while a defender swung out of him was particularly memorable - and his 59th-minute goal triggered the team's ultimate comeback.
But it was at the back that the greatest concentration of heroes was to be found. Yet again, Darren Fay excelled. The Meath fullback was in top form when needed in the final quarter. His importance was almost as noticeable when he was off the field, as in his absence during the third quarter the full-back line struggled mightily and Australia enjoyed their most threatening period.
Sean Martin Lockhart is another with a blue-chip portfolio of international performances. Yesterday, he was clattered by Warren Tredrea and needed three stitches over the eye before resuming activity but his display was remarkable. Football ability, perceptiveness and split-second judgment all combined in a tour de force performance from the Derryman. He was the architect of the break that culminated in McGeeney's goal.
In the early stages Ireland looked ill at ease. Their hand-passing was often ludicrously laboured and at times got the intended recipient into trouble. The Australians were able to effortlessly lose their men and present for uncontested marks. Had the trajectory of the home team's recent improvement with the round ball been maintained, Ireland would have been in trouble.
But with far superior possession, Australia struggled to get the scores up. AFL top gun Matthew Lloyd was too often isolated and when they did penetrate in attack, the forwards tended to panic and take the wrong option with the goal opportunity available, in the process frequently contriving not to take any class of a score.
Nonetheless by half-time they were well in control. Ireland had failed to keep Tohill supplied as a target man and the Australian defence were on top with veteran captain Craig Bradley - the only man to have played back in the first official series in 1984 - winning a surfeit of ball around the half-back line and Adam Ramanauskas using his physique and energy to dig out a good deal of useful possession.
Against expectations, Graham Geraghty had wiped out Australia's six-point interval lead within two minutes of the resumption after the second interval. It was an inspiring brace of scores by the Meath player and averted the first dangerous situation faced by the visitors - that they might have to chase the game for the whole of the second half.
The fat was back in the fire when Scott Caracella scrambled a goal after an initial fisted effort had come back off the bar. Four minutes before the final break, Australia had established a 10-point lead and looked impregnable. The need to inter-change the full backs left the defence ragged and under severe pressure.
Yet miraculously, nine of those points were clawed back in the space of a minute. First John Crowley - who in general struggled - floated over a great three-pointer.
From the restart Goodwin's kick-out was blocked by Cormac McAnallen, whose pass enabled Tohill to scramble a goal. Dara ╙ SΘ levelled the match a minute later.
Equality usually represents bad terms for Ireland going into the fourth quarter. But having been handed a reprieve, the team sensed opportunity and took it.
AUSTRALIA: 36. S Goodwin (Adelaide); B Sanderson (Geelong), 24. D White (Brisbane), 15. M Nicks (Sydney); 11. J Smith (Hawthorn), 22. C Scott (Brisbane), 21. C Bradley (Carlton; capt.); 37. A Goodes (Sydney), 8. J Bowden (Richmond); 17. D Chick (Hawthorn ), 33. B Caracella (Essendon), 20. S Black (Brisbane); 16. W Tredrea (Port Adelaide), 18. M Lloyd (Essendon), 23. A Mcleod (Adelaide). Inter-change: 9. S Maxfield (Sydney), 14. J Johnson (Essendon), 19. N Stevens (Port Adelaide), 25. D Hardwick (Essendon ), 26. A Ramanauskas (Essendon), 29. B Harvey (Kangaroos), 34. D King (Kangaroos), 44. N Lappin (Brisbane).
IRELAND: 1. C Sullivan (Meath); 24. A Rainbow (Kildare), 9. D Fay (Meath), 15. SM Lockhart (Derry); 21. E O'Hara (Sligo), 20. S Moynihan (Kerry), 5. S de Paor (Galway); 22. D O Se (Kerry), 26. A Tohill (Derry, capt.); 13. P Joyce (Galway), 14. T Kennelly (Sydney Swans and Kerry), 7. M Donnellan (Galway); 10. G Geraghty (Meath), 8. D Earley (Kildare), 4. J Crowley (Kerry). Inter-change: 2. N Buckley (Kildare), 3. G Canty (Cork), 6. B Devenney (Donegal), 16. C McAnallen (Tyrone), 18. K McGeeney (Armagh), 19. C McManus (Offaly), 25. MF Russell (Kerry), 27. C Whelan (Dublin).
SCORING SEQUENCE (Irish names in bold)
1st minute - Lloyd over 0-3
8th - Devenney over 3-3
9th - Tohill over 3-6
10th - Tohill over 3-9
12th - Devenney behind 3-12
13th - Devenney behind 3-13
15th - Goodes over 6-13
16th - Lloyd behind 7-13
18th - Harvey over 10-13
19th - McAnallen over 10-14
1st quarter: Ireland 14 Australia 10
25th - Devenney over 10-17
27th - Devenney over 10-20
28th - Black over 13-20
31st - Bowden over 16-20
32nd - Lappin behind 17-20
33rd - Bowden over 20-20
35th - Johnson over 23-20
37th - Harvey over 26-20
38th - Maxfield behind 27-20
38th - Joyce behind 27-21
40th - Black behind 28-21
41st - Donnellan behind 28-22
Half-time: Australia 28 Ireland 22
41st - Geraghty over 28-25
42nd - Geraghty over 28-28
49th - Caracella over 31-28
52nd - Caracella goal 37-28
54th - Earley over 37-31
55th - Goodes over 40-31
56th - Lloyd behind 41-31
59th - Crowley over 41-34
59th - Tohill goal 41-40
60th - O SΘ behind 41-41
Third quarter: Australia 41 Ireland 41
62nd - Devenney behind 41-42
62nd - Moynihan behind 41-43
63rd - McGeeney goal 41-49
65th - Kennelly behind 41-52
66th - Stevens behind 42-52
69th - Goodes over 45-52
69th - Geraghty over45-55
72nd - Geraghty over 45-58
74th - Caracella behind 48-55
77th - Bowden behind 49-55
78th - Lloyd behind 50-55
80th - Tohill behind 50-59
81st - Maxfield behind 53-59
Full time: Australia 53 Ireland 59
