International Rules - Australia v Ireland

[Strange Cat]

When’s the next match?

 

[Cmarsh]

Imagine the Irish poaching afl players to Ireland to play GAA. (Excluding Irish afl players)

To play for free? Sure that will work.

 

[Cmarsh]

When’s the next match?

Tonight

 

[Frank Gallagher]

Wish Flogard wasn't in the team, great player but just seeing him makes my skin crawl.

 

[Topkent]

Wish Flogard wasn't in the team, great player but just seeing him makes my skin crawl.

He was MOTM with Fyfe in the first game.

 

[Frank Gallagher]

He was MOTM with Fyfe in the first game.

Yeah i know, but he's still a massive try hard flog.

 

[Milanista28]

What time does it start?

 

[Topkent]

Yeah i know, but he's still a massive try hard flog.

Yeah I hate it when my players try hard.

 

[Cleavy]

What time does it start?

telecast starts at 7pm AEDT. I think the game starts after 7:30pm

 

[King_Steele]

Yeah i know, but he's still a massive try hard flog.

 

[Randomizor]

Won’t be able to watch this so if someone could just keep me updated with a detailed play-by-play that would be great

 

[Swooping Crow]

Why are they persisting with this trivial hybrid game?

 

[Bomberboyokay]

It is not sustainable here. At all. The structures of the competition, the amount of teams, the lack of home and away games in league format. No TV competition rights to speak of. A small population. Nothing lends itself to making it professional.

In Gaelic football, there are 31 irish counties in the competition. Thats in a population of just over 6 million (including Northern Ireland). You can effectively rule out half of the Norths population who would be anti GAA. Coupled with that, you also have 32 counties who play hurling (about 15 to a high level). So effectively, you would have to sort out professional wages and set ups for over 60 teams. The total entire revenue for the GAA last year was about €60 million. They need to cover a load of costs (their own staffing, coaching, ground expenses, match day costs etc) before even thinking of distributing to counties. Take 30 squad players at an average wage here of €45,000, that would be €1.35m before any running costs. That just wont work.

The setup is based on their province. So you play for a provincial cup series and then into the All Ireland series. It is mainly a knockout competition, (one back door chance after losing one game) so in any given year, the minimum games you have is 2, but that could also be it for the season. You also get an imbalance of games played, this year Dublin played 5 games to win the All Ireland final and Mayo played 10 to challenge them in that game.

As it currently works, the players are amateur. They get travel expenses, meals, physio, playing gear, all the usual perks but no actual pay. They filpside is that a lot of them can get easy front of house type jobs because of their exposure and they can work the job around their sport. Every player who plays for his county still plays for his local club, hence the lack of Irish players travelling to Australia as they are still playing club games here.

You have an imbalance in finances and playing numbers too. Each county looks after their own set up. So in a highly populated place like Dublin, they have the best of sponsors and fan support with a population of 1.8 million. But they are still at the same level as the likes of Leitrim, with a population of 30,000.

So where does the money go? Mainly, back to the local clubs. So every club in Ireland is pretty well set up with good infrastructure and set ups. Most of these would have been built through grants and money sent to them by the GAA. Each county has a number of full time coaching staff who work with clubs in providing workshops and games etc for kids.

The only way GAA could be professional is if they just start again, blow up the club and county set up and format maybe 8 regional teams in football and hurling. Set it up as a league format so they have their home and away. But in doing that, you would destroy over 150 years of history.



hmmm. Ireland stuck in the dark ages? Just had the same sex marriage vote there yeah?

You don't have to make every player a professional or even pay every player but all of them receiving nothing is clearly bullshit when the GAA makes many millions of euros a year.

The people running the GAA certainly aren't working for free.

 

[Frank Gallagher]

Why are they persisting with this trivial hybrid game?

I don't mind it, it's better than nothing, i'd much prefer the Irish stop playing Gaelic football and start playing a real sport like Aussie Rules.

 

[Stefan_Carey]

I don't mind it, it's better than nothing, i'd much prefer the Irish stop playing Gaelic football and start playing a real sport like Aussie Rules.

It's where they stole the rules for their game from anyway, they might as well.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

What time does it start?

4:45pm AWST

 

[HBF]

Hoping it's as good as the game last weekend.

 

[simpsonwillo]

Is the game being called on the radio? I’m going to the game,but want to listen to the commentary. Apologies if already been discussed.

 

[Frank Gallagher]

It's where they stole the rules for their game from anyway, they might as well.

thieving campaigners.

 

[Old Stuckup]

Is the game being called on the radio? I’m going to the game,but want to listen to the commentary. Apologies if already been discussed.

I think SEN is calling it.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

Is the game being called on the radio? I’m going to the game,but want to listen to the commentary. Apologies if already been discussed.

It will be on SEN.

 

[catpremier 07]

Why are they persisting with this trivial hybrid game?

Coz its entertaining

 

[Vitalogy]

Hopefully the Irish play a bit better tonight

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

Shaun Higgins has been called into the squad apparently.

 

[jarrod_island_doggies]

Bell must be standing on 3 milk crates