Sport

Plan to engage with Australians remains on track

The GAA are preparing to engage with their Australian counterparts, the AFL, in an attempt to restore the International Rules…

Ireland and Australia players clash during last November's second International Rules Test at Croke Park. GAA President Nickey Brennan said yesterday: 'They (Ireland player and management) are not prepared to see the series continue in the form that it ended up in last time.'
Ireland and Australia players clash during last November's second International Rules Test at Croke Park. GAA President Nickey Brennan said yesterday: 'They (Ireland player and management) are not prepared to see the series continue in the form that it ended up in last time.'
Ian O'Riordan reports
Wed Mar 21 2007 - 00:00

The GAA are preparing to engage with their Australian counterparts, the AFL, in an attempt to restore the International Rules series from next year.

Central Council decided last December to suspend the 2007 series, scheduled to take place in Australia, and called instead for a detailed examination with a view to getting the international project back on track.

That process is well under way, although GAA president Nickey Brennan stated yesterday they weren't about to be rushed in any way, despite calls from AFL officials earlier this week that every effort should be made to keep the series alive.

"We're hoping to have something to give our counterparts in Australia towards the end of May," said Brennan.

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"That was our plan from day one, and we intend to stick to that.

"It's still ruled out for 2007, obviously, but if the series is to be revised at all then the idea was to try in 2008. That was the expectation anyway."

Any future resumption of the series will still have to go back to Central Council for approval. In the meantime the GAA have consulted with Irish manager Seán Boylan and the Irish players, leaving Brennan satisfied the willingness is there to proceed with the series in the future - provided agreement can be reached on the necessary rule changes.

"Well the team management and players were always keen to keep it going," added Brennan, "and I said that at the time Central Council met. But I must also clarify that in saying they are keen to see the series continue, provided the certain issues are addressed, and that the certain changes are made to the rules and procedures. Because they are not prepared to see the series continue in the form that it ended up in last time."

There appears to be even greater desire amongst the Australians to keep the series alive. Andrew Demetriou, chief executive of the AFL, announced his hope this week it could continue, and that he'd "seen what it means for our players to play in the only representative opportunity they get to play for their country".

Australian manager Kevin Sheedy went even further, saying "whatever has got to be done to keep the series, we should look at it".

Brennan, however, wasn't getting overly excited by such Australian eagerness: "I'm not sure what relevance those comments have, to be honest. We'd made up our minds anyway that we'd engage with the relevant people over here.

"We've got a lot of feedback from that. We've met with the team management recently, so we'll take on everything that has come out of that, and see how we can prepare it to send on to the people in Australia.

"That was always our plan since the end of the last series, since the trouble started, if you want to put it that way. So whatever is being said in Australia right now is not going to change our course of action."

There was some irony in the fact that just as the GAA opened Croke Park to international fixtures in other sports they cut off the only international dimension to their games.

Again Brennan wasn't getting overly excited by the need to sustain that.

"In terms on any compromise games, the International Rules with Australia is still the only issue on the agenda. But in terms of the internationalisation of our games there is still an awful lot happening. Like in America we're appointing development officers, and there's the major expansion of Gaelic Park, with floodlights and an all-weather surface.

"There's also a GAA pitch being developed in Perth at the moment, and a lot happening in Britain, where we're doing a strategic review of the association over there. So there actually is an awful lot happening on the international element of the GAA.

"But in terms of International Rules that's still the only thing on the representative side, if you exclude shinty on the hurling side."

Meanwhile, Brennan also confirmed yesterday that Croke Park is available to Dublin should they require it for their final National Football League clash with Kerry on April 7th.

"Ultimately, this is a call for Dublin to make. If they feel they need Croke Park for the Kerry game then it is available to them. We would accommodate them. It is up to Dublin but I am not sure they will need it as I would not envisage a large crowd travelling from Kerry for the game."