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With the Australian Indigenous side in Ireland for the International Rules series, it’s worth remembering that there is a genuine Australian Football competition in the same country.
The Australian Rules Football League of Ireland traces its history back to September 1999, when the Belfast Redbacks were founded by Darren Nutt and Ian Bracken.
In October of the same year, the Demons were formed in Dublin. Today, the league consists of six men’s teams and three women’s teams.
The league uses the standard Gaelic football pitch, with cones tapering the corners in to at least resemble something of an oval.
The number of players per side can vary between 12 and 14 depending on who is available. The national side generally plays on a standard oval with 16-18 players on the field.
The President of the ARFLI, Cian Quigley, enthusiastically tells me that there are 200 club players in the Irish competition, with about 15-20 expatriate Australians on average.
Quigley says there used to be more, but the global financial crisis reduced the numbers.
Not only is Quigley the President of the Irish league, but he has been the captain in its last two International Cups, as well as being on the 2005 tour.
Ireland has competed well at the International Cup, having won it twice in 2002 and in 2011, and has 18 wins from 26 games.
Quigley remembers the trip fondly, saying of the vast surface of the MCG, “I couldn’t believe they made pitches so big”.
The captain says that they have a strong team for the 2014 cup and would very much like to be the first team to win three cups.
The 2014 side is expected to have more Australian-based Irish players than Irish-based players.
It’s not a cheap trip. Quigley says that the cost-per-player will be more than 3000 Euros, but adds that “even without playing on the MCG the experience would be unbelievable”.
Quigley sees merit in the International Cup as a means of spreading the AFL message and making the game truly international. He says that the cup is a great way to bring all kinds of people together.
AFL Europe has been a blessing according to Quigley, particularly in the branding and promotional sense, although there is a minor financial contingent.
The International Rules matches give the Irish Australian Rules players a chance to see the Australian guys up close, while the ARFLI will get the chance to attend some AFL/GAA events while the Indigenous team is in Ireland.
Quigley says that even though the GAA has its own relations with the AFL, it would be preferable for the ARFLI to have their own ties than rely on the GAA to cross-promote.
He rates players like the Lions’ Pearce Handley and Carlton’s Zach Touhy highly, and says it’s unfortunate that Tommy Walsh didn’t have a great time at the Swans.
He gets truly excited, however, when talking about Port Adelaide’s new Irish signing, Daniel Flynn.
Flynn is the first Irish player to be drafted from the ARFLI, having played for the North Leinster Giants. Although he also played high level Gaelic football, he spent parts of 2013 in the ARFLI in anticipation of being drafted.
Melbourne hosts the International Australian Football Cup in August 2014.
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