Ireland's International Rules squad were among the thousands of travelers left stranded after Qantas Airways decided to ground all its planes in response to industrial action. (Pic: Darryl Kennedy)

Ireland’s Ireland International Rules squad was left stranded in Melbourne on Saturday by the Qantas Airways industrial dispute, which saw all the company’s internal and international flights grounded – a total of 108 planes at 22 airports.

Anthony Tohill’s men were due to fly from Melbourne to Sydney where a three-day rest and training camp had been scheduled.

The Irish management, players and travelling officials and members of the media were at gate 23 about to board the plane when Qantas cancelled all flights without notice.

After a hectic couple of hours, the squad and staff stayed overnight in a Melbourne airport hotel before deciding to fly directly to Queensland’s Gold Coast for Friday’s second test.

“We were very lucky to get it sorted out so quickly. We were lucky with the hotel that we got. It could have been a lot worse. A lot of people were lounging around hotels without a room. We were all checked in by 8.30,” GAA director of games administration and player welfare Feargal McGill told the Irish Times.

:: Upbeat

“The players are in great spirit. They understand that it couldn’t be avoided. They are still upbeat and there was plenty of craic in the camp.”

In a statement on Saturday, the airline said that it was “locking out all employees who will be covered by the industrial agreements currently being negotiated with the Australian Licenced Engineers Union (ALAEA), the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and the Australian and International Pilots Union (AIPA)”.

“This step is being taken under the provisions of the Fair Work Act in response to industrial action taken by these unions. The financial impact of action taken to date has reached $68 million and the action is costing Qantas approximately $15 million per week in lost revenue. Approximately 70,000 passengers have been affected and more than 600 flights cancelled,” the statement continued.

“Pilots, licenced engineers and baggage, ground and catering staff are essential to Qantas operations and the lock-out will therefore make it necessary for all Qantas aircraft to be grounded. For precautionary reasons, this will take place immediately.”

In the meantime, early this morning, Fair Work Australia stopped the carrier’s lockout of workers.

Qantas has said it hopes to have its planes in the air by mid-afternoon today.

After 12 hours of deliberations, the tribunal announced early this morning in Melbourne that it had upheld submissions by the Gillard government and Qantas to have the bargaining period terminated.

The decision means Qantas must reverse plans to lock out its workforce tonight and unions are prevented from taking legally protected industrial action.

Ireland and Brisbane Lions star Pearce Hanley (File Pic)

Brisbane Lions’ Irish star Pearce Hanley has declared himself available for this year’s International Rules series in Melbourne and the Gold Coast.

The former Gaelic footballer earned the tag of Ireland’s best AFL player this year, playing every game for the Queensland based club while being named in the side’s best performers alongside legendary Lions like Simon Black on a regular basis.

“I’ve pulled up well from the season and I’m ready to go,” Hanley said.

“I’d love to play so if the Irish lads give me a call I’m definitely up for it.”

Despite a successful year for the 22-year-old, he said he is still hoping for improvement in his game next season.

He had a season high of 30 possessions against Geelong in round 17 and came joint fourth in the club’s Best and Fairest.

:: Hot property

“It was a good year but there are still a lot of things that I’d like to improve on.

“There are still a lot of flaws in my game. Hopefully next year will be an even better game.”

The Mayo man has spent a good part of the year playing alongside his compatriot Niall McKeever in defence.

The pair just missed out on being the first Irish players to play together since Jim Stynes and Sean Wight, instead pipped at the post but the Blues brigade of Setanta O’hAilpin and Zach Tuohy in round 11.

However, he’s hoping to play a bigger role in midfield next year.

“I don’t think the coach ever expected to have two Irish players in defence together. It was great to get to play alongside Niall this year. He did really well.”

Hanley is yet to pen his contract with the club but insists it’s just a matter of negotiating the finer details and despite being hot property and receiving interest from other clubs, he will be at the Lions next year.

“I’m leaving it all to my manager but I’m sure it will all be done soon.

“I love Brisbane and that’s where I want to be,” said the young Irish star.

Australia was victorious in last year's series.

The Gold Coast will host the second International Rules test match between Ireland and Australia on November 4.

The game will be held at Metricon Stadium, Queensland Sport Minister Phil Reeves announced today.

“It’s the first time that an International Rules match has been played in our state so this is a coup for Queensland and the Gold Coast,” said Mr Reeves.

