Tomorrow week's International Rules Test against Australia is the first of two big matches awaiting Galway full back Finian Hanley this month.

As soon as he returns from Perth on Monday week, he will have just a couple of days to ready himself for his marriage to Pauline. The wedding will take place in Doonbeg, Co. Clare on Thursday week, November 27.

"I said at the start that it was going to be a busy time for myself to Paul (Earley, Ireland manager), and he said, 'Go away and see what the story is'," he explained.

"So obviously I went back and broke a bit of bread and she said, 'You only get so many chances at doing these things. If it works logistically, go for it. I'm having a very small wedding down in Doonbeg. I'm just having family only."

A veteran of four International Rules series and seven Tests, the Salthill-Knocknacarra clubman welcomes the new rule on short-kicks and would like to see a similar rule introduced to Gaelic football.

"Gaelic football is being ruined a bit by short kick-outs," he maintains.

"It's just taking a bit of emphasis off some of the skills of the game, I think. Now, it's not an old fashioned thing. A sequence of playing Gaelic football can be: short kick-out, hand-pass up the pitch and over the bar. You might as well be at a New York Knicks game sometimes the way it moves.

"It (the rule change) is good for the game and it'll be good for this game as well because obviously they'll have some big men and there'll be big contests around the middle.

"Obviously the hand-passes have been increased which will probably help them a bit more. I think the rules are as perfect as they're going to get them now and it'll be quite competitive."

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