International Rules:Prospects for the resumption of the International Rules series have improved after last week's talks between the GAA and AFL in Dubai.
Led by association president Nickey Brennan, the Irish delegation, also featuring Croke Park's Director of Games Pat Daly and former Ireland captain and selector Anthony Tohill, have agreed a number of proposals intended to address the chronic indiscipline that in 2005 and '06 brought about the suspension of the series nine years after its resumption in 1998.
It is accepted within the GAA a major reform of disciplinary matters will be necessary if the series is to be given the green light by Central Council. Among the initiatives believed to be under consideration is the extension of any suspensions to cover players in their own game.
Although this has been a no-go area in the past as far as the Australians were concerned, the AFL is understood now to be willing to consider the idea as part of a package designed to improve discipline in the international game.
There has been a consensus the series' problems have arisen from a lack of independent, neutral input, from the appointment of match officials, one each from the GAA and AFL, to the processing of disciplinary matters, which has also been on the basis of joint-administration by the organisations.
The latest proposals include an attempt to bring some outside influence to bear on the game in both of those areas. Firstly an old proposal that referees from outside the GAA and AFL be trained and appointed to officiate the Tests has been revived. This would counter the charge officials from either country's association have at times been perceived to favour their own team.
Originally the GAA referee and AFL umpire used to stay together away from the respective team hotels, but this practice was dropped and match officials became essentially part of their association's travelling party.
Back in 2000, Pat Daly first floated the suggestion that rugby league referees could be asked to take over the match officiating duties, as they would have no links to the players involved.
Overall, the GAA representatives are said to be encouraged by the attitude of the Australians and their willingness to make radical changes to the way the series is controlled and their agreement that effective deterrents have to be implemented.
Another element of the proposals is understood to cover an independent discipline commissioner, who would take away from Irish and Australian officials the responsibility of sitting in judgement on their own players, who run foul of the rules.
Changes to the rules are also under consideration, including those governing unlimited player inter-change - something Irish teams have found difficult to master. AFL teams are used to it although there are moves within Australian Rules to curtail this aspect of the game, which is seen as having become overly tactical with 120 changes having taken place in the final quarter of last season's grand final.
Australian media sources are already expressing certainty that the international series will go ahead and that a promotional fixture between AFL club Collingwood and Dublin, referred to last week during GAA Director General Páraic Duffy's first media conference, will also take place at the end of this season.
Meanwhile, the All-Ireland junior and intermediate club football finals take place on Sunday in Croke Park. The junior final between Canovee of Cork and Rock of Tyrone is at 2pm and the intermediate final between Moycullen of Galway and Dublins' Fingal Ravens is at 3.45pm. Entry is €20 (adults), €7 (students and OAPs) and €5 (juveniles).
