Priming players to take big hits

INTERNATIONAL RULES: GAVIN CUMMISKEYtalks to Mike McGurn, who is impressed by the fitness levels of the Ireland players

YOU CAN love it, hate it or simply not understand it but come tomorrow evening the International Rules series returns when Ireland stare down Australia at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick.

Call it a hybrid or compromise game, basically it is the cream of Aussie Rules and Gaelic football trying to impress miles from their comfort zone (literally in the case of Mick Malthouse’s visiting troops).

For the Irish players it will be about dealing with the increased physicality, particularly the tackle, while the Australians must get their heads around the bigger, round “footie”.

Mike McGurn may hail originally from Fermanagh GAA stock but he has carved out a hugely-impressive career as strength and conditioning expert across several sporting codes.

Since helping former super bantamweight world champion Bernard Dunne increase his punching power, from 2007 to 2009, McGurn has been back in GAA circles with the Armagh footballers but he first made a name for himself in rugby league in England before joining the Irish national backroom team during the Eddie O’Sullivan years.

With a natural appreciation for what makes the Gaelic footballer tick, an insight into professional sport in Australia and a decent knowledge of top-level rugby, McGurn seems like a wise choice of lieutenant by head coach Anthony Tohill.

“I can do a lot of work on the tackle but more importantly how to avoid the tackle,” said McGurn yesterday from Ireland’s base camp in Adare Manor. “That is the big thing really because if it comes down to who is the best tackler the Australians will win every time. We can only really rely on Gaelic football skills. We don’t have the time to turn them into tackling machines.

“We practice the tackle in training but what we keep saying to the boys is, ‘Look, it is going to happen in a game. Accept the hit, get used to it, get back up on your feet after it and just play on’. It is part of the game. It is not Gaelic football it is compromise rules, remember.”

Players can be told this a thousand times this week but when 100 kilograms of muscle comes crashing into them, from their blind spot, it will be an entirely different and jarring experience. Only successful Irish teams have learned how to cope with it. “We’ve picked players who can play football, nobody who is going to be confrontational because that’s not what we want. It won’t lend itself to our style of game. It won’t benefit our team so there is no point in going near it.”

Naturally, there were spies in Cork on Wednesday night but little stock has been placed in the Australians’ warm-up match. “In challenge games sometimes you learn less than what you think.”

Judging by the result, 105 to 12, this seems a sensible approach but that is not to suggest an ignorance of the opposition. The presence of so many players who have played in the AFL, especially Tadhg Kennelly, will cover that concern but McGurn has also been doing his homework.

“We have looked at tapes of the AFL to see their movement patterns. You can tell if they are fast or slow, agile or strong. Can they jump? Whether they tend to hand pass or kick.

“I have a lot of time for Australians having worked in rugby league over there. They really are good athletes. The goalkeeper, (Dustin) Fletcher, is a big, tall, athletic guy. (Eddie) Betts is another really good player. (Bryce) Gibbs has a serious engine on him, he could run all day. (Sam) Gilbert is quite strong, a good runner. Their full forward, (Brad) Greene, is a good target man. He only gets four or five involvements every match but when he gets them he makes them count.”

The fitness levels of the Irish have been “a credit to the work that is being done at intercounty level around the country,” says McGurn but three names have particularly impressed him when it comes to non-Gaelic football skills in recent weeks.

“Seanie McDermott from Roscommon has been fantastic. Very enthusiastic, positive and has a great engine. A very professional outlook and just a great guy to have around.

“I’ve been very impressed with Colm Begley and Stephen Cluxton. Stephen is a very positive person; everything he says and does has a great influence on the squad. For me, having worked with professionals, I could see those three guys easily fitting into a professional set-up.”

McGurn’s already infectious enthusiasm for sporting matters has gone off the charts this week. Despite being part of the Irish rugby set-up when the English team first trod on sacred GAA turf, he expects the upcoming experiences in Limerick and Croke Park to be even more emotional. “This has meant the most to me personally – coming from a GAA background. I suppose the excitement of this Test series will surpass anything I have been involved with in the past, possibly even Ireland playing England in Croke Park that time. And that’s saying something.”

AUSTRALIA’s David Wojcinski and Travis Varcoe have been ruled out of the first Test against Ireland at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick tomorrow evening. Wojcinkski hurt his right ankle while Varcoe damaged his shoulder during Wednesday’s win over Cork Colleges.