2008 Toyota International Rules Series

Its gonna be tough man & i dont fancy our chances to be honest as i'm worried about the tackle & although we have Trevor Brennan coachin the Rugby element of the Hyrid game, i'm not sure its something that can be picked up that quick by our fellas!

The first game will tell us all we need to know about the Ireland team - we cant be bullied or overawed by the physicality of the Aussies & we have to match them for sheer will to win & keep the series going as a contest for the second game!

C'mon Ireland :)
 
But given the "rookie" element of the squad, I think we will have the beating of them physically, and it should be an even match in terms of enthuaism.
 
PJ said:
But given the "rookie" element of the squad, I think we will have the beating of them physically, and it should be an even match in terms of enthuaism.
Click to expand...

I admire your confidence man but the Aussies have this game nailed now & not as they were before - Wrestlers trying to play with a round ball - they are a proper outfit now & if we dont match them then we're fecked!

We'll find out in the first half how things are gonna work out but we need these lads not to be overawed & not just going for the holiday!
 
Sheedy brands Boylan a "Leprechaun"

Former Australia manager Kevin Sheedy has stoked the fires ahead of Friday’s International Rules first Test in Perth by branding his 2006 counterpart Sean Boylan a ’leprechaun’.

Sheedy’s jibe comes as the Australian players and management acknowledged that a repeat of the 2006 violence over the next two weekends would signal the death knell for the series.

Writing in his weekly newspaper column, Sheedy expressed delight at the return of the series after a year’s absence but attacked Boylan for "ranting and raving" in the wake of the controversial 2006 second Test at Croke Park. He also warned the Irish players not to engage in use of the boot in the two Tests to be played in Perth and Melbourne.

"At no stage was I concerned about the way the game was played. Sean Boylan didn’t see it that way and he ranted and raved for an hour after the match in Dublin. I almost fell asleep waiting for my turn and it was the first time I thought I had met a leprechaun," Sheedy wrote.

"There is one thing I would like to pass on to the Irish ahead of the revived International Rules series. You can punch an Australian and we won’t be totally insulted. But if you kick us you are going the wrong way about it."

Sheedy’s comments are at odds with those of the Australian management and players who have been in diplomatic mode since Ireland arrived in Perth on Sunday night.

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=102690


The moral of the story is: KEVIN SHEEDY IS A TWAT
 
Selwood may apologise to Coulter

Australia vice-captain Adam Selwood has hinted that he may take the opportunity to ’make up’ with Benny Coulter at a special dinner for the International Rules teams in Perth tomorrow night.

Selwood ended Coulter’s involvement in the controversial 2006 second Test at Croke Park when he left the Down man with a broken nose following an unsavoury shoulder charge. But he is keen to put that in the past at tomorrow’s dinner which has been arranged in the hope that that it will help to prevent a repeat of the violence that marred the last two series.

"I think it’s a good idea," he said.

"Obviously it’s not over a pint of Guinness, but maybe over a bottle of Powerade - I’m sure it will be good fun!

"I’ll see if he (Coulter) wants to talk to me. Hopefully we’ll have a couple of friendly words. It’s all in the past."

Ireland manager Sean Boylan has also welcomed the pre-match get-together which will be the first formal opportunity for the players to get to know each other since the International Series was resumed in 1998.

"I like to think the idea came from myself because that (the violent play) was the one thing that upset me greatly the last time," he said.

"So many lads get so little opportunity to meet on the international stage that it was a shame some telephone numbers weren’t exchanged, that emails weren’t exchanged because in a contest like this, the friendships forged would last forever.

"I would look at the likes of the Dipper (Robert Di Pierdominico) who comes to Ireland. He still looks up the likes of Mick Lyons (who played against him in the Compromise Rules in the 1980s). The friendships endure and I think that it’s very important."

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=102689


Thats a nice gesture :cool:
 
Boylan expects tough Test

Sean Boylan has admitted that his Ireland International Rules team face a tall order in Friday’s first Test at Perth.

