By Frank Shouldice

Ireland 31
Australia 69

AUSTRALIA won the International Rules series on the scoreline with a comfortable 109-79 victory, but once again players and fans are wondering whether it is worth pursuing this hybrid game any longer.

Straight from the throw-in the game descended into violence with the Australians taking the fight to the Irish and the Irish responding in kind.

Graham Geraghty be-came the game’s first serious casualty after just 12 minutes when he left the field seriously concussed after a very strong tackle by Danyle Pearce. Within the rules the tackle itself was not technically illegal, but the follow-through by Pearce and the suggestion that Geraghty was targeted from the first test left a very sour taste in the record 82,127 crowd as the Meath man was ferried unconscious from the fray.

Aussie playmaker Ryan O’Keeffe sustained a head butt as the Irish players resorted to underhand tactics to even up the score. The fact remained that the visitors were physically too powerful for even the fight to be an even contest.

And while the ball was running Ireland’s Aus-tralian-based players, Tadgh Kennelly and Colm Begley, both picked up heavy knocks, again suggesting that they were singled out for individual punishment.

Poor officiating also marred what was an awful game. With players brawling all over the field after just three minutes Brent Stanton finished off a move by thumping the ball past Alan Quirke.

Barry Hall -– who nabbed 16 points -– and O’Keeffe showed how to score and in between the fisticuffs and wrestling, the Aussies hit some lovely points, while the Irish labored with the very basics of their own code.

By halftime Ireland trailed 16-27, so even with the cushion of an eight-point lead from the first test in Galway the weekend previous, there was everything to play for.

The second half was one-way traffic, with Sean Boylan’s side managing a paltry four points while Australia hit 30, including goals by Brendon Goddard and Ryan Crowley.

It has always been felt that Ireland’s advantage in the mixed game is that they would know how to score goals, especially using a round ball. At Croke Park they never looked like finding the net and had insurmountable problems, even hitting anything over the bar.

The crowd was muted through most of the second half, but Boylan was uncharacteristically incensed after the final whistle.

“I played inter-county for 20 years, was involved with managed for 23 and as far as I’m concerned what happened out there in the first quarter is not acceptable in any code of sport,” he thundered. “It’s not acceptable out on the street! How that can be termed as playing with the spirit of the game is beyond me.

“I believe it’s wrong that you deliberately go out to target someone in such a way they get hurt. I don’t mind physical, man-to-man, and I’ve no problem being beaten if a team players better than us. But we had players there today and the biggest problem was to restrain them because you could have ended up with a fisticuffs match from start to finish.

“Don’t tell me if that’s sour grapes because anyone who knows me has never seen that with me. But for people to say we started this is pure and utter bulls***. As sportspeople we let ourselves down with what happened out there today. And that can’t go on.”

When asked if the future of the International Rules was now in doubt the Irish manager spoke for many. “Correct,” replied Boylan. “No question.”

Aussie boss Kevin Sheedy saw it a different way.

“I think we won well because we were fitter,” he felt. “But every time Australia win the series is coming to an end. Unbelievable! You’re the greatest conmen I’ve ever met!”

GAA President Nicky Brennan refused to confirm any future for the game. “It is wrong what happened in the first quarter, disappointing, but I’m not going to elaborate on that,” said Brennan.

“There was a lot of anger in the Irish dressingroom. We won’t talk about the future of the series now because immediate reactions are often dangerous, but we are very unhappy with what happened in the first quarter.

“We have a good relationship with the AFL so any words we have to say will be said behind closed doors.”