2006 International Rules Series

Last updated

2006 International Rules Series
Event International Rules Series
Australia win series 109–79 on aggregate
First test
Date28 October 2006
Venue Pearse Stadium, Galway, Salthill
Referee Pat McEnaney (Ireland) [1]
Shane McInerney (Australia) [1]
Attendance35,000
Second test
Date5 November 2006
Venue Croke Park, Dublin, Dublin City
Referee David Coldrick (Ireland) [1]
Shane McInerney (Australia) [1]
Attendance82,127 (Sell Out)
2005
2008

The 2006 International Rules Series (officially the 2006 Coca-Cola International Rules Series) was the 13th annual International Rules Series and was played between Ireland and Australia.

Contents

The 2006 series involved two sell-out test matches, the first in Galway and the second in Dublin. Both of the matches were a landmark occasion for the International Rules Series and Irish sport; the Galway test was the first international rules series match to be played under floodlights in Ireland and the first match to be played outside Dublin, whilst the attendance for the second test was the largest in the history of international sport in Ireland. [2]

Both tests were again controversial due to the off-field actions of the Australian team and the on-field actions of both teams, as well as injury to several players from both sides.

Fixtures

Controversies

First test

Graham Geraghty was cited for a knee to the head of Australia's Lindsay Gilbee.

Off-field controversy also dominated the series. Brendan Fevola's assault of an Irish barman which resulted in his being sent home from the Australian tour in the series brought the series into question for the behaviour and laid-back attitude which the professional Australian players have towards the series. [3]

Second test

A tackle by Australia's Danyle Pearce on Ireland's Graham Geraghty in the second test left Geraghty unconscious and requiring hospitalisation. The act was considered a "square up", further adding tensions to the series. Despite several on-field incidents, including a shirtfront by Adam Selwood which resulted in the broken nose of an Irish opponent and a headbutt to Australia's Ryan O'Keefe which left his face bloodied, red cards were not used and the actions were cleared by the match review panels.

Irish coach Seán Boylan publicly blamed thuggery and refereeing for Ireland's loss to Australia and called for the series to be scrapped. In December, 2006, the GAA decided not to participate in the series any further unless the Australians agreed to abide by a code of conduct and stricter rules regarding tackling. [3]

Jim Stynes Medal

Ryan O'Keefe was awarded the Jim Stynes Medal. [3]

Squads

Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland Flag of Australia.svg Australia
NameTeamPositionNameTeamPosition
Seán Boylan Meath Coach Kevin Sheedy Essendon Coach
Paul Barden Longford Chance Bateman Hawthorn
Colm Begley Brisbane and Laois Campbell Brown Hawthorn
Joe Bergin Galway Ryan Crowley Fremantle
Alan Brogan Dublin Aaron Davey Melbourne
Seán Cavanagh Tyrone Nick Davis Sydney
Rónán Clarke Armagh Brendan Fevola Carlton
Brendan Coulter Down Samuel Fisher St Kilda
Kieran Donaghy Kerry Dustin Fletcher (c) Essendon Goalkeeper
Dermot Earley Kildare Lindsay Gilbee Western Bulldogs
Kieran Fitzgerald Galway Brendon Goddard St Kilda
Paul Galvin Kerry Barry Hall (c) Sydney
Graham Geraghty Meath Graham Johncock Adelaide
Tom Kelly Laois Matthew Lappin Carlton
Tadhg Kennelly (vc) Sydney and Kerry James McDonald Melbourne
Karl Lacey Donegal David Mundy Fremantle
Seán Marty Lockhart Derry Ryan O'Keefe Sydney
Steven McDonnell Armagh Brett Peake Fremantle
Kieran McGeeney (c) Armagh Danyle Pearce Port Adelaide
Anthony Moyles Meath Andrew Raines Richmond
Nicholas Murphy Cork Adam Schneider Sydney
Aidan O'Mahony Kerry Adam Selwood West Coast
Marc Ó Sé Kerry Justin Sherman Brisbane
Alan Quirke Cork Kade Simpson Carlton
Kevin Reilly Meath Brent Stanton Essendon
Shane Ryan Dublin Michael Voss Brisbane

Matches

First test

Team1234Total
Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland 0.5.10.6.30.8.51.12.6(48)
Flag of Australia.svg Australia 0.1.10.4.21.8.31.9.7(40)
Ireland won by 8
DateSaturday, 28 October 2006
Scoring (IRL)Goals: Bergin