The Dunboyne man has decided not to hold a practice match ahead of the game, despite the availability of players from a number of local AFL clubs.

"We did consider it but when we saw the way things were there was no point in doing it," he said.

"The one thing you’d want to do in a practice match is hold something for yourselves. There’s no point in leaving it all in the practice game. That’s the way it is and you just have to make the most of it.

"What I’m saying is if you’ve only 22 players there (the other six, including team captain Sean Cavanagh, only arrived this morning) you don’t want to do things like that because remember how long we’ve flown and you don’t want to burn the energy out of the lads."

The Ireland manager admitted that his players, who trained in Fremantle yesterday in temperatures of 35 degrees, were having difficulty adjusting to the new rule which restricts the number of hand passes to four.

"It was amazing the number of times fellas were getting caught because you know the way it is at home with taking so many steps and some fellas get away with it.

"In our last session, half a dozen times we got caught with it - Pat McEnaney (Ireland referee for the series) was very strict with it.

"I think once you get out there in the heat of battle you’ll do it right. It’s the best you can hope because the practice sessions are to correct the things you’re doing wrong."

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=102688
 
Ah excellent.

Should've seen this thread before posting in the Gaelic one...

I'm going to check out our squad and give a run-down of our players, I'm pretty sure we're fielding a sub-standard squad TBH. Letting some of the younger players have a go, and not fielding our All-Australian Side (which we used to).
 
The Australian Squad:

Nathan Bock (Adelaide), Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs), Jared Brennan (Brisbane Lions), Campbell Brown (Hawthorn), Shaun Burgoyne (Port Adelaide), Matt Campbell (North Melbourne), Ryan Crowley (Fremantle), Michael Firrito (North Melbourne), Nathan Foley (Richmond), Brent Harvey (North Melbourne), Roger Hayden (Fremantle), Leigh Montagna (St Kilda), Daniel Motlop (Port Adelaide), Marc Murphy (Carlton), Michael Osborne (Hawthorn), Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood), Drew Petrie (North Melbourne), David Rodan (Port Adelaide), Max Rooke (Geelong), Brad Sewell (Hawthorn), Kade Simpson (Carlton), Adam Selwood (West Coast), Dale Thomas (Collingwood), Scott Thompson (Adelaide), Daniel Wells (North Melbourne).

I take that back, whilst it's not riddled with our best talent there's still some damn fine players in there.
 
Here's the more notable characters I've decided to quickly assess:

Nathan Bock (Adelaide) - Quality defender who will no doubt play the Goalie. Don't quite know how he'll adjust to the role though, he's more of a zone-off defender who will get in the right position to intercept passes/recieve the ball and damage going the other way.

Guarding a goal will be a test indeed, and he doesn't have the go-go-gadget limbs of Fletcher (who's always played there in these series). Will expect a few to go past him.

Jared Brennan (Brisbane Lions) - Freak athlete who looks like he's loping around the field, has party tricks (namely the one handed pickup, which would be rather hard to do with a round ball). Will jump all over your boys.

Campbell Brown (Hawthorn) - Small defender/forward. Will be the hardest man on the field. Not afraid to jump back into/crash packs. Has good skills and is extremely quick off the mark. Guarantee he'll flatten some bodies.

Shaun Burgoyne (Port Adelaide) - Lazy, yet uber-skillful midfielder. Would be the best player out there if he could be arsed. One week he'll get 30 touches (including 10 clearances) and kick 4 goals from the midfield, the next he'll cop a hard tag and be annonymous for the whole game.

If you want to win you'll have to shut him (and the following player) down.

Brent Harvey (North Melbourne) - Small midfielder who's a champion of the game. Seems to get better with age. Runs hard, breaks lines and is extremely skillful. The Captain of the side.

Daniel Motlop (Port Adelaide) - Mercurial forward. Kicks goals out of his arse, expect either something amazing or a total feckup when he has the ball.

Marc Murphy (Carlton) - Small midfield accumulator. Will run all day and gets heaps of the pill, doesn't have elite skills but will get enough of it to hurt you.

