Ireland comp down to 4 teams

[clarkey]

"The 2006 ARFLI season has suffered another huge blow with the news the the Clare Crows will not be competing in the premiership competition. The announcement came within a week of the Midland Tigers also withdrawing from the competition. The news, though not unexpected, means that the premiership will be contested by the Leeside Lions (current champions), Dublin Demons, Southside Swans and Dublin Saints/Tigers."

The above is from the ARFLI website. Shame to see.

 

[clashoftheash]

"The 2006 ARFLI season has suffered another huge blow with the news the the Clare Crows will not be competing in the premiership competition. The announcement came within a week of the Midland Tigers also withdrawing from the competition. The news, though not unexpected, means that the premiership will be contested by the Leeside Lions (current champions), Dublin Demons, Southside Swans and Dublin Saints/Tigers."

The above is from the ARFLI website. Shame to see.

If there was a team near me i'd play.

 

[benjamin]

Start one.

I dare say every international footy team has been started by someone who wanted to play but didn't have a team in his area.

 

[clashoftheash]

Start one.

I dare say every international footy team has been started by someone who wanted to play but didn't have a team in his area.

Start one ??

I'm in hurling training tuesday, thursday nights. Rugby training (just started playing again) wednesday, friday nights. I'm in the gym every night and i usually have matches on saturday/sunday. And that doesn't include the hurling training i do in my own time.

I might have time to play Aussie Rules, would sacrifice the rugby maybe but i most definately would not have time to start a club and organise the thing.

 

[fishmonger]

Interesting because as far as I know, there have never been more Irish playing the game here in Australia.

Our team has nearly 7 Irish recruits this year and most of them have turned into pretty good players.

Getting the game on television over there would help, but I don't think it is going to happen. And the reputation forged by the Aussies in the International Rules has not helped one bit.

 

[demonsboy888]

Interesting because as far as I know, there have never been more Irish playing the game here in Australia.

Our team has nearly 7 Irish recruits this year and most of them have turned into pretty good players.

Well that's encouraging - maybe they'll return to Ireland one day and want to keep playing.

Getting the game on television over there would help, but I don't think it is going to happen.

I think it is on tv isn't it?

And the reputation forged by the Aussies in the International Rules has not helped one bit.

Do you know that or are you guessing? Unlikely to have helped but I wonder if it really hurt in this case.

 

[JimStynes]

We do get a 2hour highlights show on a friday and saturday on sky sports. Id love to play aussie rules, il be moving to australia in a year after i finish my degree. Il be living in an area around st kilda called ripponlee or balaclava, do you know of any teams around there that i would be able to get a run out for.

 

[fishmonger]

We do get a 2hour highlights show on a friday and saturday on sky sports. Id love to play aussie rules, il be moving to australia in a year after i finish my degree. Il be living in an area around st kilda called ripponlee or balaclava, do you know of any teams around there that i would be able to get a run out for.

I'd recommend these clubs:

Powerhouse Football Club (VAFA) http://www.powerhouse-afc.com/
St Kilda City (SFL) http://www.stkildacity.com/
Hampton Hammers (SFL) http://www.hamptonhammers.com/
East Brighton (SFL) http://www.thevampires.org/
Elsternwick (VAFA) http://www.elsternwickfc.com/
Hampton Rovers (VAFA) http://www.hamptonrovers.com.au/

With any of these sides you'd most likely get a run.

 

[fishmonger]

Well that's encouraging - maybe they'll return to Ireland one day and want to keep playing.

The ones I have spoken to won't. Many also play Gaelic Football. They would probably end up playing Gaelic instead. Also, few of those travelling the world will likely return to Ireland until they are much older.

I think it is on tv isn't it?

As far as I have heard only the International Rules is televised there.

Do you know that or are you guessing? Unlikely to have helped but I wonder if it really hurt in this case.

Most of the Irish boys in Australia that I have spoken to say that this has done irrepairable damage back home. People there now dismiss the game as a thug's sport, because there is very little exposure to the game beyond the series. All it has done is strengthened Gaelic Football's popularity. Which is very unfortunate. I think you'll find that this will stop the usual curious flow of Gaelic Footballers trying Aussie Rules out in Ireland. However those in Australia seem to know better and are more than keen to participate.

