O'Rourke delays naming Irish team

Wicklow forward Kevin O'Brien has been drafted into the Irish International Series panel in place of Clare's Martin Daly, who has been forced to withdraw due to club commitments. The availability of Kildare's Niall Buckley is also in doubt as Sunday's game against Australia clashes with a Championship game involving his team, Sarsfields.

The Australian squad arrived in Dublin on Wednesday night and had a light workout in Croke Park yesterday morning. While Coach Leigh Matthews stressed that every squad member was privileged to be associated with the series, he agreed that there was an underlying belief that the compromise game bent heavily in favour of the domestic sport.

"To be honest, I'd say it's about 80 or 90 per cent Gaelic football. It seems to me that the main concession to our game is that you can tackle. Obviously we use an oval ball and that is the big difference.

"Nevertheless, it comes down to the same rules as we started with, and the two games are the most similar of all the football codes, so a combination is practical in that sense," Matthews said.

He hoped superior fitness would help the visitors compensate for potentially erratic kicking skills, and he admitted that the squad's preparation had been squeezed by the recent AFL Grand Final, which prevented a lengthy build-up.

"We have only had around six sessions to date. We had some match practice against some junior teams, including the Australian U-17 team, and the kids did pretty well too, which was kind of a worry. So the preparation has been limited, but we are confident that the ball skills of the players will allow them to adapt."

While Irish coach Colm O'Rourke has thus far preached a philosophy based on speed and guile, his Australian counterpart hinted that his players would, inevitably, call upon the more robust elements of the International Rules.

"I suppose what you might regard as violence we would regard as a normal part of our game. I mean, violence is a very strong term, but because our game is, within the rules, a naturally very physical one, our players are attuned to coping with those rules.

"In the heat of a game, you tend to play by instinct and I guess we are prepared to bend the rules to win the game, but we are not prepared to break them."

Although the Australian squad have only a very superficial knowledge of the Irish players, Melbourne star Jim Stynes predicted that it would not hinder their overall game.

The former Dublin minor player, who retires after this series, commented that while the Irish panel contained a number of noted "sharp shooters", the pressure exerted by Australian defenders and the different rules sometimes negated a player's potential.

Stynes declared himself very excited about returning to the ground where he played for the Dublin minors, and also relished the prospect of lining out against his brother Brian.

"Yeah, it's pretty unique. We have always wanted to play together, and, even though we teamed up in Melbourne and get together at Christmas, to play at this level, even if it is against each other, is a great honour for us."

Although Australian public interest in the revived series is yet to be fully captured, Stynes believes people will warm to the concept once the games began, and he reiterated the squad's devotion to the idea.

"What we have to realise is that this is a carrot to offer kids for the future, that there is an opportunity here to represent your country by playing Gaelic or Aussie rules. And to put the national shirt on just lifted everyone, really inspired us, and I know the Irish guys feel the same. "Personally, I feel this is the fastest of the three games, it just doesn't stop, and it can be attractive for spectators."

O'Rourke will delay naming his starting 15 until the morning of the game. If Niall Buckley is forced to defect from the squad, O'Rourke is likely to call on Donegal's Jim McGuinness.

Tickets for Sunday's game may be purchased from the GAA Museum at Croke Park or booked at 1850450-500. Admission by cash payment on the day will be available for both stands and for the Hill.