International Rules

Watched one of the games from 2003 on tg4 today. Geezer was some man in fairness

I'd imagine that one thread about this cock should suffice.....

Boxtyeater wrote:I'd imagine that one thread about this cock should suffice.....

You're back.. Ya cantankerous oul'......

Hmmmm, Yes...Plenty of and an hour or two in the the odd day.....

And €20 on Earl of Leitrim @ 5/1 in the opener at Warwick or some such place on Wednesday.....Hard to beat a pub serving ice cold 'Ken, providing an on-site bookie (from the betting office, I kid you not) puffing the smoothest Marlboro's (€3.20) to your heart's content.....

Fook all this doom and gloom lark, we're not dead yet I told herself...

Very enjoyable stuff ......

Love the way the Aussies let that No 3 score a goal .... Just to keep the Dubs happy ...

It confirms what we've already suspected, Gaelic Footballers are few and far between these days. The execution of normally straight-forward skills was shocking from our lads. Shooting, passing, catching, winning possession and ball retention, things that most the lads playing yesterday have been doing since they were three! Instead, the Aussies, more accustomed to the oval ball, excelled.

Sean Cavanagh had a disastrous time in front of goal, kicking a single over from five efforts. Stevie McDonnell didn't fare much better missing a couple of easy chances. Bernard Brogan's goal was a fine end to a fine move but aside from that, the Player of the Year was largely unseen for most the game. Our former AFL stars such as Marty Clarke, Tommy Walsh, Brendan Murphy and Colm Begley were big let-downs. And the common theme with all Irish players was inability to kick the ball. The Aussies were far more comfortable passing it about.

Those who I felt did well for Ireland included Stephen Cluxton, Leighton Glynn, Tadgh Kennelly and probably our best player, Meath's Kevin Reilly. All is probably not lost as Reilly showed a real willingness to get on the ball and give a 60 yard pass without hesitance. The others such as Kennelly and Glynn were on the ball a lot and generally were involved in anything that was good about Ireland.

In summation, Tohill will have his work cut out to overturn the seven point deficit. There's probably other factors that we don't concern ourselves with, and maybe that had an impact on Ireland player performances but the general feeling is that if yesterday is a reflection of the standard of footballers available to Tohill, then its not a nice day for Gaelic Football.

I must confess to only seeing the final quarter of this shambolic event, so am unable to expand on previous comments.
The fear displayed by the Irish players in the segment I watched was embarrassing to look at. The use of wing mirrors, the desire (or non-desire) to grasp the bloody ball, withstand a tackle or even settle in possession was appalling in the extreme. The "skill" level was atrocious.....

The fear of getting "rag-dolled" was foremost in most minds and merely mirrored the nation psyche....sh1tting ourselves......

Pathetic, embarrassing, inept, fear-ridden, leaderless, floundering........

Spot on Boxty - was in Parnell for the hurling semis today and your post exactly mirrors the thoughts among people there ...

I don't think fear, per se, is that much of a problem. As a footballer, you have to play the percentages. If you're going to be tackled picking up the ball then a simple soccer pass along the ground has to be the percentages call. Of course, if you are going try and play your way out of situations like this, then you must have the technical ability to match your technical arrogance. On Saturday, our touch was so so bad that we couldn't even do that!

But the big worry for the Irish has to be our poor return in front of a goal. Breaking it down, we scored 1-8 in Gaelic Football scores over the course of the whole game, 0-6 of which came from placed balls (or as a result of 'marks'). That means for 76 minutes of football, we returned 0-2 from play. That is not good enough from our leading footballers.

Our kicking both in front of goal and when looking to find a colleague was shambolic but in a way, reflects the way our own sport is headed. In particular, Ireland's forwards let the side down with Cavanagh, Clarke, McDonnell and Murphy all guilty of sloppy kicking. I'd like to see a change in personnel for the second Test especially in the forwards. My immediate reaction after Saturday was that our Footballer of the Year Bernard Brogan was anonymous but feedback seems to imply that he actually had very little gametime. Give him and Niall McNamee more opportunities closer to goal, as well as James Kavanagh of Kildare who had limited gametime last Saturday too.

