International Rules , a mix of Aussie rules football and our gaelic football , was graced by a crowd of 82,000+ at Croke Park today. I’m sure that many of them were just as disgusted with the goings on there as I was.
The second, third and fourth quarters were marked by superb Australian domination of the midfield and they created many brilliant scores. In fact, they showed us how to play our own game, on our own home ground. Their footballing skills were sublime and the handling especially great considering that many of these guys never played with a round ball before last week. I would love to see Dublin play in an All-Ireland Championship like this.
Back to the first quarter, what a shameful display of sheer thugishness hasn’t been since since… well since the last compromise rules series in Melbourne in 2005.
The Australian players deliberately targetted 3 of Irelands players, in particular Geraghty, who they had threatened this week. He was stretchered off unconscious. The referees were incompetant, cowardly and never in control of the violence. They showed 7 yellow cards in such a short space of time without ever considering a red.
Irish players were guilty of several infractions also, I’d like to be objective and condemn those actions, but realistically with the threat posed to their safety by the animals from the southern hemisphere self-defence was the only sane option of anybody with a respect for their own well-being.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only Irish person watching wishing these criminals would piss off back to whatever hole they crawled out of. The number of complaints received by the broadcaster support that theory. I hope that the GAA grow a pair and make the decision to discontinue this sham of a sport. Large revenues are not a good enough reason to keep putting our unpaid footballers through the grinder of professional cutthroats.I look back at what I’ve written above, and it seems rather vehement. Unfair? You decide. Here’s an Aussies fond memory from last year as they consider this years series…
Was there anything more amusing then when CJ single-handedly dropped three Irish squibs last year at the Telstra Dome? The coat hanger to begin proceedings was top notch but the flurry of strikes afterwards was even better.
As three Irish pounces lay on the ground battered and bruised, fearing for their well being at the hands of the CJ wrath, I tipped my hat to the good man for providing such entertainment. It just proved once again that the Irish are nothing more then a bunch of scared cats, afraid of physical confrontation. The Irish media cried foul, no more tackling they say, we’re too rough. We’re not rough, they’re just weak.
“Animals” doesn’t sound so far off the mark now, eh?
Update: the GAA has scrapped the International Rules series for 2007:
The move follows violence which marred the second Test between Ireland and Australia at Croke Park last month. GAA president Nicky Brennan said that about 50% of players contacted had given their views and all wanted the games to continue. Work will now start on clarifying rules and disciplinary procedures so that the internationals can resume in 2008. Players’ representative Dessie Farrell said that, while there would be disappointment that the 2007 series would not take place, the decision was probably a wise one.
