International Rules losing domestic, international appeal
Columnist By Melanie Dinjaski, 21 Oct 2011 Melanie Dinjaski is a Roar Expert
Ireland players celebrate their win after the Second Test of the 2008 International Rules Series. Slattery Images
The International Rules Series is almost here. It’s that time of year where the world is reduced to just two nations as Ireland and Australia battle it out in the greatest hybrid sport since beer pong. So are you excited?
Going by recent trends you’re probably not.
Yes, much to the delight of those who call it a overrated novelty cash-cow, we could be witnessing the downfall of the International Rules Series.
Australian crowds at the International Rules Series have been dwindling. In 2003, a capacity crowd of 41,228 packed Subiaco Oval for the First Test, and 60,235 people watched the Second Test at the MCG.
Fast forward to 2008 (the last time the series was held in Australia) and the First Test at Subiaco attracted 35,153 patrons, while the MCG managed just 42,823 for the Second Test.
Etihad will host the First Test this year before venturing to Queensland for the Second Test. Though, if this attendance pattern is anything to go by, the 25,000 capacity Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast will be lucky to fill for the decider.
And things aren’t looking much better in the Emerald Isle.
In the past Irish crowds have been in excess of 70,000 for the International Rules Series. But even where the sport is more popular, interest is waning. At the First Test in 2006, Pearse Stadium filled with a capacity crowd of 35,000, and at Croke Park in Dublin it was another sell-out with 82,127 people. Though just last year as the Irish were looking to defend their 2008 title on home soil, only 30,117 turned out for the First Test at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick – a venue capable of holding 50,000 people.
Croke Park improved that figure in the Second Test, but 61,842 of the Irish faithful was nowhere near the 2006 mark.
Of course the GFC may have had something to do with the drop in crowd numbers in Ireland.
But maybe, just maybe, could it be that those Irish eyes just aren’t smiling at International Rules anymore?
If so, you could understand why. Though it’s easy to make the assumption that the Australians are at a disadvantage, I actually think it’s the Irish with the tougher job in the hybrid sport.
Firstly, in International Rules tackling is allowed. In Aussie Rules tackling is an essential skill (unless you’re a full-forward of course). But in Gaelic football shoulder bumps are as close to tackling as it gets, and AFL-style tackling is not the easiest skill to master in a few short weeks. Especially when you’re expected to bring 205cm ruckman, Zac Smith, to the ground.
Secondly, there’s the scoring proficiency. Now I know Aussie Rules is not played with a spherical ball, but if you can kick straight with a Sherrin, you can pretty much kick straight with anything! Sure enough, the All-Australians have had no trouble kicking accurately with the round ball in previous International Rules outings.
Bouncing the ball doesn’t get much easier either!
In another plus for the Australians, rule changes in 2008 reduced the playing time in International Rules from 80 minutes to 72 minutes. Knowing that most AFL matches have about 100 minutes of playing time while Gaelic football goes for 70 minutes, the All-Australians should be like Duracell bunnies.
This year in particular, it’s difficult to see Ireland cruising to victory. Not only will they play away from home this Series, but club commitments threaten to hurt the Irish squad.
While the AFL and All-Ireland seasons may be over, the Dublin Club Championship has just entered the knockout stage of the finals, and some of Ireland’s finest players (which could also include their captain Stephen Cluxton) will miss the International Rules Series as a result. In response officials have called for future tests to be held in December to cater for the Irish club schedule.
Considering all of these factors, you can understand why the Irish might be tiring of the sport.
Oh and we’re also beating them 6 wins to 5 on the tally.
I could be wrong. It could have nothing to do with the actual game at all. It might be the infamous fisticuffs in the concept sport which put some off.
Or it could be the sporadic two-year gaps between meetings from 2006-2010. Thankfully we’ll get to see the matches played for the second consecutive year starting on October 28. However we’ll have to wait another two years before the next Series in Ireland in 2013.
Despite the shambolic nature of this hybrid sport, there’s a lot to like about International Rules. It’s unique. It’s not international, but it’s unique. It’s fast-paced and requires remarkable skill all across the park.
But maybe we’ve finally had enough of it.
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You can follow Melanie Dinjaski on Twitter @MelanieDinjaski.
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October 21st 2011 @ 4:37am
SideShowBob said | October 21st 2011 @ 4:37am | Report comment
The concept is sound in principle but I think it needs an out-of-the-box re-lift.
Bring in a team from the USA and make it a tri-nations series!
October 22nd 2011 @ 12:40am
C.K said | October 22nd 2011 @ 12:40am | Report comment
Yeah the All-American NFL team can play the All- Australian AFL team.
October 23rd 2011 @ 9:52am
voodoo people said | October 23rd 2011 @ 9:52am | Report comment
the winner is crowned “lord of the pies”.