Overs: McDonnell 4, Barden, Begley, Bergin, Brogan, Cavanagh, Earley, Geraghty, Kennelly

Scoring (AUS)Goals: O'Keefe

Overs: O'Keefe 3, Davis 2, Hall 2, Davey, Lappin

BestIRL: Kelly, McDonnell, Fitzgerald, Bergin, McGeeney, Brogan

AUS: Lappin, O'Keefe, Fletcher, Sherman, Hall, Davis

InjuriesNil
Venue Pearse Stadium, Galway, County Galway
Attendance35,000
Umpires Pat McEnaney (Ireland)
Shane McInerney (Australia)
Video RTÉ Broadcast of the 1st Test (YouTube)
RTÉ Match report

Second test

Team1234Total
Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland 0.3.10.4.40.5.50.7.10(31)
Flag of Australia.svg Australia 1.3.11.6.33.11.63.15.6(69)
Australia won by 38
DateSunday, 5 November 2006
Scoring (IRL)Goals: -

Overs: Brogan 2, Earley 2, McDonnell 2, Coulter

Scoring (AUS)Goals: Crowley, Goddard, Stanton

Overs: Hall 4, Sherman 3, O'Keefe 2, Pearce 2, Bateman, Davey, Davis, Goddard

BestIRL: Kelly, Lockhart, Cavanagh, Moyles, Coulter, McDonnell
AUS: Pearce, Sherman, O'Keefe, Hall, Fletcher, Davey
InjuriesIRL: Geraghty (concussion)
AUS: Brown (hand/lower back), Crowley (knee)
Venue Croke Park, Dublin, County Dublin
Attendance82,127
Umpires David Coldrick (Ireland)
Shane McInerney (Australia)
Video RTÉ Broadcast of the 2nd Test (YouTube)
RTÉ Match report

Women's series

Aftermath

As far as I'm concerned what happened out there in that first quarter today is not acceptable in any code of sport. It's not accepted on the street. How that could be termed as playing within the spirit of the game is beyond me.

Seán Boylan, Ireland coach [4]

The 2006 series is remembered as a significant turning point in the history of international rules football. The physicality and occasional violence in the second test marred the entire contest between the two nations and resulted in the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) abandoning the planned 2007 series and only agreeing to resume following a significant change to the game's code of conduct. On the pitch, Ireland manager Seán Boylan had to be convinced by his players not to abandon play at the end of the first, so serious was the off-the-ball meleeing. The sling tackle which resulted in a serious concussion to Ireland player Graham Geraghty and forced play to stop in the first quarter dominated discussion post-match, whilst the trading of barbs and insults between the teams was prolific both before and after the final test. [5]

Don't get blinded by your passion. I think we won well, and I think it's very hard to win in Ireland, and I think we won because we were fitter. Every time Australia win the series is coming to an end. Unbelievable. You're the greatest conmen I've ever met.

Kevin Sheedy, Australian coach [4]

No player was later sanctioned by the Australian Football League (AFL) and GAA following the series, though a number of yellow cards (send-offs) were issued to players by both referees. The series would later go on to be ranked 10th by the Irish public in the one-off television program 20 Moments That Shook Irish Sport . Despite eventually returning in 2008, the International Rules Series struggled to maintain a place on the annual Irish and Australian sporting calendars, and it is worth noting that the no test match since has come remotely close to the rivalling the sell-out crowd 82,000 who attended the second test match on a Sunday afternoon at Croke Park. [4] [5] [6] Others editorialised that the disgruntlement in the series demonstrated a difference in cultural values regarding aspects of the Indigenous Gaelic and Australian games such as umpiring methods and types of physicality deemed tolerable in the two sports. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaelic football</span> Irish team sport, form of football

Gaelic football, commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kicking or punching the ball into the other team's goals or between two upright posts above the goals and over a crossbar 2.5 metres above the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaelic Athletic Association</span> Irish amateur sporting and cultural organisation

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, Gaelic handball and rounders. The association also promotes Irish music and dance, as well as the Irish language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croke Park</span> Sports venue in Dublin (Republic of Ireland)

Croke Park is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Since 1891 the site has been used by the GAA to host Gaelic sports, including the annual All-Ireland in Gaelic football and hurling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seán Boylan</span>

