Monday, October 21, 2013
Ireland 57 Australian Indigenous All Stars 35
If the International Rules series was on life support prior to this first Test, it’s on death row now.
A third consecutive comprehensive defeat for an Australian team must all but confirm the game is up on the hybrid concept.
Our Antipodean friends may tell us they care but the scoreboard speaks differently; Ireland’s average game-winning margin over the last three Tests now stands at over 32 points.
The tell-tale signs ahead of this latest landslide were neon-lit. The Indigenous All Stars had only come together to train for the first time eight days prior to this game. They revealed to their opponents at a civic reception on Thursday they started practising properly with the round ball on Monday. One of their best players on Saturday arrived in Ireland just three days prior to the match while several of them enjoyed a well-known late night Dublin hostelry last Sunday.
If they thought they stood a chance, it was down perhaps to their arrogance and the fact they were facing amateurs.
Alarmingly, this could have been so much worse for them.
Trailing 28-9 at half-time after a second quarter that will go down as one of the worst 18 minutes in the series, they pulled up their socks in the “championship” third quarter, only for Ireland to pull them back down again for them in the last period.
Next Saturday’s second Test will be an incredibly tough sell for the GAA.
When that was put to Ireland manager Paul Earley afterwards, he kicked for touch, insisting he knew of a lot of people who had already purchased tickets for the game. But the vast majority of those watching what transpired in Kingspan Breffni Park will hardly be encouraged to venture to Croke Park.
The Australian Indigenous All Stars, you would hope, pray and possibly imagine, will improve on what they contributed here in front of a 17,657 crowd.
Their coach Michael O’Loughlin wasn’t shying away from the obvious, but remarkably claimed some of his players were overawed by the occasion. For a bunch of professionals, it was an extraordinary comment to make.
“I was really disappointed in our efforts, our ability to apply pressure was non-existent in that first half and for a team that prides itself on pressure, on being able to chase and harry, that was disappointing.
“We had a real big wake-up call. Some guys got found out, their pressure and their effort needs to be at a higher standard than that but some guys individually were holding the team together.”
Ireland led 17-4 after the first quarter, with Michael Murphy and Ross Munnelly looking sharp, the latter kicking two overs and setting up his Laois team-mate Colm Begley for another.
Stephen Motlop and, to a lesser extent, Lance Franklin were the best of a poor visiting crew and by half-time they mustered just two overs and three behinds.
Ireland weren’t brilliant themselves in the second quarter, but what they provided was more than good enough — Aidan O’Shea, Ciarán Byrne and Seán Cavanagh firing over three-pointers.
Cavanagh had a goal chance saved six minutes into the third quarter but Zach Tuohy’s shot was too good for Ashley McGrath in the 12th minute.
Yet it was a period that belonged to the All Stars as they hit Ireland for 13 points in a four-minute period; teenager Jack Meade scoring a goal.
The Australians cut the gap to eight in the seventh minute of the fourth quarter via a Mathew Stokes over and but for Motlop missing a gilt-edged goal chance a minute before, the game may have taken a different direction.
But it would have been a betrayal of what had been witnessed up to that point and the final 13 minutes of action were dominated by Ireland.
Kevin McLoughlin’s goal came courtesy of a defensive mix-up while his Mayo colleague Colm Boyle was among a trio of three-point scorers.
In an affair in which Ireland were by far the superior team, Earley defended his liberal use of captain Murphy, who had the other assignment of a county final yesterday.
“He spent a lot of time on the pitch but in the third quarter he was up in the full-forward line and we did not get any ball up to him,” said Earley.
“There was not much movement and he was not working very hard because we were not able to get the ball beyond the 45 metres.
“He might have 45 or 46 minutes but for a good 10 or 15 minutes there was not much happening because we could not get the ball up to him.”
Earley, as you would expect from a diligent coach, said Ireland won’t be taking anything for granted going into the final Test. Many will, though, while several others will understandably assume the compromise love affair is over.
Scorers for Ireland: R Munnelly 9 (0-2-3); M Murphy 7 (0-2-1); Z Tuohy 6 (1-0-0); K McLoughlin 6 (1-0-0); C McManus 5 (0-1-2); C Byrne, C Sheehan 4 (0-1-1) each; C Begley, A O’Shea, S Cavanagh, P Flynn, C Boyle 3 (0-1-0) each; J McCaffrey 1 (0-0-1).
Scorers for Australia: S Motlop 8 (0-2-2); J Neade 6 (1-0-0); L Franklin 6 (0-1-3); L Jetta 6 (0-2-0); Alwyn Davey, M Stokes 3 (0-1-0) each; D Wells, D Barry, Aaron Davey 1 (0-0-1) each.
IRELAND: 1. P O’Rourke (Meath); 17. N McGee (Donegal), 9. F Hanley (Galway), 18. C McKaigue (Derry); 12. L Keegan (Mayo), 27. Z Tuohy (Carlton/Laois), 15. J McCaffrey (Dublin); 28. A Walsh (Cork), 5. S Cavanagh (Tyrone); 8. P Flynn (Dublin), 4. C Byrne (Louth), 25. C Sheehan (Cork); 14. P McBrearty (Donegal), 23. M Murphy (do), 22. R Munnelly (Laois).
Inter-changes: 2. C Begley (Laois); 3. C Boyle (Mayo); 6. P Conroy (Galway); 13. C Kilkenny (Dublin); 20. K McLoughlin (Mayo); 21. C McManus (Monaghan); 24. A O’Shea (Mayo); 26. M Shields (Cork).
AUSTRALIA: 9. A McGrath (Brisbane Lions); 5. J Habrow (Gold Coast); 13. C Yarran (Carlton), 14. T Armstrong (Sydney Swans); 28. C Ellis-Yolmen (Adelaide), 42. N Lovett-Murray (Essendon), 36. Aaron Davey (Melbourne); 23. L Franklin (Sydney Swans), 3. S Motlop (Geelong); 8. D Wells (North Melbourne), 12. L Thomas (do), 15. L Jetta (Sydney Swans); 19. E Betts (Adelaide), 27. M Stokes (Geelong), 33. J Hill (West Coast).
Inter-changes: 15. L Jetta (Sydney Swans), 21. S Wellingham (West Coast); 22. S Edwards (GWS); 29. Alwyn Davey (Essendon); 32. J Neade (Port Adelaide); 34. D Barry (Melbourne).
Referees: M Deegan (Laois), M Stevic (Australia).