Rock calls for biennial Rules series

BARNEY ROCK certainly agrees with the belief that familiarity breeds contempt. The former Dublin and Irish forward has called for the annual International Rules series between Australia and Ireland to be held every second year.

Since the hybrid game between the two countries was resurrected in 1998, a two-test series has been contested each year. That looks likely to continue until 2013 after the GAA and Australian Football League agreed a 10-year extension to the experiment during last year’s series down under.

Despite rising attendances at the games in recent games, both here and in Australia, Rock believes that holding the series every 24 months would heighten the appetite for the game among players, as well as freeing up some much-needed space in a crowded GAA calendar.

“It’s hard to know how much interest there is in it now,” he says.

“For the players, it’s a trip away at the end of the season when it’s played in Australia, but you’d wonder how many of the lads on last year’s trip are really looking forward to playing this year.

“It’s great for the lads from the weaker counties to play in Croke Park and everyone is delighted to get the chance to wear the Irish jersey but maybe it should be every two years, like the Ryder Cup. It would give lads a break and they’d look forward to it more if it was every two years.”

Despite his wish to see the number of games halved, Rock is still an avid supporter of the Rules concept and will be in Croke Park on Sunday to see the latest installment between the two codes.

It’s 20 years since the Dublin legend played his part in the first meeting between the sides and things have changed significantly since then.

In 1984 just over 50,000 people combined watched the three tests in Pairc Uí Chaoimh and Croke Park.

The GAA will be disappointed if that figure isn’t surpassed this Sunday alone, such has been the explosion of interest.

“Yeah, it’s changed a good bit since. I remember there was an awful small crowd the first day in Cork, but what hasn’t changed is that the Aussies are still a lot fitter. We still need a high lead going into the fourth quarter if we’re going to win. One thing that’s changed is that there’s far less high catching than there was. There’s more short play used now, which is the same as it is in our games anyway.”

Another comparison with 20 years ago is the emphasis put on the tackle by the Australians.

Now at least the Irish are familiar with their opponent’s physical edge, if still not totally comfortable with it.

Back then however it was an unwelcome shock to the system.

In the first test, Meath’s Mick Lyons - no stranger to the physical side of Gaelic football - was stretchered off with concussion in a bruising dose of reality for the Irish.

Selector Eamon Young of Cork was so incensed that he refused to attend the after-match banquet.

The Aussies, of course, considered such play the norm but, perhaps influenced by the outcry from their hosts, toned down the hard stuff for the second test, an exhilarating encounter which saw Ireland level the series.

One week later the Aussies were back doing what came naturally.

In an ill-tempered contest they came from behind in the fourth quarter - not for the last time - to clinch the series.

Rock himself came in for some rough treatment, being floored by Aussie keeper Gary McIntosh at one stage, but even worse was still to come.

“Liam Tierney caught a ball and flicked it over my marker’s head and I just let one fly.

“I could see a few of their lads coming at me but what I didn’t see was another guy’s elbow coming for me, and just as I saw the ball hitting the net he caught me. Broke my nose. All hell broke loose. We weren’t the biggest of guys so we sent in the Bomber (Eoin Liston), who was by far our biggest player, to take care of it.

“I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. That was all part and parcel of the game. It was the first ever series and no one knew exactly what to expect. You gave some and you took some, that’s the way it was.”