Michael Osborne (Hawthorn) - Tough small forward. Can leap over small buildings.

David Rodan (Port Adelaide) - Another mercurial midfielder/small forward. This guy has Messi-like ability to avoid opposition players tackles with the smallest shake of the hips. If he's given half a second to run your boys (or any space) they won't be touching him.

My tip to get player of the tournament.

Brad Sewell (Hawthorn) - Toughnut midfielder. A player who isn't blessed with tremendous amounts of talent, and has worked his way from obscurity to becoming a top line midfielder of the competition. Has phenominal upper body strength, and can find gaps despite being surrounded by half a dozen bodies.

Will break ALL opposition tackles, put your house on it!

Dale Thomas (Collingwood) - Will stand out, will try party tricks. Looks fantastic when the side's winning but generally poor when they're on the back-foot.

Other notables: Max Rooke - Hard hard player. Will play hard (and fair!). Daniel Wells - A silky skilled, quick midfielder.
 
The ONE thing I am dissapointed about is that you Irish lads will not be able to bear witness to the BUDDY SHOW.

0,,5646903,00.jpg


Just coming off the back of a 114 goal (the first person to break 100 in the home and away season in 10 years), Coleman Medal (highest goalscorer for the season) / Premiership-winning season.

Standing at 197cm, 100kgs, mercurial skills, insanely quick, has a HUGE motor, great above his head AND on the ground (which is something just unheard of at that height). He's as agile as a cat and moves like a gazelle.



(That's by no means a best-of clip, there's too much to put in TBH. But at least it's a little taste...)

Too bad he wasn't taken into the squad, in fact I'm perplexed as to why he isn't in. He'd bring the people to the ground, opposition supporters hate/love him.

But then again, I'd literally cry if he ever got injured.
 
Irish International Rules squad:

Sorry, should of put this up earlier Cesc!

Seán Cavanagh (Tyrone), Graham Canty (Cork), David Gallagher (Meath), Colm Begley (Brisbane Lions/Laois), Paddy Bradley (Derry), Marty McGrath (fermanagh), Benny Coulter (Down), Bryan Cullen (Dublin), Kieran Donaghy (Kerry), Leighton Glynn (Wicklow), Finian Hanley (Galway), John Keane (Westmeath), Aaron Kernan (Armagh), Ciarán Lyng (Wexford), Steven McDonnell (Armagh), Enda McGinley (Tyrone), Ciarán McKeever (Armagh), Joe McMahon (Tyrone), Justin McMahon (Tyrone), Michael Meehan (Galway), John Miskella (Cork), Aidan O'Mahony (Kerry), Pearse O'Neill (Cork), Tom Parsons (Mayo), Kevin Reilly (Meath), Paul Finlay (Monaghan), Killian Young (Kerry).
 
cesc's_mullet said:
Here's the more notable characters I've decided to quickly assess:

Nathan Bock (Adelaide) - Quality defender who will no doubt play the Goalie. Don't quite know how he'll adjust to the role though, he's more of a zone-off defender who will get in the right position to intercept passes/recieve the ball and damage going the other way.

Guarding a goal will be a test indeed, and he doesn't have the go-go-gadget limbs of Fletcher (who's always played there in these series). Will expect a few to go past him.

Jared Brennan (Brisbane Lions) - Freak athlete who looks like he's loping around the field, has party tricks (namely the one handed pickup, which would be rather hard to do with a round ball). Will jump all over your boys.

Campbell Brown (Hawthorn) - Small defender/forward. Will be the hardest man on the field. Not afraid to jump back into/crash packs. Has good skills and is extremely quick off the mark. Guarantee he'll flatten some bodies.

Shaun Burgoyne (Port Adelaide) - Lazy, yet uber-skillful midfielder. Would be the best player out there if he could be arsed. One week he'll get 30 touches (including 10 clearances) and kick 4 goals from the midfield, the next he'll cop a hard tag and be annonymous for the whole game.

