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Like a lot of Irish people who finish university, I finished, saved and went off and spent a year living it up in Australia.
Inevitably you travel over with some broad assumptions about your destination. Some of these are proved right, others were completely wrong.
But one that has a bit more truth in it than most is that Australia is quite an insular country.
Whereas in Ireland we are probably a bit too keen to be liked by everyone and told how great we are, Australia is pretty much unmoved by anyone else’s opinion of the place except what you think of yourselves.
News is generally domestically focussed and sport even more so.
The desire for that international dimension is just not as prominent. And honestly that’s admirable.
We just don’t have that self-confidence in Ireland and we don’t have that geographical isolation in Europe.
Does this explain the difference on how we approach the International Rules Series?
Why are amateur sportsmen playing Gaelic Games willing to put their lives and jobs on hold to represent Ireland when Australian professionals seem reluctant to cut their closed season holidays short to play for Australia?
Australians are definitely as patriotic but yet it seems feel no need to add an international dimension to your national sport.
Now when the series as we now know it started in ’98 everyone seemed to love it, huge crowds in Ireland, huge crowds in Australia.
However, as we’ve done on interest has gradually been lost down under by players and supporters alike.
Was there anything as telling as Ireland manager Anthony Tohill pumping his fist after a brilliant physical tackle last year while the Australian players just shrugged their shoulders and plodded on to a quiet surrender?
And as interest has died in Australia, Irish fans feel a bit silly backing the IRS. If we’re the only ones taking it seriously then what’s the point?
The AFL are clearly no longer keen but rather than calling time on the whole venture and putting it out of it’s misery they have now decided to field an all-Indigenous side is an effort to reinvigorate the series.
This has raised a few eyebrows in Ireland? How will it invigorate the series? The GAA released a statement following the AFL’s announcement:
“The GAA, in advance of confirmation of this decision, expressed its concerns to the AFL about the possible impact on the series of limiting selection to one group of players.
“The series was established to pit the best Irish players of the GAA against the best Australian players of the AFL and this development represents a departure from that goal. However, the GAA accepts the assurances of the AFL that Australia will be represented by a strong and talented team.”
They are right to have concerns. This decision has put the nail in the coffin of the series.
The GAA feel let down but more than that surely that the Indigenous players who will represent Australia should be asking why they are being given this opportunity.
Being sent over because the AFL are too afraid to have an awkward break-up with the GAA is no way to be treated.
Harking back to the fact that this is the first all-Indigenous team to represent Australia overseas since 1868 smacks of hollow opportunism.
If we are to take representing your country as an honour then anyone willing to get involved deserves more than this lip-service.
Irish crowds will not come out to watch this and the players will wonder why they bothered. They deserve better. We all deserve better.
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