The presence in Ireland of an under-17 team of Australian Rules players is to be welcomed by all who have the future of Gaelic football at heart. Hopefully the present tour will lead to closer ties between the GAA and the Australian National Football League, the governing bodies of the two sports, and that both will benefit from the experience. Clearly the distance between the two countries is a major problem as far as regular tours are concerned, but at a time when more and more money is made available to many different sports from a variety of sources, the two bodies can surely find a way around that problem. Although there are conflicting views on the matter, it must be accepted that the Australian game has been greatly influenced by its Irish cousin.
The Australian game was born in the state of Victoria in 1858, several years before the establishment of the GAA in Ireland. It can be assumed that Irish people were involved in this development, many of them having been deported following the 1848 rebellion and the Famine. The use of the oval ball was probably dictated by the fact that a round ball was unavailable, while the oval shape of the pitch was dictated by the fact that cricket grounds were used for the games.
GAA president Dr Alf Murray was instrumental in opening up the relationships between the two associations. In 1964 he managed to get his hands on a film of the Australian game and showed it at a Central Council meeting in July of that year.
About the same time, Harry Beitzel, an Aussie Rules referee and commentator, saw a film of the All-Ireland final while on a trip to London and immediately saw an opportunity for an international dimension for both codes. Of the back of his initiative, an Australian team from the state of Victoria travelled to Ireland and met and beat the then All-Ireland champions, Meath, and the Connacht champions, Mayo, in the autumn of 1967.
Meath then travelled to Australia in 1968 and Kerry travelled in 1970 and 1981. A team of Dublin college players visited in 1983 and later that year a set of compromise rules were drawn up. An Australian senior side came to Ireland in 1984.
Ireland toured Australia in 1986, the Australians came to Ireland in 1987 and Ireland went back to Australia in 1990. Although Irish supporters took readily to the composite rules, the Australian public seemed to lack enthusiasm for the hybrid game. A crowd of more than 40,000 attended one of the matches at Croke Park in 1984. On each occasion the visiting team won the series of full international matches. The series was not without controversy and on one occasion in Pairc Ui Chaoimh widespread fighting between the players broke out, causing some to suggest the abandonment of the series altogether.
Common sense prevailed, however, but an apparent lack of interest among players and public in Australia, as well as the financial strains placed on both controlling bodies, caused the visits to be abandoned. Now, renewed efforts are being made to revive the series on a youth level. If, as hoped, these are a success, a senior tour programme may be revived. It is to be hoped that this comes to pass. Both games can benefit from a close and friendly relationship and much can be learned by both. The Rules game is extremely popular in Australia and crowds of 100,000 or more are regular occurrences at the top matches.
One of the most celebrated players of the game in Australia is Dubliner Jim Stynes, who has broken many Australian playing records. His received the highest honour in the game - the Brownlow Medal - for being adjudged the most valuable player in the game some years ago. The under-17 team from Australia which is here at the moment will play all four provinces before meeting a full Ireland side in Croke Park on April 22nd. The GAA hierarchy, led by president Joe McDonagh, director general Liam Mulvihill, and development officer Pat Daly, have thrown their weight behind the venture.
In these circumstances the chances are that a regular series of matches between the two countries can be brought to fruition.