If you want to win you'll have to shut him (and the following player) down.

Brent Harvey (North Melbourne) - Small midfielder who's a champion of the game. Seems to get better with age. Runs hard, breaks lines and is extremely skillful. The Captain of the side.

Daniel Motlop (Port Adelaide) - Mercurial forward. Kicks goals out of his arse, expect either something amazing or a total feckup when he has the ball.

Marc Murphy (Carlton) - Small midfield accumulator. Will run all day and gets heaps of the pill, doesn't have elite skills but will get enough of it to hurt you.

Michael Osborne (Hawthorn) - Tough small forward. Can leap over small buildings.

David Rodan (Port Adelaide) - Another mercurial midfielder/small forward. This guy has Messi-like ability to avoid opposition players tackles with the smallest shake of the hips. If he's given half a second to run your boys (or any space) they won't be touching him.

My tip to get player of the tournament.

Brad Sewell (Hawthorn) - Toughnut midfielder. A player who isn't blessed with tremendous amounts of talent, and has worked his way from obscurity to becoming a top line midfielder of the competition. Has phenominal upper body strength, and can find gaps despite being surrounded by half a dozen bodies.

Will break ALL opposition tackles, put your house on it!

Dale Thomas (Collingwood) - Will stand out, will try party tricks. Looks fantastic when the side's winning but generally poor when they're on the back-foot.

Other notables: Max Rooke - Hard hard player. Will play hard (and fair!). Daniel Wells - A silky skilled, quick midfielder.
Click to expand...

Excellent man - great analysis mate :cool:

I noticed a recurring theme - "Hard" :nervous::nervous::nervous:

But if us boys are up to the task of representing Ireland & doing the Country proud then they'll have to have a bit of this :mad::mad::mad:
 
How to play International Rules

IT'S A tough ask to put together a set of rules combining football codes from across the globe, but the No. 1 consideration for the 2008 Toyota International Rules Series is ensuring matches are played in a spirit of mutual respect and recognising the principles of fair play.

When the Australian Football League and the Gaelic Athletic Association got together in Dubai in February to nut out the resumption of the series, each body appointed a playing rules moderator – talent and international manager Kevin Sheehan on behalf of the AFL and director of games general Pat Daly representing the GAA – to communicate the laws of the game in 2008.

The AFL/GAA control committee to determine these rules is headed by AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou and GAA director general Paraic Duffy.

The following is a run-down of the general rules and most recent changes to this unique sporting concept.

THE FIELD

The International Rules Series will be played on a rectangular field measuring 145m in length and 90m in width. As well as the mid-line, there are markings at 45, 20 and 13m from each goal. A maximum of two players per side are allowed between the 45m lines at centre bounces, and the goalkeeper must kick the ball back into play from within the 13m line following overs, behinds or when the ball goes out of bounds over the goal line.


SCORING

At either end of the ground are two point posts and two goal posts with a crossbar and a soccer-style net between the goal posts.

A player can score a goal, which earns six points, by kicking or knocking (not handpassing) the ball into the net, in which case the goal umpire raises both index fingers and signals by waving a green flag.

An over (three points) is scored when the ball is kicked or knocked over the crossbar, whereby the goal umpire extends one arm over his head and waves a red flag.

When the ball travels between the goal and point posts, a behind (one point) is registered, with the goal umpire raising one index finger and waving a white flag.

Play-on will be called if the ball bounces back into play after hitting any of the four posts or the crossbar, while no score is registered if a player on the attacking side carries the ball over the goal or behind line.

If both teams have won one match following the Tests in Perth and Melbourne, the team with the highest aggregate score is awarded the series, while Australia (having won the previous series) retains the trophy if the aggregate score is equal after both matches.


THE OFFICIALS

To complement independent video match referee Ian Curlewis, AFL umpire Stephen McBurney and GAA referee Pat McEnaney have been appointed as on-field officials for the 2008 International Rules Series.


