Deflated Ireland left ‘grabbing the shadows’
Yet while that exceeded his expectations, his players - already dubbed ‘Sheedy’s Speedies’ in Australia - performed exactly the way he wanted them, maximising their potential and frustrating the Irish side at every turn.
“They worked very hard from day one,” said Sheedy. “We looked at what we felt were the strengths of the Irish team and the very talented players they have and hoped we could play somewhere nearer a better standard.’’
Irish manager Pete McGrath commented that the team had been put on “its backside,” after the manner of their success last year. And that next Friday’s second test in Melbourne will be all about “restoring pride.”
He also suggested that the turnaround achieved by the Australians could be a major worry for whoever takes over from him, but more immediately they will have to work on “lifting morale.”
“Any right-minded person would say that the series is beyond us. But we have to go out and try and do what we can to try and narrow that margin.
“We needed to move the ball fast, pressurise them, take responsibility for men and go for three-points. The Australians were just so superior that we were not able to track them at times. We didn’t get enough of the ball and when we had the ball we were under serious pressure and our shots for three-pointers quite often let us down. Their level of fitness, their cohesion, their ability to run with the ball and break our tackle - we simply couldn’t cope with it.
“Let’s be honest, the tackling hasn’t been an Irish strong point. But, they were moving with such speed and such power that tackles which we normally would have got in, we couldn’t. They were breaking through the tackles and we were left quite often grabbing the shadows!”
He admitted that the speed, the athleticism and the skill of the home side over the four quarters “far exceeded” Ireland’s, and their kicking was superior to anything he had seen from an Australian team.
Regarding Ireland’s interchange policy, McGrath said: “It just appeared to us that whoever came appeared not to make any difference in the pattern of the game. As the game wore on, changes we did make were not having any impact. They used it exceptionally effectively, they moved men in and out faster than we did.”
Sheedy pointed out that while he had talked last week about the speed in their squad, he didn’t mention their ‘ball handling’ ability and their general decision-making.
He agreed that the Irish team will be intent on salvaging their pride in the Telstra Dome.
McGrath and his selectors will have learned a lot from this game, said Sheedy, recognising it was their first time ‘seeing’ the Aussies in action.
“It’s very hard to study the Australian team because they come from everywhere.’’
Australian captain Andrew McLeod is also cautious about the second test. “It’s only half time. There’s no doubt the Irish will come out very strong next week.”
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