Arrogance proves Aussies’ downfall
In my reading of events in the past couple of weeks, they go back down under with their tails tucked firmly between their legs, nursing a good old-fashioned ass-kicking.
They came here full of the sporting arrogance of their country, having had to charter a separate jumbo cargo plane to accommodate their inflated opinions of themselves; they leave with these same egos tucked inside their hand-luggage.
This international series is a well-meaning attempt by people on both sides of the globe to accommodate the well-founded ambitions of the AFL and the GAA to open up their respective sports to a wider audience.
The AFL is as proud of its game, Aussie Rules, as the GAA is of gaelic football, but each is hampered by the fact no other nation plays those games, reducing prospects of exposure. The series is a window of opportunity for both codes, an honest attempt at compromise, to allow the best of the AFL to play the best of gaelic football in a series any sports fan can enjoy.
It is a truly spectacular game, non-stop, skilful, character-testing, stamina-sapping, even for the viewer.
In my view, even if the rules could still do with a little fine-tuning (no ‘mark’ given for a backward pass, especially), it works. But only when both sides do it justice. This Aussie team didn’t, in fact, with their casual, arrogant and insulting attitude, they almost undermined the whole experiment.
The first test, played in Croke Park last Sunday week, was a debacle. The Australians were clearly not up to the task, unprepared mentally or physically, unfit on the day, unable to do anything to stop a rampant Irish side from running up a record winning margin of 36 points. In what was supposed to be a game between the cream of both codes, we had skim milk from Australia.
By Monday evening even that had turned sour, curdled by the media coverage from home and abroad of their woeful efforts. They were hurt in reports coming out of their training base in the west; hurt by all the criticism they were suffering. Why, even the local schoolkids were in on the act. Ah, the poor craythurs.
Apparently, there isn’t a mirror to be had in the AFL. A long hard look at themselves, that’s all that’s needed.
The Aussies felt they could beat the Irish with a second-rate team, albeit sprinkled with the usual couple of top-line stars (Brown and Hird notably), and of course, the usual hatchet-man, the gurrier. This time he was a blond, Mc-someone or other, a guy whose only sporting outlet should be in a cage. Tried to do to Mattie Forde, then Kieran McDonald, what Duncan McRae did to Ronan O’Gara, in rugby. Pure thuggery, unrelated to football of any description.
The Aussies demeaned this series, demeaned their opponents, demeaned the 100,000-plus patrons who paid to watch them, demeaned the millions who tuned into the two games; most of all, they demeaned themselves.
Yes, they put up an improved performance in the first half of the second test, but only on the back of a series of unprovoked incidents that in any other field sport, would have seen several of them barred for months.
When the Irish side settled, there was only one team in it. Again.
To honour this new game, to do justice to it, and most pertinently of all perhaps, to beat the Irish, the AFL must field their best side. Anything less, and they will be creamed.
It could be argued this wasn’t the best of the best in gaelic football either, what with the likes of Darragh and Tomas Ó Sé, Seamus Moynihan, missing, from Kerry alone. But those guys were injured; all who could do so, in every county, made themselves available for selection, felt honoured to wear the green of their country.
I’m not a gaelic football man, but I felt proud of them.
I hope the Aussies learn the proper lessons from this exercise. Forget the media criticisms, any external comment; look within, to yourselves.
In future, treat us, treat your own game, treat this international series, with the respect it deserves.
Otherwise, give it up.
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