GENERAL RULES

Red/yellow cards: If an on-field or video referee adjudges a player to have committed a serious offence, he may send the player from the field for the remainder of the match by issuing a red card. Such infractions include insulting a match referee as well as striking, deliberately kicking, head-butting or gouging an opponent. Yellow cards can be issued for wrestling, misconduct, fronting up to an opponent or any other form of physical intimidation, as well as being the third man into a melee.

20-metre penalties: The AFL's 50-metre penalty is reduced to 20 metres in the International Rules Series.

Legal tackles: A legal tackle constitutes grabbing an opponent in possession of the football between the shoulders and thighs, using both arms. One-armed tackles are not permitted. If the player being tackled does not dispose of the ball correctly, he will be penalised.

Opposition players are not allowed to check, challenge or tackle the goalkeeper inside the rectangle area unless he delays the play of the ball. However, the goalkeeper can be tackled when in possession outside his designated area.

Penalty kicks: If a defender commits an offence in the rectangle directly in front of goal or a personal foul in the larger rectangle in front of goal, a penalty kick is awarded. The player who has been fouled takes the kick from the penalty spot, either placing the ball on the ground or kicking it out of his hands.

The goalkeeper must not move forward of his goal line until the ball is kicked, but is allowed to move along the line in anticipation of the kick.

Marking: Although Gaelic Football does not recognise marks, as per the rules in Australian Football, a mark will be awarded if a player catches the ball after it has been kicked at least 15m by another player.

Out of bounds: When the ball goes out of play, a free kick is awarded against the team that last touched the ball. A player from the opposition can either kick or handpass the ball back into play.

Running bounces: When running with the ball, players must bounce or touch it on the ground every 10m (or six steps). However, there is no limit to the number of times players can 'solo' or 'toe tap' the ball between hand and foot instead of bouncing.

Bumping: Shoulder charges or bumps are allowed, provided neither player is airborne and the football is no more than 5m away. However, 'shepherding' or unreasonably charging a player will result in a free kick and/or an order off.

Gathering the ball: A free kick will be awarded against any player on the ground or on his knees who picks up the ball or drags it back into a pack. To promote free-flowing ball movement, the ball can only be knocked on in these situations.

Advantage rule: Referees can allow play to continue once a free kick has been awarded if they deem it will advantage the receiving team, but there is no recall mechanism in the International Rules Series.


THE CHANGES

Video match referee: South African-born lawyer Ian Curlewis has been appointed to this fully independent role to report yellow or red card infractions not detected by match officials. These will be relayed during stoppages or at breaks between quarters. Curlewis, who has a background in officiating disciplinary tribunals in rugby, cricket, tennis and squash, will also help match officials decide who to refer to the International Rules Series tribunal, if needed.

Tribunal penalties: As opposed to previous series, the tribunal will have the power to impose sanctions that apply during the AFL premiership season and GAA National Football League matches.

Tackling: In light of recent AFL changes and the implications of Danyle Pearce's tackle on Ireland's Graham Geraghty in the 2006 series, a player who slings, slams or drives an opponent into the ground when executing a tackle shall be guilty of gross misconduct and shown a red card. This will result in an order-off for the remainder of the match without replacement.

Replacements: A yellow card offence will result in players being sent off for 10 minutes, with no replacement allowed during this time.

Time-keeping: Matches will run for 72 minutes, with four quarters of 18 minutes each, plus additional time added for breaks in play such as the blood rule, stretcher injuries or order-offs.

Interchange players: While the number of on-field players remains at 15, each side will be able to use nine interchange players (up from eight in 2006) during the course of a game. All team members and interchange players shall be identified on the official team sheet 45 minutes before the game.

Interchange restrictions: Each team is permitted a maximum of 10 player interchanges per quarter, with unlimited interchanges allowed at quarter breaks. Sides are not permitted to carry over unused interchanges from one quarter to another.

Kick-outs: The goalkeeper will be the only player permitted to take kick-outs from within the 13m rectangle. All other players must remain outside the 20m line until the ball has been kicked into play.

