International Rules manager John O'Keefe has today named his panel of 27 players for the upcoming Test Series against Australia later this month.
In all, 17 counties are represented with All-Ireland winners Tyrone, runners-up Armagh, Laois and Cork the only counties with three players each selected.
Ireland will travel to Australia hoping to reverse last year's outcome where the Aussies won both Tests - and therefore won on aggregate - when they played at Croke Park. Ireland, however, have good reason to be optimistic because on the last two occasions they travelled to Australia they won both times.
Armagh's Kieran McGeeney and Derry's Sean Martin Lockhart are the only survivors from the 1998 series when the International Rules test games were revived after an eight-year lapse.
The first Test takes place in the Subiaco Oval in Perth on Friday, October 24th where the 43,000 capacity stadium is already sold out for the showdown. A week later the second Test will get under way at the MCC in Melbourne on Friday, October 31st.
International Rules Panel:
Enda Murphy (Kildare) Joe Bergin (Galway) Declan Browne (Tipperary) Graham Canty (Cork) Kevin Cassidy (Donegal) Paddy Christie (Dublin) Colin Corkery (Cork) Brendan Coulter (Down) Gary Cox (Roscommon) Cathal Daly (Offaly) Brian Dooher (Tyrone) Des Dolan (Westmeath) Thomas Freeman (Monaghan) Trevor Giles (Meath) Joe Higgins (Laois) Kevin Hughes (Tyrone) Padraig Joyce (Galway) Tomás Kelly (Laois) Sean Martin Lockhart (Derry) Anthony Lynch (Cork) Cormac Mc Anallen (Tyrone) Ciaran Mc Manus (Offaly) Brian Mc Donald (Laois) Steven Mc Donnell (Armagh) Kieran Mc Geeney (Armagh) Paul Mc Grane (Armagh) Odhran O Dwyer (Clare) The stand by players are: Shane Ryan (Dublin), James Gill (Mayo), Sean Cavanagh (Tyrone), Stephen Kelly (Limerick), Declan Meehan (Galway) and Stephen Cluxton (Dublin)
Fifteen players will be making their debuts. They are:
Enda Murphy, Declan Browne, Kevin Cassidy, Colin Corkery, Brendan Coulter, Gary Cox, Cathal Daly, Brian Dooher, Thomas Freeman, Joe Higgins, Kevin Hughes, Tomás Kelly, Brian Mc Donald, Stephen Mc Donnell and Odhran O Dwyer.