The vastly over-rated Canty was another let-down, fine athlete yes but one of the worst kickers of an O'Neills I've ever seen. Contrast him to Meath's Kevin Reilly who is not only able to fulfil his defensive duties but is also capable of a deadly 60 yard pass. There's a few others in the backs who bring little to the team in terms of basic skill, the two corner-backs from Armagh, McDermott from Roscommon and Bolton from Kildare are hardly recognised as being good footballers. I think Tohill made a mistake by placing a large emphasis on physique and smaller emphasis on good footballers. So the returning Michael Shields might provide much need assistance in Ireland's defence.

Teah for next weekend:
Cluxton
McDermott-Shields-Hanley
Begley-Reilly-McKernan
Kennelly-Keenan
Glynn-Clarke-Kavanagh
McNamee-Brogan-McDonnell

Apart from Brogan in flashes, Kennelly and Cluxton the whole team were terrible. Clarke and Walsh were anonymous. Cavanagh looks a shadow of the player he was in 2008.. The players looked to have been warned not to carry the ball into the tackle at all costs and that results in the attempted soccer moves, I wouldn't say it's fear as such..

Watching this on Saturday was a great enough waste of time as it was, so instead of typing a long analysis, I thought I'd just list a few random thoughts around this subject...

1) What was Anthony Tohill doing for the last 6 months in preparation for this. His opposite number, Mick Malthouse, was coaching the AFL Champions in the Grand Final 3 weeks ago, yet you would be forgiven for thinking that it was Tohill who had only turned his attention to this game in recent weeks. Our only tactic seemed to be an attempt to play soccer, a game which, I'm sure, the Aussies would probably beat us at anyway.

2) What does this game represent? In the 80s, and in the early years when it was revived after 1998, it was like a 'who's who?' of the GAA and the AFL. Now it is more like a 'who's that?', as the household names (stars) become fewer and further between with each renewal. 10 years ago we had Tohill, McDermott, Fay, Geraghty, Giles, Buckley, Canavan, McGeeney, Fallan, Donnellan, O'Se, Joyce, McManus, Lockhart, Moynihan. Now we have Brendan Murphy, Brendan Donaghy, Sean McDermott, Colm Belgey - honest lads, but it is a serious drop in quality. We have few enough stars in Gaelic football nowadays, but those that we do have need to be playing if people are to stay interested in this.

3) As a follow on from the above, can anyone honestly tell me that Colm Cooper would be less suited to this game than, say, Daniel Goulding? Or Tommy Walsh?

4) Tommy Walsh will be back in Kerry within 18 months, an even more average footballer than when he left.

5) Stephen Cluxton put most of our players to shame, as he is one of the few able to kick a football accurately, over 30+ metres.

6) Standards in Gaelic football are shockingly bad, with few genuine stars. It is easy to see how Cork won the double this year.

7) Thank God the Aussies pick a completely new panel every year. If they kept the same core of players and let them get used to the game, as Ireland do, they would win by 60 points.

8. Benny Coulter and Michael Shields will make a difference next week, for all that it will matter.

9) Thank God for the X-Factor

Cant argue much with Loyals analysis of what can only be described a shambles of an event. The only thing i would pick him up on and i probably am being pedantic is his point about Kevin Reilly. Definitely one of Irelands better performers on the night but his passing wasnt that great, he insisted in lumping big high balss in no mans land almost every time he had the ball, he would have been much better advised dropping the ball in in front of the forwards.

Also agree completely with two of TCs points. Tommy Walsh looked completely out of his depth and instead of becoming a better player has obviously gone backwards he also looked to me like he wasnt that interested in contesting any tackles with the Aussies at all. He'll be out of Oz long before 18 months TC. The other point is Cluxton, easily Irelands most accomplished player his passing catching distrubution were the only plus on an otherwise poor night.