October 21st 2011 @ 7:39am
Lucan said | October 21st 2011 @ 7:39am | Report comment
Last time around even Seven lost interest in the whole shebang, screening the games from Ireland on delay and editing them heavily.
The concept is done and dusted.
October 21st 2011 @ 8:28am
oikee said | October 21st 2011 @ 8:28am | Report comment
Even rugby union and rugby league want to create a hybred mess, and i refuse to be part of such a silly concept, just get on with your own sports, no need to change anything, all are doing pretty good in their own markets.
Besides, here is the market which is practically written in stone now, And some codes have missed the boat, their still could be opportunity, so all hope is not lost.
This year,
2011, Rugby World Cup. every 4 years
2012, Olympics every 4 years
2013 Rugby League World Cup, every 4 years
2014, Soccer World Cup, every 4 years,
Then you have Commonwealth games, Sumer Winter Olympics, Cricket World cups now plus other Soccer Asia cups and what not.
Hybred means novelty, and this wears off, is why a hybred league and union game is a no go area.
October 21st 2011 @ 9:40am
Australian Rules said | October 21st 2011 @ 9:40am | Report comment
The “series” is a farce and an excuse for a junket.
When it’s in Ireland, all the Aust players and admin want to go. When it’s in Australia, they’re all bored of it.
Fast paced and skillful, yes. But the lofty hopes it had 10 years ago never materialised. Everyone sees it for what it is…a joke.
October 21st 2011 @ 9:53am
Happy Hooker said | October 21st 2011 @ 9:53am | Report comment
Aussies to be World Champs in another sport! Bring it on!
October 21st 2011 @ 10:25am
The Cattery said | October 21st 2011 @ 10:25am | Report comment
Melanie
the first game this year is actually at Etihad, not the MCG, which actually supports much of what you are saying.
This year, the Australian squad hardly has any big names, meaning the interest isn’t there amongst the players, and/or the professionalism of the Australians is starting to come to the fore a bit.
To re-calibrate the game would mean making it a bit more like Gaelic Football, at which point, they may as well play Gaelic football or forget about it.
It’s true that the Gaelic Footballers struggle a bit with the tackling, but you shouldn’t be suggesting it’s easy for the Austrlaians to pick up the round ball, when they only train with it for about 3 weeks.
October 21st 2011 @ 11:33am
Melanie Dinjaski said | October 21st 2011 @ 11:33am | Report comment
Yes I woke up realising this TC! Etihad as you say, is actually worse. But if they fill it out, the atmosphere would be better than an empty MCG.
The names in the squad are baffling. Too many Demons. The youth I can appreciate. But overall the team is strange. No Pies and just 2 Cats? No Goodes? Crazy.
Maybe it is harder than it looks handling the round ball. The gloves that more and more of them wear in recent series’ seem to help players grip it better. But they do make it look easy!
October 21st 2011 @ 11:56am
The Cattery said | October 21st 2011 @ 11:56am | Report comment
Handling the ball isn’t the problem, we all grow up handling a variety of round balls, but hitting targets with the round ball by foot, guidling it to the foot by hand, especially when running flat chat, is certainly not easy, especially if you aren’t practiced at doing it. The aussies only get to train with the round ball for around 3 weeks, it’s not very long, however, I admit that last year they were surprisingly accurate.
The straight follow through style that is used with the Sherrin won’t work with the round ball, so you will see three types of kicking in the Gaelic Footbally (by hand to foot):
1. the round the corner type of kick that imparts a top spin on the ball, used for goal kicking and around the ground
2. the outside of the foot kick, used to punch the ball low and hard, and quite effective, used for short passing and sometimes for scoring unders,
3. the little dinky chip, where the ball is caressed with contact just above the toes, for a short kick that has to lob over an opponent in between, but can be difficult to get the range right, and you have to avoid hitting the bony part of the upper foot.
October 21st 2011 @ 12:19pm
The Cattery said | October 21st 2011 @ 12:19pm | Report comment
Speaking of the little dinky kick, this is often the type of kick that Gaelic Footballers first master with the Sherrin, it allows them to get a working kick up and running very early in their career, in fact, Jim Stynes used this type of kick right through his career, he developed an auto-pilot range of 25 to 35m, and would deliver this little dinky kick with good accuracy, allowing him to make great use of his legendary hard running.
October 21st 2011 @ 12:19pm
Melanie Dinjaski said | October 21st 2011 @ 12:19pm | Report comment
Yeah I noticed the different methods they used for kicking last year. And they did it very well. The drop for 3 is very similar to the passing kick in AFL I thought. I think the kicking they can easily adjust to, because they do it all the time in AFL with angled grubbers, bananas, torps, etc. The consistent drop they do in AFL has got to give them some sort of advantage though. Dropping the ball on the foot is where I think it can all go wrong with the round ball..