Seán Boylan is an Irish former Gaelic football manager from Dunboyne, County Meath. He retired from his position as manager of the senior Meath county team on the evening of 31 August 2005 after twenty-three years in charge. This was an inter-county managerial record with one team that was only surpassed in Gaelic games by Brian Cody in 2022, his 24th and last season as manager of the Kilkenny senior hurling team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louth GAA</span> County board of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland

The Louth County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) or Louth GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Louth. The county board is also responsible for the Louth county teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meath GAA</span> County board of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland

The Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for Meath county teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 International Rules Series</span> Football match

The 2005 International Rules Series was the 12th annual International Rules Series and the 14th time that a test series of international rules football was played between Ireland and Australia and was won by Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ladies' Gaelic football</span> Womens team sport

Ladies' Gaelic football is a women's team sport. It is the women's equivalent of Gaelic football. Ladies' football is organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association. Two teams of 15 players kick or hand-pass a round ball towards goals at each end of a grass pitch, since May 2022 women Gaelic footballers have to wear shin pads. The sport is mainly played in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, where the two main competitions are the All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship and the Ladies' National Football League. Both competitions feature teams representing the traditional Gaelic games counties. The 2017 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final was the best attended women's sports final of 2017. The 2019 final, after the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, was the second largest attendance at any women's sporting final during 2019. Historically Cork and Kerry have been the sport's most successful counties. Waterford, Monaghan and Mayo have also experienced spells of success. In more recent years, 2017 to 2020, Dublin have been the dominant team.

The history of the Gaelic Athletic Association is much shorter than the history of Gaelic games themselves. Hurling and caid were recorded in early Irish history and they pre-date recorded history. The Gaelic Athletic Association itself was founded in 1884.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ireland international rules football team</span>

The Ireland international rules football team is the representative team for Ireland in international rules football, a compromise between Gaelic football and Australian rules football. The team is made up of Irish players from the Gaelic Athletic Association and Australian Football League.

John O'Leary is a Dublin-born Gaelic footballer who played for the O'Dwyers club and at senior level for the Dublin county team. He is an area manager for Permanent TSB and in 2007 was a candidate for Fianna Fáil in the constituency of Dublin North. O'Leary has a biography of his sporting career with Dublin, entitled Back To The Hill.

The International Rules Series is a senior men's international rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team and the Ireland international rules football team.

Composite rules shinty–hurling —sometimes known simply as shinty–hurling—is a hybrid sport which was developed to facilitate international matches between shinty players and hurling players.

The 2009 International Rules Series was to have been the 15th International Rules Series football competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1966 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final</span> Football match

The 1966 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 79th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1966 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.

Ciarán Kilkenny is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for the Dublin county team and as a dual player for his club Castleknock. He was previously on the playing list of Australian rules football club Hawthorn, as a rookie.

The 2013 International Rules Series was the 17th International Rules Series contested between Gaelic footballers from Ireland and Australian footballers from Australia. Ireland entered the 2013 series as defending champions, whilst Australia were, for the first time in the series, represented by an exclusively Indigenous team, known as the Indigenous All-Stars.

The 2020 International Rules Series was to be the 21st International Rules Series contested by Gaelic footballers from Ireland and Australian footballers from Australia. The series would have been held in Ireland and was to be the first series to be arranged by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and Australian Football League (AFL) since November 2017. It was cancelled in April 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meath county football team</span> Gaelic football team

The Meath county football team represents Meath in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Meath GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Leinster Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.

The 2020 Leinster Senior Football Championship Final was played at Croke Park in Dublin on 21 November 2020. It was contested by Dublin and Meath. Dublin won a tenth consecutive title.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "McEnaney to ref in Rules opener". BBC. 25 October 2006.
  2. "Aussies thump Ireland to retain trophy". RTÉ . 5 November 2006. The hybrid game has always had its detractors, and the heavy-handed tactics that Kevin Sheedy’s victors deployed in front of 82,127 Croke Park spectators – a record crowd for an international fixture held on Irish soil – will only add to their number.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ireland v. Australia: 2006". Footy Stats. Various sources. 7 November 2006. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "Sounds of Summer: International Rules Series". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 January 2007.
  5. 1 2 "No holds barred: the explosive 2006 tests that changed the future of International Rules". The42.ie. 19 October 2013.
  6. "No.10 - The 2006 Compromise Rules: The scrap in Croke Park that threatened to scrap Compromise Rules". RTÉ. 27 September 2007.
  7. "Editorial: Clash of cultures jeopardises IR series". World Footy News. 11 November 2006.