“As we saw last weekend at Cazaly’s Stadium in Cairns, with the inaugural Gold Coast Suns and Richmond Tigers premiership match for the region, Queenslanders are right behind their AFL from the Cape to Coolangatta.

Events Queensland and Gold Coast Tourism worked to bring the test to the Gold Coast, beating off a rival bid from Western Australia.

AFL Chief Executive Mr Andrew Demetriou said he looked forward to seeing the deciding test match contested at a new venue in “front of passionate capacity Queensland crowd”.

GAA director Páraic Duffy welcomed confirmation of the dates for this year’s series tests and news of a return to the Etihad Stadium where the Irish team played in 2005.

Mr Duffy, Ireland’s tour manager in 2001, said: “We are looking forward to returning to Australia later in the year with Anthony Tohill and his team and attempting to make amends for last year’s series defeat to what was an impressive Australian team.

Australia's Andrew Lovett and Ireland's Mattie Forde in the 2005 series. (Pic: File)

Australia will host Ireland in a two-match International Rules Series in late October and early November, with the deciding test to be played outside Melbourne.

The first test of the 2011 series will be played on Friday October 28 at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium with the second test set down for Friday November 4.

The host city for the second test has yet to be announced.

The Gold Coast Suns have already confirmed that the club is hoping to bring the game to Carrara stadium.

“We have made a pitch for the event, as I’m sure a number of other venues have, and we are waiting to hear back from the AFL,” said a Gold Coast Suns spokesperson.

“It would be very exciting to host an IRS match on the Gold Coast.”

Events New South Wales would not comment on whether it has made a rival pitch to bring the event to Sydney. It is understood the WA Football Commission was preparing a bid to bring the second test to Patersons Stadium.

Australia currently holds the McAnallen trophy after winning both matches under former coach Mick Malthouse in Ireland last year. The Australians triumphed with seven-point and three-point victories in the two tests in Limerick and Dublin,

:: Eade appointed Australia coach

Malthouse’s successor is Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade, who has been appointed as the new Australian coach for a two-year term.

“Our contests with the Irish side have consistently seen the two teams separated only by a matter of points, with the McAnallen trophy regularly exchanging hands between ourselves and the GAA,” said AFL chief executive officer Andrew Demetriou.

“Rodney is the second-longest current serving coach in the game, behind only Mick Malthouse, and the appointment of Rodney is a clear message to our friends at the GAA that the AFL is determined to retain the Cormac McAnallen Cup again.”

Ireland's Fintan Hanley jumps high in the 2010 series' first test in Limerick. (Pic: Adrian Melia)

The forthcoming International Rules tests will be seen live around Australia on FoxSports, according to the Australian Football League.

The TV rights for the tests – to be held in October – have been sold to FoxSports as part of the AFL’s massive $1.25bn deal.  According to AFL spokesman Patrick Keane, the tests will go to air live.

“Fox sports holds the rights now for international rules and they will go live in all states with the matches,” he told the Irish Echo.

While the second test is almost certain to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, there is uncertainty over the location for the first clash, with Perth the most likely venue.

News of the rights deal will be greeted with relief by fans of Gaelic Games and Aussie Rules around Australia.

Previous tests, played in Australia, have been shown live only in so-called AFL states like Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Fans in New South Wales and Queensland could only see delayed coverage of the tests.

Last year, live coverage of the International Rules Series in Ireland was kicked to touch by the Seven Network because of a scheduling clash with its popular breakfast show, Weekend Sunrise.

The network defended the decision not to air the games live and said that it is based on reaching more viewers.

The network also ruled out making its live feed available to pay TV operators causing widespread anger among expats and prompting a strongly-worded statement from the GAA in Dublin.

Over 60 children between the ages of 6-12 were taught Gaelic Football skills by NSW GAA coaches at a youth coaching camp at Bondi’s Waverly Oval in November.

Gaelic Football’s star is on the rise in the Eastern Suburbs. NSW GAA is looking to relocate from its traditional base in Sydney’s west, as the Eastern Suburbs becomes more popular with the Irish Diaspora.

The Association says its “actively” seeking a new sports ground in the area, after spending 40 years at Mona Park in Auburn. Efforts are already underway to increase the GAA’s presence in the Eastern Suburbs, with a youth coaching programme “taking the area by storm” in recent months.

Over 60 children between the ages of 6-12 were taught Gaelic Football skills by NSW GAA coaches at a youth coaching camp at Bondi’s Waverly Oval in November. Spokesman Michael Cahalane says they had an “overwhelming response”.