Handpass: With the Irish unfamiliar with handballing, it will be permitted for IRS players to play the ball away with either hand or fist, provided there is a definite, underhand striking action.

Consecutive handpasses: To encourage a kicking game, teams in possession of the football shall not be allowed to make more than four consecutive handpasses before disposing of the ball by foot.

------------------------------------------------------------
The 2008 Toyota International Rules Series: Australia v Ireland

First Test – Subiaco Oval, Perth, Friday October 24

Second Test – MCG, Melbourne, Friday October 31
 
cesc's_mullet said:
The ONE thing I am dissapointed about is that you Irish lads will not be able to bear witness to the BUDDY SHOW.

0,,5646903,00.jpg


Just coming off the back of a 114 goal (the first person to break 100 in the home and away season in 10 years), Coleman Medal (highest goalscorer for the season) / Premiership-winning season.

Standing at 197cm, 100kgs, mercurial skills, insanely quick, has a HUGE motor, great above his head AND on the ground (which is something just unheard of at that height). He's as agile as a cat and moves like a gazelle.



(That's by no means a best-of clip, there's too much to put in TBH. But at least it's a little taste...)

Too bad he wasn't taken into the squad, in fact I'm perplexed as to why he isn't in. He'd bring the people to the ground, opposition supporters hate/love him.

But then again, I'd literally cry if he ever got injured.
Click to expand...


He looks awesome - i liked the bittuva punch-up he had. Yer man looked like he was tryin to out do him but Lance just said "feck that you cnut" & was well capable of handling himself :cool:

You've mentioned this dude Lance Franklin before man, his stats are something else i have to say. I've been watchin Aussie Rules since I was a kid so i'm aware of certain characteristic that the players have, but this dude seems to have it all - awesome player. Its a shame as you say, that he's not been selected but on the information you provided - THANK feck HE'S NOT PLAYING :)
 
Red Hand Devil said:
Excellent man - great analysis mate :cool:

I noticed a recurring theme - "Hard" :nervous::nervous::nervous:

But if us boys are up to the task of representing Ireland & doing the Country proud then they'll have to have a bit of this :mad::mad::mad:
Click to expand...

Yeah they've named some tough players in the squad. Though these guys aren't really hot-heads, in fact the two toughest (Brown and Rooke) in our squad are extremely fair players. They just play a courageous brand of Footy that earns them their 'tough' tag.

Having said this, if there's a bump to be laid I'm sure we'll find they're more than willing to put someone down.
 
Red Hand Devil said:
Sorry, should of put this up earlier Cesc!

Seán Cavanagh (Tyrone), Graham Canty (Cork), David Gallagher (Meath), Colm Begley (Brisbane Lions/Laois), Paddy Bradley (Derry), Marty McGrath (fermanagh), Benny Coulter (Down), Bryan Cullen (Dublin), Kieran Donaghy (Kerry), Leighton Glynn (Wicklow), Finian Hanley (Galway), John Keane (Westmeath), Aaron Kernan (Armagh), Ciarán Lyng (Wexford), Steven McDonnell (Armagh), Enda McGinley (Tyrone), Ciarán McKeever (Armagh), Joe McMahon (Tyrone), Justin McMahon (Tyrone), Michael Meehan (Galway), John Miskella (Cork), Aidan O'Mahony (Kerry), Pearse O'Neill (Cork), Tom Parsons (Mayo), Kevin Reilly (Meath), Paul Finlay (Monaghan), Killian Young (Kerry).
Click to expand...

One of our, er, your boys!

It's a crying shame that Marty Clarke and Kennelly are injured, those two are fantastic players. I love watching them both.

Clarke doesn't seem to loose any one-on-one contest he's in, he does some unorthodox things that just make you scratch your head sometimes because they're so effective.

And well Kennelly speaks for himself, a quick silky skilled backman, he's got an absolutely superb kick and has been a joy to watch since he's moved to Australia.
 
