INTERNATIONAL RULES:IN A productive few weeks for AFL books, the one attracting most attention here is the memoirs of legendary Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy. Stand Your Ground - Life Football is published by MacMillan and hit the Melbourne bookshelves yesterday afternoon, having had excerpts serialised over the past two weekends.
Although the messy end to his 27 years with the Bombers commands most of the local media's attention, there are interesting passages in the book about Sheedy's two years in charge of Australia's International Rules team.
On two fronts he could be said to have undermined the international concept: one, through his blasé attitude to indiscipline on the field and, two, because he devised the game plan that has threatened to render pointless Ireland's involvement in the series.
The second he achieved by insisting on not being restricted to All-Australian award winners when selecting his team, instead devising a fast, transfer game played by skilful players capable of adapting to the round ball.
"We also had to change the selection process," he writes of preparations for the 2005 series. "Another important development as we got ready to take on Ireland was the appointment of Jim and Brian Stynes to be our scouts to give us the absolute best report on every Irish player."
His attitude to the indiscipline and violence that nearly sank the series after his two years in charge is one of baffled indignation and what one assumes is some Australian irony.
Writing about the second test in 2005 and the notorious scenes in which his captain Chris Johnson went berserk, clothes-lined Philip Jordan and then punched Matty Forde, he has this to say: "The second game wasn't without its moments, especially when Chris Johnson put his elbow out and created the biggest brawl of all time.
"Nothing like what Chris did had ever happened in Gaelic football. They didn't play their game like that. Chris was suspended, but in his defence, a lot of Irish players had been ankle tackling and raking our players with their feet.
"I think it's fair to say that as far as our players were concerned, they didn't mind if they were punched, but they took umbrage at being kicked. For Australian footballers being kicked is a bit like someone coming to your party and knocking over your barbecue. You just don't do it."
The following year's series is treated rather selectively and Sheedy's account fails to acknowledge that the big issues surrounding the outrageous second test in Croke Park were, firstly, the threats being hurled at Graham Geraghty in the week between the first and second test and the Meathman's subsequent fate and, secondly, the all-in brawling that broke out at the start of the test.
"We knew the Irish would be waiting for us when we got over there in 2006. And they were, and that was just their media. They have the most enormous press. There would be somewhere between 50 and 70 people at every media conference.
"Just about every town seemed to have its own newspaper and radio station. The build-up was huge, the tension high. Everyone in Ireland seemed to have heard of Chris Johnson."
In the context of last week's remarks in a newspaper column, comparing 2006 and current Ireland manager Seán Boylan to a leprechaun, Sheedy's comments in the book are less abrasive and more flattering to his Ireland counterpart.
"The Irish had a new coach; a Ron Barassi (legendary AFL player and coach, who played a role in the early years of the international series) type, we were told by Brian Stynes, our forward scout. We had our antenna up for just about anything, but in the first test in Galway, the Irish still got under our guard, winning the game in the last three or four minutes.
"Croke Park was a sell-out, the fulfilment of a dream for people like Harry Beitzel and Ian Law, who had first come up with the idea of International Rules back in the 1960s.
"We won - the game and the series - but again controversy surrounded the match, Danyle Pearce tackled one of their players, their henchman, a bit of a Gaelic version of Leigh Matthews. There was nothing wrong with Danyle's tackle, but the Irishman was knocked unconscious when his head hit the ground and he was taken from the field on a stretcher.
"The tension was amazing. There was only a small number of Australians crowded into Croke Park amid all these very angry Irish people. The Windy Hill brawl was nothing compared to this. I had never come across anything like it in my sporting career.
"There were lots of crisis meetings going on all over the place between Irish and Australian officials, and the series was called off in 2007.
"It was back on again in 2008, though, the Irish having agreed to help Australia celebrate 150 years of our game. I didn't think they'd be away for too long."
He speculates that his engagement with the series may have hastened his end at Essendon, as it caused him to miss a pre-season trip to Japan, but he has fond memories of his involvement.
"Despite the ruckus just about every time one of our players tackled one of theirs, I really enjoyed my time as Australian coach. It was the best bit of the latter part of my career," he says.
One Ireland-related regret is that Essendon didn't take on his recommendation to sign Down's Martin Clarke, balking at the €10,000 price tag and letting him go instead to Collingwood, where he justified Sheedy's faith by making a swift transition to the senior AFL list.
