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International Rules: Do AFL fans care about Australia v Ireland series?
by ADAM BALDWIN, Fox Sports, Tuesday 17 November 2015
LET'S face it. The only Test Aussie sports fans, including the AFL brethren, care about in November is played in whites and a baggy green.
But, as one Australian captain prepares his men to face the pink ball in Adelaide, another from a different code will be helping his team master the round ball in Dublin.
Hawthorn champion Luke Hodge will lead an Australian side against Ireland in
an International Rules Test at Croke Park on Sunday morning.
It'll be the 40th meeting between the AFL and GAA in the hybrid game and
signal almost 50 years since Harry Beitzel first took the Galahs to The
Emerald Isle back in 1967.
However, despite this longevity, AFL fans continue to flirt with their
support of the concept and it has so far failed to generate the sort of tribalism seen in international contests.
Most feel the game is too far distanced from AFL itself to justify the
injury risk the contest places on their star players. Others think that if
it's not playing with an oval ball, then it's just not football.
Seeing a professional AFL footballer belt a fulltime schoolteacher and part-time Gaelic footballer is the feature of the concept most want to see.
Chris Johnson's rampage in 2004 is one of the most popular moments in recent series, but it almost brought the relationship between the AFL and GAA to an end.
The concept was lucky to survive when an all-indigenous Australian side was belted by the Irish in two Tests on Australian soil in 2013.
However, it returned a year later in a single Test format and, crucially,
with the game's biggest stars committed.
All-Australian honours is now a prerequisite for selection, but the support
of the players has previously wavered depending on whether it's a home or
away series.
A training camp in New York was no doubt an incentive for many AFL stars
unsure whether they'd commit again this year.
It's got the whiff of a junket and if court side tickets to Madison Square Garden is what's required for the stars to sign on then the concept is
surely on borrowed time.
With a number of clubs struggling financially, growing concerns around
junior development and the need to further grow the game in northern states then surely those resources could be better spent closer to home.
It's hard to understand where the merit lies in persisting with the venture? Our indigenous game is slowly gaining traction on an international level,
but if our AFL stars are going to play an exhibition game overseas then
surely they should be kicking a Sherrin?
Ireland has produced some quality AFL players, but is there enough talent coming through the ranks to justify series?
Almost 40,000 fans turned out to watch last year's clash at Subiaco Oval,
but Croke Park was less than half full when the series was played there in 2013.
If the AFL can continue to make it an attractive experience for the game's
big names then it will continue, but for it to have any relevance then fans must emotionally invest.
So ... here's five reasons why you should take an interest:
1. BIG GUNS
In a bid to restore prestige to the concept, the AFL tightened the selection criteria to ensure the league's best represented the country.
All-Australian status is now required to earn a spot in the side and, as a result, a star-studded team will take the field at Croke Park.
In the absence of representative football, this is the only opportunity fans have to see the game's guns play in the one team together.
Four-time premiership skipper Luke Hodge will lead a side that includes Nick Riewoldt, Harry Taylor, Patrick Dangerfield, Robbie Gray and Eddie Betts.
It will also be the last time Dustin Fletcher's Inspector Gadget arms are on show when he takes his place between the sticks as the Australian goal
keeper.
2. INTERNATIONAL
There's no bigger stage for an AFL footballer than the MCG on that one day
in September. However they must look on with envy at their counterparts from rival codes who get to pull on the green and gold (or blue and yellow).
International competition is the pinnacle for rugby league, union, world football and cricket, but it's a long way off from being a reality at the
elite level in Aussie rules.
However, when our AFL stars sing the national anthem in front of a hostile Croke Park crowd wearing the coat of arms they'll have chills.
3. THE PRODUCT
The game might be played with an oval ball, but it still embodies many of
the things that we love in the modern game of AFL.
It's fast-paced, skilful, high scoring and despite the restrictions on tackling, it's blood tough.
The Irish might be amateur athletes and don't have the size and strength of
the AFL bodies, but there's no questioning their tenacity. Don't be fooled,
the Irish give as good as they get.
4. PASSION
Aussies Rules fans might not be too fussed about how the scoreboard reads on Sunday morning, but the same can't be said for the opposition.
The Irish lost by 10 points at Subiaco in the most recent test match, but
had won six of the past eight contests prior.
Irish sports fans are some of the most passionate in the business and it
will be a hostile atmosphere at the famous Croke Park. Essendon duo James
Hird and Mark McVeigh even received death threats from an Irish fanatic in 2004.
5. A TASTE
Savour the chance to see our AFL stars run around again in 2015 because
it'll be another 89 days before the pre-season competition arrives.
THE INTERNATIONAL RULES TEST BETWEEN AUSTRALIAN AND IRELAND WILL BE SHOWN ON FOX FOOTY ON SUNDAY AT 7:30PM
http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-premiership/international-rules-do-afl-fans-care-about-australia-v-ireland-series/story-e6frf3e3-1227611950403
Go Crows!!!
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