International Rules News: The GAA are expecting a record attendance for the second International Rules Test with Australia next month. It was announced yesterday the first Test at Galway's Pearse Stadium on Saturday week, October 28th, is a 30,000 sell-out.
Even more surprising is 35,000 tickets have already been issued for the second Test at Croke Park the following week, Sunday, November 5th. That figure could double in the weeks ahead and looks set to threaten the record attendance of 71,521 that showed up for the second Test at Croke Park in October 2002.
Two years ago, when the series was last played in Ireland, 46,370 showed up for the first Test, and although Ireland were 77-41 winners, the attendance grew to 60,515 for the second Test.
In 2002, a crowd of 44,000 attended the first Test, and the record 71,521 that showed up a week later remains the biggest home attendance for an Irish international team in any sport.
This is the first year the GAA will stage the opening Test at a provincial venue, and also use floodlights for the first time. The fact so many won't be able to attend will no doubt further boost the Croke Park attendance.
The first Test will be preceded by the interprovincial hurling final between Connacht and Leinster and the curtain-raiser in Croke Park will be the shinty international between Ireland and Scotland.
Tickets for the second Test (2pm) are available from www.gaa.ie and ticketmaster. Special group juvenile passes are available by contacting the GAA ticket office at (01) 8658657.
Irish manager Seán Boylan is due to finalise his 27-man panel tomorrow, and will also announce the Ireland captain. Boylan spent the weekend at a training camp in Toulouse with his preliminary 39-man panel, returning yesterday afternoon.
One of his dilemmas is that several players on the preliminary panel are also set to feature in the interprovincial football final involving Leinster against Connacht, which is set for Sunday in Canton, just outside of Boston.
The GAA have indicated players can't be a part of both selections, which means Joe Bergin, Kieran Fitzgerald (Galway), Alan Dillon and Ger Brady (both Mayo) and also Darren Rooney (Laois), Karol Slattery (Offaly), Joe Sheridan (Meath), Dermot Earley (Kildare) and Paul Barden (Longford) are in a tug-of-war as all those players featured in their provinces' semi-final wins and were also part of Boylan's preliminary panel.
The interprovincial football teams aren't the only ones travelling to Boston this weekend. The curtain-raiser for Sunday's game (3pm start, Boston time) is the postponed Ulster hurling final between Antrim and New York (1pm, Boston time).
On Saturday, Louth also take on the North American championship selection - part of their reward for winning the Tommy Murphy Cup final in August. That game starts at 3pm (Boston time). Extra time will be played in all games where necessary.