He also says a new sport with a “distinct Celtic flavour” is drawing in more young people in the Eastern Suburbs.

“Gaelic Football, combining elements of AFL and Soccer, is becoming increasingly popular within the community with children as young as six participating in the game,” Mr Cahalane explains.

In an effort to make the sport “more sustainable”, NSW GAA is tyring to reduce its reliance on the “transient nature of the backpacking community”. Coaches accredited with the Australian Sports Commission are involved in the federal government’s Play for Life scheme, which targets obesity by encouraging more physical activity among young people.

“After School Care Centres in Malabar, Coogee, Maroubra, Bondi Junction and Paddington have benefited from the scheme with children reaping the rewards by being involved in a fun, active sport,” says Mr Cahalane.

At the end of the month, NSW GAA is organising an underage game of International Rules against St Ives AFL Club in North Sydney. Two games will take place at home and away and GAA and Aussie Rules star Tadhg Kennelly is scheduled to attend.

NSW GAA is looking to recruit children aged between 7-12 for this event. Anyone interested should call the hotline on 0433 465 214.

Action from the first International Rules test in Limerick. Pic: Adrian Melia

A late Bernard Brogan goal kept the International Rules series alive, but Australia will go into next weekend’s second and final Test knowing that a repeat of this superb kicking performance will be more than enough to regain the Cormac McAnallen Cup.

Mick Malthouse’s visitors were by far the better team throughout an entirely forgettable game which only came to life minutes from the end when Ireland staged an unlikely rally.

In the end the gap was reduced to seven, but the Adam Goodes led Aussies can take a lot of encouragement from this excellent performance.

Overs (three-pointers) from captain Goodes, James Frawley and Daniel Cross fired Australia in front, and by the end of the first quarter the visitors had established a 12 point lead.

The Mexican waves had begun in the crowd by the time the second quarter was five minutes old, but the 30,177 finally had something to cheer when Daniel Goulding kicked an Irish over.

Ireland’s kicking was shockingly awry throughout this game though, and despite dominating large parts of the second quarter, Anthony Tohill’s men went in at half time trailing by five.

It was 10 minutes into the third quarter before the accurate Australians finally kicked their first behind (one pointer), but the brilliant Leigh Montagna lifted his side with two outstanding long-range overs.

Carlton’s Eddie Betts followed suit minutes later with another superbly taken score, and the Aussies were completely on top leading by 13 points.

The series should have been put completely beyond Ireland’s reach in the fourth quarter when Man of the Match Goodes unluckily saw a fisted effort for goal come firing back off the Irish crossbar.

This miss almost seemed to inspire Ireland, and a late rally of overs, behinds and a magnificent individual effort from Brogan ensured at least some interest in next week’s final Test at Croke Park. On this evidence, however, the attendance might not be spectacular.

Irish coach Tohill agreed that his side’s late rally had rescued the series from being completely beyond salvaging next Saturday night.

“We found it tough to counter the Aussies and it looked like the series was beyond us,” he admitted.

“But the lads dug deep, we threw caution to the wind and it puts us in a decent position for the second Test.

“With 10 minutes to go, it was looking very poor from our perspective. We were nervous and edgy throughout the first three quarters – we were a bit lacking in passion and it is something we are going to have to address for the next game.

“Thankfully we got the goal at the right time and it was a superb strike from Bernard. In the final minutes we poured forward, we put the Aussies under a fair bit of pressure and we got a few scores.”

While Tohill had every right to be disappointed with his side’s display, Aussie boss Malthouse had every reason to be delighted with his team’s effort despite throwing away much of their accrued advantage late in the game.

“It’s just an idiosyncrasy of the game. There can be quick scoring, there can be a rush,” the Premiership-winning Magpies boss said.

“Once the under was scored, the crowd got involved. I still thought we had enough control of the ball so we could win the game.

“There’s always a tendency to overload your back half but I think sometimes that’s a panic and we just backed our forwards to stay where they were and backed our midfielders to get the ball to them.”

All will be decided next Saturday night at GAA headquarters.

International Rules Series – First Test

Ireland (1 – 8 – 10) 40

Australia (0 – 14 – 5) 47

from Aaron Dunne at Pairc na nGael, Limerick

The AFL has announced the 22-man squad that will travel to Ireland to represent Australia in this year’s International Rules series.

