INTERNATIONAL RULES:WHEN IT was suggested to a senior GAA official that maybe it would have been better for the current International Rules Series had a more identifiable AFL selection been chosen to represent Australia, he sighed and said that there was always something wrong with the internationals: if it wasn't indiscipline and violence it was lack of intensity; if it wasn't Australia running away with the series, it was no one in Australia caring about it anymore. And so on.

There’s some justification for the frustration but the series has a range of vital signs and for better or for worse they need to be largely positive if things are to survive let alone prosper.

It has been a little ominous to hear assessments of the likely crowd at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium fluctuating from over 40,000 to around 25,000, figures that would indicate yet again a decline in interest in the internationals, which in the early years drew in excess of 50,000 and 60,000 spectators.

There’s not much the GAA can do about the AFL’s stewardship of the series, particularly in Australia but it is possible to detect frustration at the way in which, for instance, box-office Aussie Rules footballers sporadically protest that they would have liked to be considered for the series but weren’t contacted.

Then again, who would the GAA be to protest too loudly about that given the unavailability of the past two footballers of the year and one of this year’s nominees simply because of a failure to enforce reasonable time frames on county championships?

On the field, however, there’s not much wrong with how the Australians have exercised custody of the game. Ireland have managed just one series win in the past seven years, as the AFL-prepared teams have sent out fast-ball players, who have by and large embarrassed their opponents by out-performing them in areas that were supposed to the preserve of GAA teams, such as kicking the round ball and by extension registering higher-value scores like goals and overs.

In fact the AFL have had to make concessions to prevent the Irish getting too far out of their depth in areas such as duration, the number of inter-changes permitted and limiting the Australians in the number of consecutive hand passes they can play.

One conclusive observation about all of this is that the AFL clearly want the series to proceed – even to the extent that they readily agreed to import suspensions from internationals into their own game as a measure to counteract the apparently constant danger of indiscipline, which they are frequently told is their fault.

At a glance Ireland lack pace, certainly the jet-burner pace that Australia prioritise when selecting teams for the international series. But beyond that there is a harder edge and a more aggressive physicality to how they’ll approach areas like the tackle.

Again this must be balanced with the need for the Tests not to dissolve into blood baths as soon as one team gets aggrieved with the other’s approach.

The evidence of the trial match and training sessions is that Australia continue to kick the round ball effectively and that Ireland are more focused in making tackles count at one end and ignoring them at the other.

Deciding against practice matches this week because the lack of intensity gives players a false sense of security, Ireland defence coach Kieran McGeeney and the management have concentrated on conditioned exercises where the player in possession is hounded, as he might expect to be tomorrow evening.

Rodney Eade, the new Australia coach, developed the point when talking to the media during the week. He made it clear that the hosts will be targeting the ball carrier in possession and without by squeezing space rather than just clattering into their opponents.

Defensively Ireland have worked out that their opponents always take the four hand passes and leave themselves forced to kick before the fifth would end in a foul whereas Ireland have a greater tendency to pick the right kick when it’s on.

“We need to be cool and not panic. Don’t take on an impossible shot – bring it in 15 yards where it’s going to be certain. We’ve talked about it in team meetings – no speculative efforts, no hero kicks unless you’re after kicking a few and it’s going well. It’s de-motivating for the team when you see kicks going wide,” according to Kerry’s Kieran Donaghy.

Precedent teaches us not to get too certain about anything before a first Test but although Ireland are missing a host of first-choice attackers there has to come a time when Australia for all of their ingenuity can’t just throw together a random selection of footballers and expect them to send Ireland up in flames.

Rules of the Rules

* The trophy is called the Cormac McAnallen Cup.

* The field measures 145m x 90m and matches last 72 minutes or four 18-minute quarters.

* A goal is worth six points, an over (a point in Gaelic football) is worth three and a behind (between goal post and outer post) is worth one.

* AFL umpire Ray Chamberlain and GAA referee David Coldrick will officiate. There will also be an independent video match referee, South African lawyer Ian Curlewis.

* Red cards result in a player being sent off. Yellow cards result in sin binning for 10 minutes.

* A tackle constitutes grabbing an opponent in possession of the football between the shoulders and thighs, using both arms. One-armed tackles are not permitted.

* A mark will be awarded if a player catches the ball after it has been kicked at least 15m by another player.

* A player may not enter the small rectangle before the ball unless it has been kicked before he enters.

* When running with the ball, players must bounce it on the ground every 10m (or six steps).

* Shoulder charges or bumps are allowed, provided neither player is airborne and the football is no more than 5m away.

* Suspensions shall apply during the AFL and NFL seasons.

* Slinging, slamming or driving an opponent into the ground when executing a tackle shall be deemed gross misconduct and earn a red card.

* Inter-change players will be allowed from the match panel of 24, 15 of whom will start but changes are restricted to 10 per quarter.

* The goalkeeper will be the only player permitted to take kick-outs from within the 13m rectangle.

* Teams in possession of the football shall not be allowed to make more than four consecutive hand-passes before disposing of the ball by foot.