Red Hand Devil said:
He looks awesome - i liked the bittuva punch-up he had. Yer man looked like he was tryin to out do him but Lance just said "feck that you cnut" & was well capable of handling himself :cool:

You've mentioned this dude Lance Franklin before man, his stats are something else i have to say. I've been watchin Aussie Rules since I was a kid so i'm aware of certain characteristic that the players have, but this dude seems to have it all - awesome player. Its a shame as you say, that he's not been selected but on the information you provided - THANK feck HE'S NOT PLAYING :)
Click to expand...

Haha, yeah teams try and ruffle him up before the bounce, just to get him off his game. That particular game he kicked 6 goals (or it might have been the next time we played them later in the season, where he kicked 8 :D), so I guess it didn't quite work out for them. It also helps when you're a huge unit.

It is a shame because he'd give some boys a good run-around and would really bring an element of 'superstardom' to our side (and the tournament) - which is something it's lacking TBH. They don't say he's the Buddy SHOW for nothing...

But some of the teams are still on their holidays after a protracted season (due to finals campaign), Hawthorn (Lance's side) being one of them. So I suppose some players from these sides would really want their well earnt break before pre-season kicks off again.

I never knew you've been watching AFL. Do you get to catch it often? And do you follow any side? If not, you might as well start at the top:




And follow the Mighty Hawks (Hawthorn)!
 
cesc's_mullet said:
Haha, yeah teams try and ruffle him up before the bounce, just to get him off his game. That particular game he kicked 6 goals (or it might have been the next time we played them later in the season, where he kicked 8 :D), so I guess it didn't quite work out for them. It also helps when you're a huge unit.

It is a shame because he'd give some boys a good run-around and would really bring an element of 'superstardom' to our side (and the tournament) - which is something it's lacking TBH. They don't say he's the Buddy SHOW for nothing...

But some of the teams are still on their holidays after a protracted season (due to finals campaign), Hawthorn (Lance's side) being one of them. So I suppose some players from these sides would really want their well earnt break before pre-season kicks off again.

I never knew you've been watching AFL. Do you get to catch it often? And do you follow any side? If not, you might as well start at the top:




And follow the Mighty Hawks (Hawthorn)!
Click to expand...

I wasnt really a fan of any but remember Collingwood & Essendon as being good teams. After Mass on Sunday, AFL would be on Channel 4, so i'd watch it as its was:

(1) Sport
(2) Football
(3) Similar to Gaelic
(4) Ass-Kicking
(5) Skillfull

and above all - the Compromise Rules was massive in Ireland when it was on, so i got into watchin these guys play they're natural game & i loved it man. Proper man's game like Gaelic & far removed from the pussy sport of Soccer - although we love that game for its simplicity more than its robustness!

At our school when Ireland were Down Under - the teachers would stick the telly on & we all gather around & get stuck in. Its was great because we're all Gaelic mad so playin Internationally against Australia was like the World Cup Final to us boys. Also, its probably the only time that we'd be excused for swearing in class - everyone was goin mental - none more so that our teachers :lol:

Havent been following AFL for a couple of years man. The last International Series pissed me right off to be honest, i lost all respect for the Aussie game due to our boys gettin beatin up - particluarly Philly Jordan (a Tyrone Man) gettin clothes-lined & nearly havin his head taken off by that so-called "Captain" Johnston - what a fecking cnut & a disgrace to sport. Bastard should of been arrested :mad:

But i'm coming round a bit now since chattin to ya & your honesty is great, aswell as your love for Gaelic football, so i'm gonna return the favour & support the Mighty Hawks aka Hawthorn & be a "BANDWAGON JUMPER" - but feck it might aswell start at the top like u say but also i like The Buddy Show very much, he's some man & its good to have players of that freakish ability in your team - like United have Ronaldo type of thing!

I'll watch that with interest now!

We're a happy team at Hawthorn
We're the Mighty Fighting Hawks.
We love our Club, and we play to win,
Riding the bumps with a grin (at Hawthorn).
Come what may, you'll find us striving
Team work is the thing that talks,
One for all and all for one
Is the way we play at Hawthorn.
We are the Mighty Fighting Hawks.

