Breffni Park hosts first women's Test

The Irish and Australian women's teams met in Dublin yesterday ahead of the inaugural women's International Rules Test series which will be held next week.

Appropriately, the meeting was within slingshot of the Australian Embassy in Wilton Terrace where lunch was being served.

On Halloween, next Tuesday, Breffni Park in Cavan plays host to the first Test match of what is a true fusion of sports, although the Australians appear to have got a raw deal. There will be no tackling, no marking between the two 45s (for continuity purposes) and it is amateur versus amateur.

The second match is at Parnell Park on Saturday week and TG4 will televise the games.

"There are just a number of changes, obviously there is no contact but we would expect a fairly robust first 20 minutes from the Australians because they are coming from their game which is the full AFL and into the hybrid game," said Irish manager Jarlath Burns, the former Armagh footballer.

In the meantime, Australia play a challenge match tonight against Round Towers at St Vincent's GAA club in Marino. They are not completely unfamiliar with the round ball as several panellists are part of the burgeoning Gaelic football scene in Australia.

"Without going into the whole history of the thing," Burns continues, "I think we are at the stage now that all men's sports were at in the 1880s. All the major sports became organised and structured. I think women's sports now in the early 2000s are now at that same stage.

"While it is very difficult for Gaelic games to break in because all the other men's sports are established, we are in a very exciting time in the development, European and worldwide, of ladies football because there is a genuine growth and development of ladies Gaelic games throughout the world."

And yet this series will literally live and die on its entertainment value. Financial constraints mean a return tour has yet to be pencilled in. "I think we will be optimistic to expect to go back next year. TG4 have facilitated all of this because it's their 10th anniversary. They wanted to do something special to celebrate their involvement in ladies GAA, which is very commendable and that's why they have funded all of this."

The Galway Hurling Board is to carry out a full investigation into Sunday's controversial county hurling final in which All-Ireland champions Portumna were dethroned by Loughrea. The board will wait for the report from referee Mike Conway before deciding what course of action to take. During the game Portumna teenager Joe Canning received a facial wound that required eight stitches.