 

[fishmonger]

We do get a 2hour highlights show on a friday and saturday on sky sports. Id love to play aussie rules, il be moving to australia in a year after i finish my degree. Il be living in an area around st kilda called ripponlee or balaclava, do you know of any teams around there that i would be able to get a run out for.

Why don't you play in the ARFLI ?

 

[jacross]

Thug sport sounds good to me, the Irish and bring back State of Origin.

 

[Peter P]

I wonder if the ARFLI suffers from the fact that Gaelic Football in Ireland is essentially a similar game and so widespread and entrenched. Sure the Irish are probably more knowledgeable and keen on Aussie Rules as a population than most other countries through regular telecasts and 30 plus years of International Rules - but playing it is perhaps not so different from playing Gaelic footy, so the attraction of a new game is not as great as say in Denmark or parts of the USA.

Gaelic football in Australia has a similar problem and numbers of players are greatest in Sth Australia where it is played in summer so Aussie Rules (and soccer) players can play it as an off-season sport. Women's Gaelic football is probably more popular than men's in Australia as it offers a unique game to women and is less rough than women's Aussie Rules or Women's rugby. Though Women's footy is growing in Australia.

 

[Dingo]

I wonder if the ARFLI suffers from the fact that Gaelic Football in Ireland is essentially a similar game and so widespread and entrenched. Sure the Irish are probably more knowledgeable and keen on Aussie Rules as a population than most other countries through regular telecasts and 30 plus years of International Rules - but playing it is perhaps not so different from playing Gaelic footy, so the attraction of a new game is not as great as say in Denmark or parts of the USA.

ya hit the nail on the head there - the major problem (and strength) of playing AFL in Ireland is that you are always competing against the GAA! For example I played a GAA league game thursday night, AFL game Saturday Afternoon, GAA challenge match Sunday and have a GAA championship match on Tuesday evening! Thats a lot of games in a short amount of time - many players choose the GAA over AFL as it is easier to play - ie dont have to travel the length of the country to play games!!

On the flip side you do occasionally recruit some brilliant players from the GAA that need little or no training to convert them to Aussie Rules - simple explain the rules and let em at it! Dont ever have to show a GAA player how to punch the ball and it only takes a littel longer to show them how to kick it! Recruited our backup ruckman 2 months before the International Cup...

 

[fishmonger]

ya hit the nail on the head there - the major problem (and strength) of playing AFL in Ireland is that you are always competing against the GAA! For example I played a GAA league game thursday night, AFL game Saturday Afternoon, GAA challenge match Sunday and have a GAA championship match on Tuesday evening! Thats a lot of games in a short amount of time - many players choose the GAA over AFL as it is easier to play - ie dont have to travel the length of the country to play games!!

Some of the Irish guys I've spoken to point out that this is by far the biggest problem. Because unlike Australia, Ireland has a relatively low level of urbanisation. But like Australia with our country football, in the counties is where gaelic football is most popular. IMO it would be better for the sport in Ireland to focus on more 9-a-side type comps in regional areas than big teams in Dublin where all you'll attract a handful of ex-pats and a few stragglers. It could also be a good idea to hold Aussie Rules in the Gaelic Football off-season.

On the flip side you do occasionally recruit some brilliant players from the GAA that need little or no training to convert them to Aussie Rules - simple explain the rules and let em at it! Dont ever have to show a GAA player how to punch the ball and it only takes a littel longer to show them how to kick it! Recruited our backup ruckman 2 months before the International Cup...

That's not going to wash forever though, as countries like PNG, NZ and the USA further improve, as last year's IC showed.

 

[clashoftheash]

I think it is on tv isn't it?

Highlights only as far as i'm aware.

Do you know that or are you guessing? Unlikely to have helped but I wonder if it really hurt in this case.

The last series has caused a lot of anger thats still there. To a lot of people it brings back memories of the first IR series and why it was originally stopped.

Its not that we aren't accustomed to physical play etc but in gaelic footy the rules make it possible for both the small, fast player and the large slow player to play togeather. If the last IR series was anything to go by there is no place for the small fast player in the game. Gaelic Football has being going down the fast/small player route for a few years now.