Australian coach Mick Malthouse had been due to name his squad over a week ago but, after Collingwood and St Kilda played out a gripping 68-68 AFL Grand Final tie, a replay was needed, pushing back the International Rules planning. Malthouse is also coach of Collingwood, who won the replay.

Gary Ablett had been offered the Australian captaincy and was set to tour for the first time, but phoned Malthouse early last week to say he was unavailable. He had previously told the AFL he was keen to make his International Rules debut.

After announcing his move from Geelong to the Gold Coast, Ablett decided he needed time to find a house and settle in Queensland.  He and his girlfriend, Lauren Phillips, ventured north over the weekend after spending a few days in Sydney celebrating the wedding of Geelong big man Cameron Mooney and his partner, Seona Hill.

The first International Rules test takes place at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick on Saturday, October 23, followed by a second test at Croke Park, Dublin a week later.

The two countries have won five series each since the Tests resumed in 1999, with Ireland winning the last two test games in 2008.

The Australian team are due to arrive in Ireland on October 16.

Carlton boasts the most representatives in this year’s squad with three players.

The squad is made up of: Todd Banfield (Brisbane Lions), Eddie Betts (Carlton), Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs), Daniel Cross (Western Bulldogs), Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide Crows), Paul Duffield (Fremantle), Dustin Fletcher (Essendon), James Frawley (Melbourne), Bryce Gibbs (Carlton), Sam Gilbert (St Kilda), Tyson Goldsack (Collingwood), Adam Goodes (Sydney Swans), Brad Green (Melbourne), Garrick Ibbotson (Fremantle), Kieran Jack (Sydney Swans), Jarrad McVeigh (Sydney Swans), Leigh Montagna (St Kilda), Jack Riewoldt (Richmond), Kade Simpson (Carlton), Dane Swan (Collingwood), Travis Varcoe (Geelong Cats), David Wojcinski (Geelong Cats).

Ireland manager Anthony Tohill is working with a provisional panel of 45, and is expected to announce his squad early this week.

Bernard Brogan and Michael Dara McAuley were both facing a potential club versus country dilemmas amid fears of a clash with the Dublin senior football final but the decider has now been brought forward a week to October 17, avoiding any difficult decisions surrounding the first International Rules Test.

John Galvin will miss the forthcoming International Rules series after a scan revealed he needs a groin operation.

The Limerick midfielder suffered the injury after landing awkwardly during an International Rules trial in Parnell Park and will be sidelined for the rest of the year.

The tests won’t be available to watch live in Australia but delayed coverage will be shown on on Channel 7 on Sunday, October 24 at 10am AEST.

by Anna Brazil

Tom Willis Statue

THE ORIGIN OF THE SERIES :: INTERNATIONAL RULES HISTORY :: PART ONE

In a three-part series of articles leading up to the International Rules Series, AARON DUNNE looks at the historical football connection between Ireland and Australia and debunks a few myths about how the two codes developed.

The Irish have had an influence on the birth and growth of Australian Rules football right from the very beginning, but not quite in the way that most people might expect.

Despite the popular belief that the Aussie game is nothing more than a mutated version of Gaelic Football, it turns out the Irish may have learned more from the pioneers Down Under than the other way around.

Back in 1859, a full 26 years before the codification of Gaelic Football, four young men sat down in a small bar in east Melbourne and created the game of Australian Rules.

What most people won’t realise though, is that one of those founding fathers was an Irishman.

Over the years the contribution of Thomas Henry ‘Red’ Smith, a schoolteacher from Carrickmacross, has been eroded away, while the input of one of the game’s co-founders, Tom Wills, has been championed and celebrated.

A statue of Wills taking part in the first ever game of Aussie Rules sits proudly at the entrance to the game’s spiritual home at the MCG, while Smith, who also took part in that first game, is nowhere to be seen.

There are several reasons for Smith’s relegation to historical afterthought, according to Sydney-based historian Greg de Moore, author of Tom Wills: His Spectacular Rise And Tragic Fall.

A gruff and often difficult personality, Smith was an unpopular sort. Wills, on the other hand, was a legend.

He had been the captain of the Australian national cricket team, is credited with the introduction of overarm bowling, and had overcome his own father’s horrific murder at the hands of Aboriginal tribesmen  in Queensland to later go on and lead out the first ever indigenous team to play at the MCG.

