The GAA is set to resume its international contacts with Australian Rules at senior level. This was announced at last night's Central Council meeting in the Burlington Hotel, where this year's Annual Congress is being held.
Permission was sought by Liam Mulvihill, the association's director general, to negotiate "a resumption of tours on a home and away basis" with the representatives of the Australian game next Wednesday at Croke Park after the under-17 international which concludes the current under-age tour from Down Under.
The only proviso attached to what Mulvihill described as "the blank cheque" to negotiate was that the Games Administration Committee be consulted with a view to fixture clashes in light of "pressures of fixtures being much tighter than it was, particularly as the Football Development Committee are investigating the possibility of switching to a calendar year as in hurling."
Ian Collins, general manager of football operations of the Australian Football League and the organisation's second-in-command, will fly in for this meeting although he is not accompanying the full under-17 tour.
If the negotiations are successful, they will lead to the first International Rules tour since 1990 when Ireland, under the management of Eugene McGee, toured Australia and won the Test series 21. That was the culmination of two home-and-away series in six years, from the inaugural international tour in 1984.
The problem with those tours was always perceived to be at the Australian end. In 1984 and '87, the home series in Ireland were well-attended with crowds of around 30,000 watching the decisive matches in Croke Park.
In Australia, however, interest was more muted with the Rules organisation and players appearing less committed to the idea than the GAA. Crowds were smaller and greatly boosted by the presence of Irish immigrants whereas the Australian public were suspicious of the hybrid game, not least because the use of a round ball rather than the oval ball used in Australian Rules.
The lower level of interest had financial implications and it proved impossible after 1990 to attract a sponsor for the Australian home series.
Speaking to journalists after the Council meeting, Mulvihill outlined the reasons for feeling more optimistic about the prospects for a successful and permanent resumption of the international series.
Firstly he said that the main pressure for resumption was now coming from Australia rather than Croke Park as the Rules people had now realised that as a similarly indigenous game, it needed a competitive international outlet.
"The pressure used to be more from our end but that has changed," said Mulvihill. "They now can see the loss of an international dimension."
Some years ago, a number of exhibition matches between Rules clubs were staged in foreign cities in an attempt to attract a worldwide market in the manner of American football. Mulvihill said that the Australians now acknowledged that these exhibitions had not been a success.
Secondly, there have been structural changes in the Australian game which will make it more easy to deal with at a central level. Replacing the old Melbourne-based Victorian League is a national body, the AFL, which has been recognised by the Australian government for the purposes of international funding.
Meanwhile there were no hints last night as to what tack GAA president Joe McDonagh may take on the subject of Rule 21 or the Good Friday settlement in general. According to Croke Park sources, "the president has given no indication of the content of his speech".
Former president Con Murphy called on the association to raise the occupation of Crossmaglen Rangers' ground in Armagh by the British Army with An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to ensure that in the current climate, the "occupation of one of our grounds" be brought to an end and the matter be "wiped off our agenda for good".
