The aussies have been peddling crap for years about how the rules favour us and we are stupid enough to accept it without looking at the facts.

Everything to do with possession of the ball favors the Australians. Our instinct is to hand pass the ball 90% of the time or bounce the ball on front of the man with a kick pass if a longer distance. That is going to lead to a crunching tackle here and turning over possession. A good pass in our game is a hospital pass in this game. We don't ping the ball hard in to a guys chest in our game it doesnt make sense to do so but lazy commentators claim we have lost the art of kicking when we try to do it to get marks in this series.

The tackle is completely alien to our guys, the distance you can travel with the ball, the consecutive hopping are all taken from the AFL. Not to mention the mark. Ok we do it from kickouts now but every kick bar something really short is mark-able. Given that this is a key component of their game they are obviously expert fielders. Catch the ball before it hops on our 21 and they get a free shot, to be fair I think that takes the sting out of having to kick a round ball.

How anyone who has ever played sport can say the amateur vs professional thing doesn't matter is beyond me. If you took an aussie player out of his AFL team and put him doing 40 hours a week going an IT job or traveling the country in a sales job would he be able to maintain his place in his AFL team with his fellow pros. No chance.

The other Aussie excuse is that they don't have their best players available. Neither do we. They have a team of All Australians while we don't have a single player from our 3 in a row champions. That is not the mention the absence of the likes of Lee Keegan and David Moran.

It's time to stop buying the aussie excuses, if our guys win this they will have done so with the odds stacked against them not for them and will deserve great credit.

dahayeser (Cork) - Posts: 337 - 02/11/2017 09:39:07    2059694

dstuction (Donegal) - Posts: 1209 - 02/11/2017 12:47:15    2059748

Now that we're used to the mark It's surely game over for the Aussies.........

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7345 - 02/11/2017 14:01:54    2059774

DUBJOHN (Dublin) - Posts: 932 - 02/11/2017 14:33:06    2059786

There is a huge window of opportunity for players to learn from the Aussies by playing against them. It also is a big window for managers to look at tactics employed by the Australians in the way they pass the ball and mark the ball and to apply to GAA skills. I believe that a team who suddenly goes for a chest pass game will really transform the game. It will have to involve a team totally buying into the tactic as well as some sensible refereeing when a player tries to find the necessary space.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 02/11/2017 15:34:07    2059799

Just seeing some pictures of the players out in Oz, I notice Feargal McGill is there, the GAA's head of games administration, why is he needed out there?

We have a new fixtures calendar next year which still needs significant work, would he not be better served at home maybe working with the CPA to try sort out the fixtures mess? Suppose you can't blame him, a free three week holiday to Oz! Not helping the image of those at the top when you have this type of carry on!

sporto (Monaghan) - Posts: 158 - 10/11/2017 12:45:24    2061588

dstuction (Donegal) - Posts: 1209 - 10/11/2017 19:07:08    2061672

Anyone staying up to watch this?

Royal.Legend (Meath) - Posts: 665 - 11/11/2017 21:41:49    2061756

Dermot Early and the GPA delegation to the Series travelled in style. First Class comforts all the way. All I can say is, those guys sure have earned it. I hope they well rested for the upcoming GAA Dinner in Boston.

WunderBar (Galway) - Posts: 290 - 12/11/2017 08:12:27    2061769

Brave performance in the last quarter but concession of the goal put us back a bit.

Conor McManus was brilliant for us. Class footballer.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 12/11/2017 08:18:09    2061770

Conor McManus is something else. If there was a transfer market in the GAA I would take him to Mayo.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11231 - 12/11/2017 10:11:24    2061776

Australia were very good. Sharp passing and quick hands.

Malonemagic (Laois) - Posts: 766 - 12/11/2017 10:22:08    2061778

Decent game. McManus and Murphy were phenomenal.

oakleafersir (Derry) - Posts: 808 - 12/11/2017 10:50:45    2061781

Most Irish players making sure they kept well out of harms way.
One eye on the ball the other on incoming traffic.
Australia should have won by a lot more.

StopTheLights (Galway) - Posts: 343 - 12/11/2017 11:59:21    2061787

Enjoyable game.

Ireland butchered too many goal chances. The reluctance to just shoot through a keeper that isn't an actual keeper cost them.

McManus, who was brilliant in general, tried 2 lobs rather than just going low and hard. Geaney did the same at one point as well.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 12/11/2017 12:02:52    2061788

Stmunnsriver (Wexford) - Posts: 2842 - 12/11/2017 12:22:53    2061793

Given all the factors ie player unavailability, team virus and weather conditions etc we put up a brave display. A bit more directness and cutting edge inside and we could have got a result in this one. But credit to the Aussies they dominated the play for long periods and if they were a bit more accurate in scoring positions we could have been blitzed this morning.

I think the Aussies will push on in the second test and win by a decent margin. If we manage to turn it around the players deserve huge credit.

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2385 - 12/11/2017 14:25:25    2061800

Any fights worth watching?

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8592 - 12/11/2017 15:04:19    2061805

Re watching the Australian Rules here. Very enjoyable. A few points. 1. Be quiet please marc o se. Its easy knock it when youre from kerry and have lots of games on the big stage. 2. Its a great game for a few reasons. The limit on the hand pass works well. The two referee system means it can be easily monitored. 3. The hooter 4. Two referees is brilliant because it leaves a referee less open to criticism of bias. Its hard to blame both refs if you lose. They have much less ground to cover too. 5. No stopping for substitutions or injuries.

Malonemagic (Laois) - Posts: 766 - 12/11/2017 23:01:01    2061967

very enjoyable game. much better than most gaelic football matches. our lack of a strong panel hampered us. Australia much improved from recent years. our boys did OK. strange decision to allow Zach Tuohy to take that last 45. bot sure who is calling the shots. surely Murphy should have taken it oe mcmanus or geaney. Not many flare-ups . one incident with Aidan O'Shea and that was about it. aussie "keeper" was great, prevent about 3 goals by coming out to meet the irish forwRds and not let them get clean ahot away. I thought Kevin Feely did great too. along with the afore-mentioned McManus and Murphy.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 12/11/2017 23:51:58    2061976