Simply put, Wills was a national hero and an ideal poster boy for the emerging game.

Smith’s role, in the meantime, was relegated to that of mere sidekick.

“He seems to have been a very prickly sort of man, and that might have had some bearing on why so little was recorded about him.

“His contribution, however, really was immense,” de Moore says of Smith, who was a graduate of Dublin’s Trinity College and would later become headmaster at Melbourne’s Scotch College.

“We really don’t know a whole lot about him, especially in his later years, he just seems to have fallen off the radar after the 1860s. He taught Classics at Scotch College and we know he took part in what was the first ever game of Australian Rules football [between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar School in late 1858].

“Many years after that first game though, in 1900, we did finally find some form of record of him. A former student of his wrote a bit about him describing him as ‘the mad Irishman’ because he was renowned as being so vicious on the field.

“He was so competitive. In fact, he got so upset during that game that he actually took his team off the field because he wasn’t happy with some of the umpiring decisions.

“He had played a bit of cricket and was a member of the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), but he was never really all that good at it. It was in Australian Rules football that he really excelled.”

The new game took off almost overnight in Victoria, but within 10 years of its creation Smith was already beginning to feel that he was being written out of the history books – his legacy, he felt, being consistently diminished in favour of not just Wills, but of Wills’ cousin, Henry Harrison.

“Someone had written somewhere [in a newspaper at the time] that Harrison had been one of the original founders of the game at that 1858 meeting, whereas Harrison hadn’t actually even been there at all,” de Moore adds. “The real problem was that the author of the piece had neglected to mention the fact that Smith had been there.

“Wills talks about Smith in a couple of his letters, and to be honest I don’t think it was actually Wills’ popularity that bothered Smith. He was more upset about Harrison.

“Harrison was the main figure in the second writing of the rules in 1866, and he was certainly a very influential figure, but as so often happens when people write about things that happened years before, things are forgotten. And in this case one of those was Smith.

“There were probably a couple of reasons for that. Smith moved to South Australia a few years afterwards and he hadn’t been as charismatic a figure as Wills or some of the others,” de Moore says.

“But in 1862 he was became first person to captain a Melbourne Football Club team [the oldest club in Australia and one currently chaired by former Dublin minor star and AFL legend Jim Stynes], so he was certainly a prominent figure.

“You can’t take that, or any of his other achievements, away from him.”

No statue just yet, but a project for Monaghan County Council might not be out of the question.

In next week’s instalment, Dunne looks at some of the other early Irish influences on Australia’s national game, and discovers how, despite popular belief, Gaelic Football actually had little or nothing got to do with the birth of Aussie Rules.

Sydney Swan Tadhg Kennelly has confirmed that he will play in this year’s International Rules series after being cleared by Swans medical staff to participate in the hybrid game.

It will be Kennelly’s first time to return to Ireland since deciding to leave Kerry to revive his AFL career. Having already spoken to new Rules boss Anthony Tohill, he’s excited about pulling on the Irish jersey.

“Physically I feel absolutely fantastic,” Kennelly said.

“I’d said to myself if I pulled up well and got the all clear from the medicos that I’d play because you never know if you’ll get another opportunity. You know as you get on in years, your body may not pull up as good at the end of the season so I’ve decided to go ahead and play and I can’t wait. It’s going to be fantastic playing against some of the Swans boys and of course playing with Ireland and catching up with a lot of the players as well.”

The 2009 All-Ireland medalist and 2005 Premiership medallion holder said that now he has decided to make Australia home, representing his country takes on a new significance.

“When you’re away from a country you get very patriotic. I absolutely love playing for my country, there’s no higher honour that you can get in our game, in GAA or AFL, so it’s something that I’m really looking forward to. I just can’t wait to get out there.”

If reports are anything to go by, the Aussies will certainly have their own star power travelling to Ireland. The AFL’s biggest star Gary Ablett has reportedly told the AFL that he is keen to make his International Rules debut.

His inclusion would mean massive publicity in the build up to the tour as he is currently at the centre of one of the biggest possible AFL club transfers of all time as speculation continues that he will join new franchise the Gold Coast Suns.

An announcement regarding his future should be made shortly after the grand final. The Brownlow medalist’s side Geelong lost out to Collingwood in the Preliminary final.

If the AFL star does sign with the Suns, his first hit out as a new franchise player would be in Ireland. The tests take place in Limerick on October 23 and Dublin on October 30.

by Catherine Murphy