Thr soccer tactic really made me cringe if we are going to resort to that then its time this debacle was knocked on the head. More than surprised at Tohill thought he had more to him than that.

Ah Stephen Cluxton indeed ...

Only saw the last quarter and that was way too much. Stupid stupid game. Imagine trying to mix golf and tennis??? I pity the sods that turned up and those who will next week in advance! No doubt we will have a few digs to try and get a few headlines ....

As TC says our GAA players are now athletes instead of footballers. Basic skills fading fast! Even look at some of the county finals (supposedly best two teams in any county) and some of the fare was dire. Give us our footballers back .....

I blame Tyrone.

patrique wrote:I blame Tyrone.

Now now P. We all know Tyrone invented Australian Rules ... in 2003 ...

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

patrique wrote:I blame Tyrone.

Now now P. We all know Tyrone invented Australian Rules ... in 2003 ...

f**k lads even we didnt sink to the depths of playing soccer or attempting to play it.

Begley putting in a Wayne Bridge cross at the end was frustrating to watch. The tackle and the round ball do not mix. Get rid of one or the other and you might have a game that could be moderately enjoyable.

Jonsmith wrote:Begley putting in a Wayne Bridge cross at the end was frustrating to watch. The tackle and the round ball do not mix. Get rid of one or the other and you might have a game that could be moderately enjoyable.

i reckon get rid of the ball!!! the Irish lads didnt seem to want it anyway.

Its dead in the water this crap JS and Tohill has lost a bit of his credibility - he can hardly sit on the Sunday Game panel and criticise others after the dung he served up on Saturday night.

bocerty wrote:f**k lads even we didnt sink to the depths of playing soccer or attempting to play it.

Very true and fair play there Boc!!

Ye just brought all the other stuff - sledging, diving, time wasting .....

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

bocerty wrote:f**k lads even we didnt sink to the depths of playing soccer or attempting to play it.

Very true and fair play there Boc!!

Ye just brought all the other stuff - sledging, diving, time wasting .....

we left bottling to the Dubs!!!!!

I think the players have to take a good portion of the blame too Boc. Steve Mac, Cavanagh, M. Murphy all kicked brutal wides. Maybe Tohill could have brought in better players, maybe not. But a hybrid game like that is never going to be a great spectacle anyways..

I'd much rather see a game like the All Star team managed by Spillane vs Micko's pick of the best of the rest. Advertise it well and give it a shot, see what happens.

Jonsmith wrote:I think the players have to take a good portion of the blame too Boc. Steve Mac, Cavanagh, M. Murphy all kicked brutal wides. Maybe Tohill could have brought in better players, maybe not. But a hybrid game like that is never going to be a great spectacle anyways..

I'd much rather see a game like the All Star team managed by Spillane vs Micko's pick of the best of the rest. Advertise it well and give it a shot, see what happens.

totally agree JS and though it pains me to say it too many were found wanting when it came to having balls - they were afraid simple as, one other player who deserves a mention for playing reasonably well is McKeever of Armagh he is quite a good foot passer and not afraid to get stuck in.

Like you i would rather watch a Gaelic only spectacle - at least Mickey Harte will be happy after this debacle!!!!

bocerty wrote:we left bottling to the Dubs!!!!!

Short memory Boc ... short memory!

How do folks, sorry for not being on much but i'm, just out of hospital. Anyho, can you tell me in a nutshell what the match was like on Sat past? didn't get to see any or hear about it as i was spaced out on extra strong medication!

I'm for Dublin with Mrs Eagle at the weekend and am wondering of it's worth risking the rath of her by suggesting we go to the second test, any advice?

bald eagle wrote:How do folks, sorry for not being on much but i'm, just out of hospital. Anyho, can you tell me in a nutshell what the match was like on Sat past? didn't get to see any or hear about it as i was spaced out on extra strong medication!

I'm for Dublin with Mrs Eagle at the weekend and am wondering of it's worth risking the rath of her by suggesting we go to the second test, any advice?

stay well clear BE - it could put you back in hospital very quickly!!!!!