Whats also not liked is punchups on the field every few minutes. If people wanted to see a boxing match they would tune to another station.

So yeah, a lot of people are still unhappy with some of the behaviour at the last IR series.

 

[clashoftheash]

Some of the Irish guys I've spoken to point out that this is by far the biggest problem. Because unlike Australia, Ireland has a relatively low level of urbanisation. But like Australia with our country football, in the counties is where gaelic football is most popular. IMO it would be better for the sport in Ireland to focus on more 9-a-side type comps in regional areas than big teams in Dublin where all you'll attract a handful of ex-pats and a few stragglers. It could also be a good idea to hold Aussie Rules in the Gaelic Football off-season.

Theres not really such thing as a Gaelic Football off-season especially for the top players. Gaelic Football and Hurling players play for their club (League and Championship) and the best play for their club (league and championship) and for their county (League and championship).

Even players not on the county team always have matches to play.

 

[torchbearer38]

That's a shame, I played for the Dublin Demons in 01 and it was a good trip to Mullingar (who could ever forget the rugby club do that year when the Aussie's in Irleand played the Irish team preparing for the International Cup in Melbourne)

 

[MaccaHawk]

We do get a 2hour highlights show on a friday and saturday on sky sports. Id love to play aussie rules, il be moving to australia in a year after i finish my degree. Il be living in an area around st kilda called ripponlee or balaclava, do you know of any teams around there that i would be able to get a run out for.

JimStynes - take yourself down to De La Salle footy club. Good bunch of guys there. www.delafootball.com.au

I've never played for them (I'm in Scotland) but my cousin coaches the reserves and says they're a good bunch of guys.

 

[Dingo]

It could also be a good idea to hold Aussie Rules in the Gaelic Football off-season.

offseason?????? we got a week and a half break from training over xmas and straight back into football in the new year as we were in a promotion play off final ! That was played in the middle of februray.. When that was over we played our first league game of the 2006 season two weeks later.

I'd consider myself an average player and thats the kind of schedule that we're faced with.... Difference between an Irish summer and an Irish winter is that it rains slightly less in the summer - so GAA is played all year round !

 

[*Crash*]

Its not that we aren't accustomed to physical play etc but in gaelic footy the rules make it possible for both the small, fast player and the large slow player to play togeather. If the last IR series was anything to go by there is no place for the small fast player in the game. Gaelic Football has being going down the fast/small player route for a few years now.

As I recall Kevin Sheedy hand picked his team with an emphasis on the small fast player, and that really was the big difference between the two teams (and previous Australian teams). In the past it has been the Aussies big slow players that held them back.

 

[clashoftheash]

offseason?????? we got a week and a half break from training over xmas and straight back into football in the new year as we were in a promotion play off final ! That was played in the middle of februray.. When that was over we played our first league game of the 2006 season two weeks later.

I'd consider myself an average player and thats the kind of schedule that we're faced with.... Difference between an Irish summer and an Irish winter is that it rains slightly less in the summer - so GAA is played all year round !

lol off season.

I know a lad in Tipp that doesn't even get that! (He plays intermediate for Tipp hurling and football and hurling for his club). Needless to say they don't have much respect for football in Tipp but he does still play it.

He gets to drink 3-4 nights a year around xmas and thats it.

Off season ? Whats an off season ?

 

[fishmonger]

lol off season.

I know a lad in Tipp that doesn't even get that! (He plays intermediate for Tipp hurling and football and hurling for his club). Needless to say they don't have much respect for football in Tipp but he does still play it.

He gets to drink 3-4 nights a year around xmas and thats it.

Off season ? Whats an off season ?

lol. maybe a reason cricket is not so popular in ireland.

me, i hate off-season.
cricket bores me to tears and i just cant wait for footy to start again ....

maybe then there needs to be a better pathway for ARFLI players to professional leagues in Australia.
this may happen when the first player comes from the ARFLI rather than just converting from GAA straight to AFL. But to do this, naturally you'd need to lift the standard of the local league and that is a catch 22 without some ex-pat Aussies driving it.