Distinct unease hovers in the Western Australian air

SEAN MORAN ON GAELIC GAMES:A BIG WEEK looms for the International Rules series. Friday night's first Test at Subiaco Oval here in Perth may not be capable of guaranteeing the future of the whole project but it could go a long way to sinking it.

The two big issues that must be addressed are indiscipline and lack of competitiveness and a distinct unease hovers in the Western Australian air.

It's not that anything on the disciplinary front has been left to chance. Croke Park's Director of Games Pat Daly prepared a DVD presentation for circulation to all involved, including media. It's a similar idea to that shown at the recent GAA special congress to consider the new rules on foul play, which are to be trialled early next year.

On Monday it was screened for the Australian players to emphasise what would and would not be acceptable over the course of the series. The Ireland camp has also been briefed.

Yet the pressure of the situation is bound to affect both sides. The need to be physically aggressive remains but the imperative not to over-step the established boundaries is now absolute. Reconciling these essentially conflicting impulses won't be easy.

It has been surprising to see how fast the international series lost altitude after steadily climbing over six years. Unpunished violence in 2004 set a tone that lasted into the two series of 2005 and '06. Those years were pivotal because they established two things: Australia's growing tactical superiority and a corresponding inclination to play fast and loose with the rules.

When in trouble on the field - and sometimes even when not - one pretty successful response was to start what the locals call "a bit of biff". Ireland duly responded by lashing out and throwing open the national box of dark arts and by losing focus on the game.

Complicating this departure from the relative order of previous series was a recklessness on the AFL's part. One senior GAA official, who sat beside Australia coach Kevin Sheedy at a dinner some time after the 2005 series, was struck by what he considered a heedless levity in relation to the discipline issue and an ominous failure to understand a "bit of biff" could cause no end of difficulties for the future wellbeing of the internationals.

As a result, the series is on strict probation. One ill-tempered swipe and any consequent brawling and that's it. Next year's 125th anniversary of the GAA makes an International Rules series desirable as a big occasion at which to bring down the curtain. But that simply won't happen if the next fortnight's drama turns grand guignol.

Next year might, however, go ahead even if Australia romp through this series, as long as it's well behaved. That would probably be a sensible outcome because at the moment it's far from clear that the GAA are giving this their best shot.

Former Ireland coach and selector John O'Keeffe made this point last weekend, saying that the GAA has fallen behind the AFL in its tactics and application. It remains to be seen what the response to Australia's speed and hard running is going to be but with one win in the last four Tests and three thrashings there's plenty of ground to recover.

There hasn't been any great indication that this is happening. Certainty about the outcome of the Test series before a ball is kicked is no guarantee of accuracy but regardless of what happens on Friday, no one could say that the GAA's preparation for this has been smooth.

Manager Seán Boylan spent far too much time having to fret over player availability when he wanted to be concentrating on the task in hand. Club commitments have ruled out some and delayed the arrival of others. Despite having to make the long-haul trip, Ireland actually arrived in Perth after Australia and the six latecomers only got here yesterday.

The status of the series has taken such a hammering in recent years that there's no residue of goodwill when it comes to suspending club activity to create space for international players. When president Seán McCague spoke of the need to create a "moratorium on club fixtures for two weeks" that was in a completely different landscape.

The series was thriving and the issue of club fixtures hadn't become as dominant as it now is in an atmosphere where special congresses are held to consider measures to protect and guarantee club activities rather than suspend them.

So for the first time Ireland have lost players to club commitments. What's to be done? The qualifier system in the All-Ireland championship has consumed vast amounts of time during the summer, leaving club schedules pinched but inadequate county board organisation continues to be a fundamental problem and so the situation arises where some players are almost certain to face conflicts in which the club has to win.

This time around the impact on the internationals threatens Ireland's chances. Apart from the absent players, the prospect of taking the field on Friday without a practice match arose because the full panel wasn't scheduled to be on location until too late in the week.

However this series is resolved, any future involvement by the GAA has to be on the basis of a more controlled structure. The practice of maintaining appointments as presidential largesse should be modified to allow a standing International Rules committee take in hand all arrangements, including who should manage the side.

Somehow the GAA has slipped into the habit of nominating All-Ireland winning managers to take on the international position and that has its merits in terms of the individuals' achievements and stature. But the most successful Ireland manager was Colm O'Rourke, who never had charge of a county team let alone an All-Ireland winning one.

Agreement has to be reached that clears players in club-country conflicts. This would only arise once every two years under the current format and the club seasons of 2001, '03 and '05 managed to survive without players being obliged to stay at home when selected to represent their country.

We will know soon enough what the game's immediate prospects are. If there is a future, no matter how circumscribed, the GAA should start making the best of it.