October 21st 2011 @ 10:29am
TomC said | October 21st 2011 @ 10:29am | Report comment
‘Though it’s easy to make the assumption that the Australians are at a disadvantage, I actually think it’s the Irish with the tougher job in the hybrid sport.’
Honestly, how can anyone possibly believe this?
You spend your whole life playing with a particular shape of ball. Every technical skill you learn is based around that shape. You have to adapt kicking, marking, handballing, bouncing, reading the flight in the air, the bounce and the spin… absolutely everything.
Even if every AFL rule was the same except for the round ball, it would still be easier for the Irish to adapt.
I agree with the general view that the series is meaningless, but for some years the AFL have been moving towards treating it as a chance for a few youngsters to get a trip to Ireland and a bit of a different experience, rather than a genuine international competition, so I think the solution is for it to continue adapating, rather than scrapping it outright.
October 21st 2011 @ 10:39am
King of the Gorgonites said | October 21st 2011 @ 10:39am | Report comment
it is ridiculous concept. leave it alone and move on.
October 21st 2011 @ 11:52am
Mark said | October 21st 2011 @ 11:52am | Report comment
Australians, Australians, Australians.
Conservative, Conservative, Conservative.
It’s funny Oikee, these silly hybrid games with Aussie Rules seem to pull the crowds. Even if there is a down turn of late. Still smashes NRL crowds, maybe if there was a hybrid of Union and League, league might be able to get crowds of 40,000+.
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October 21st 2011 @ 6:02pm
oikee said | October 21st 2011 @ 6:02pm | Report comment
No worries, whatever, our 4 nations is played at Wembley this year, how is your game going, still packing the “g”, propped up by Melbourne supporters. ?
Outside Melbourne, your game is small, real small, remember that, at least our game is played in more than one country, and they are televised to others who really care about the result, unlike this Hybrid mess, or any hybrid mess.
You can knock league all you like, we already have a small world presense, ever so small.
This game on the other hand is against Ireland, not even England, Ireland, and hybrid, not even a real game of anything.
Gilette sponsers the 4 nations, who you got, events Melbourne. ?
Before you knock something, at least know your enemy.
October 23rd 2011 @ 10:51pm
David Heidelberg said | October 23rd 2011 @ 10:51pm | Report comment
A bit harsh of you to dwell on how small VFL is outside of Melbourne. Internationally it almost rivals Ultimate Frisbee.
October 21st 2011 @ 11:56am
Wylie said | October 21st 2011 @ 11:56am | Report comment
I actually prefer it to Aussie Rules, but I suspect I’m in a very slim minority.
October 21st 2011 @ 12:02pm
The Cattery said | October 21st 2011 @ 12:02pm | Report comment
I’ve heard this comment before, and I understand it.
If people are willing to take a step back, it’s a fast, open, entertaining game – no question about it – one can sit back and enjoy the game if you are willing to get over the fact that it counts for nought (some people have the mental block about it).
But it will always have the failing that it is not one or the other of the established codes of football, it’s something else again, that has no existence outside of this series (and some underage ones as well) – this means that it is fair game for supporters of both codes, as well as enemies of both codes.
October 22nd 2011 @ 9:35am
Timmuh said | October 22nd 2011 @ 9:35am | Report comment
I tend to agree. It cn ave its place, but its like T20 in cricket. Its an event of no significance.
I don’t mind it, but its not footy. As I’ve said in other threads, I think the ideal is to have it every second year and Origin in the intervening years. Year 1 Aus host Ire, Year 2 SoO Preliminary games, Year 3 Ire host Aus, Year 4 Origin final and promotion playoff. That allows for both Origin and IR to remain fresh, and with both types of representative games played in the post-season the AFLPA can’t really complain as there are no more games than at present.
October 22nd 2011 @ 10:00am
The Cattery said | October 22nd 2011 @ 10:00am | Report comment
That might be a reasonable solution long term.
October 22nd 2011 @ 12:45am
stabpass said | October 22nd 2011 @ 12:45am | Report comment
Interesting, i like it, it is generally far more open than AF, (bar Tiwi Island footy or top end ), and i know of plenty of school PE teachers that play/use different forms of it, and both soccer and AF kids can relate to it, and use skills from both codes.
Marketed properly, the sky is the limit IMO, but do the AFL and GAA really want that !.
They have their own codes to promote, bit of a catch 22.
As i stated in another post, high marking and the kicking of a Australian football is what i miss in IR.
October 23rd 2011 @ 10:54pm
David Heidelberg said | October 23rd 2011 @ 10:54pm | Report comment
Me too, far all of the negatives that people have rightfully dwelt on here, it is still good viewing.