;)
 
:lol:

THAT'S THE SPIRIT!

Get on while you can I say... I expect our membership numbers to break the magical 50k barrier next season, many of which will be 'fairweather' supporters...

But after so many years of absolute shit (17 in fact, with two good seasons in between - one being last year when we were finally the 'up and coming' side) I think we can excuse each and everyone of them.

Going to the Grand Final this year was the single best experience of my life. Absolutely phenominally magical - 100,012 people turned up, with millions tuning in from around the country to watch Hawthorn (2.90 for the win), the severe underdogs take on Geelong (1.40), the reigning premiers and far and away best side over the last two seasons. They had gone through the season 21 wins, 1 loss. And had won 43 out of their last 45 games.

They had also beaten us during the year in a close match, though they did have 5 of their best players out (including the best midfielder/player in the competition - Garry Ablett).

Their obnoxious fans had been hanging shit on everyone the whole season, saying stuff like 'hand us the cup already' and all your other typical pigheaded comments.

Noone gave us a chance.

Then you consider we lost our most important, experienced and best defender, our Centre Half-Back, during the second quater. Then we lost our best player up to half time at the very start of the third quater (our winger who literally never stops running and has a booming kick)...

Two vitally important players down, leaving only two on the bench in a game that was dead-tight, hard and phsyically draining halfway through the game? It was like we were holding on for dear life...

That was of course until Stuard Dew (a story in itself) delivered the following six minutes of play:



(the last minute and a half of the vid they fast forwarded to the end of the match)

Suffice to say he'll never have to pay for a beer ever again, so long as a Hawthorn supporter's around.

As for Stuart Dew, well he was one of the most maligned players in the competition this year. As you could tell from the vid he's carrying a bit of extra girth around the waist... He retired at 26, took last year off and moved to America with his Actress girlfriend. They broke up, he was over there drinking piss and balooning out to 120kgs.

At the end of the year our coach gave him a call and said IF he got himself down to 95kgs he MAY be given a second chance with Hawthorn... He did, but it went against our rigorous 'youth policy' that we'd implemented over the last 5 years. Everyone laughed and thought we'd lost the plot, but our coach (Clarkson) said we needed the experience and Dew would add something to the side, plus he was a proven Premiership winning player (with his old side). The whole season everyone's been ragging on him, saying he's fat etc etc... Well, it's clear Clarkson and Dew had the last laugh.

Geesh, you get me started and I'm never going to stop!
 
Thats a great story about Stewy Dew :cool:

Bittuva fairytale for him after what was probably one of the most difficult moments in his life, retiring, going to the states, breaking up with his girl but then Clarkson turned his life around & put faith in him - hope he moves on from this & keeps the fire burning!

Great story Cesc :cool:

I've a few of those myself, i'll get around to chipping in with mine soon enough :)
 
Will Virgin definitely be showing this on their RTE tomorrow morning then?
 
Perhaps not, becuase I see it's on setanta. Hope none of you are going to miss out because of this.
 
Not me. It's on live tonight in a couple of hours. :D

Cannot wait, this shall be a cracker of a game.
 
In reply to my above post, if it matters to anyone, it IS on virgin's RTE.
 
Looks like you need the latest version of flash to watch through the ISL/JustinTV links.

The Irish National Anthem is being sung. It's, um, interesting....
 
It's the best damn anthem in the world when it's sung properly.
 
Feck it, instinct is making me yell abuse at the run of the mill tackles. harvey just got through on goal and virtually passed it to gallagher. Still 0-1.
 
Great movement from the Irish boys first up, don't understand that free to us where our number 30 (Campbell Brown, one of my sides gun players) tackled your lad on the goalline when he was without the ball.... Figured it would've gone your way, not ours.

Our number 12, Sewell (another Hawthorn player) is playing a terrific game so far.
 
These tackles are looking ominous. Completely above board but our lads aren't seeing them coming at all.
 
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