Aussies win series against battling Irish

Ireland 42 (1-8-12) Australia 42 (1-11-3) (Australia win 107-100 on aggregate)

Australia survived a furious Irish backlash to win the Coca-Cola International Rules series in a thrilling Croke Park contest.

A crowd of 71,532, a record for any international sporting event in Ireland, witnessed a captivating game that silenced the many critics of the hybrid game.

In atrocious weather conditions, the teams served up a spectacle, their contrasting styles contributing to an intriguing contest that finished level on the day, with Australia taking the trophy by an aggregate seven points margin.

The Aussies kicked some superb scores, particularly the excellent Nathan Brown, whose 13 points tally was decisive, bringing his total to 28 points over the two Tests.

Dessie Dolan, Ciaran McManus and Graham Geraghty all kicked overs in the opening quarter as the Irish showed all the early endeavour.

Australia, as in the opening Test, were slow to find the pace of the game, and managed just one over in that period, scored by debutant Robert Murphy.

A behind by Brendan Ger O'Sullivan gave Ireland an aggregate lead and an eight points advantage on the day, and with Graham Canty grafting effectively at midfield, the Gaelic footballers were firmly in control.

But their efforts to grab goals, worth six points, were thwarted by 'keeper Andrew Kellaway, who deflected a Dolan effort over the bar, and Mark Bickley, who superbly blocked a Geraghty shot.

Ireland led 12-4 at the end of the first quarter, but the Aussies were fired up on the restart, with Nathan Brown, Chris Johnson and Craig Brown all finding the target.

They lost one of their key men following a clash between Geraghty and Brad Scott, with the Brisbane Lions star sent off after aiming a volley of punches at the Meath attacker.

The tourists remained solid in defence, however, with Adam Simpson repelling a series of Irish raids.

John O'Keefe's side struggled to get the scores they so badly needed, and managed just five points in the entire quarter, with Sligo's Eamonn O'Hara hitting their sole over.

By the halfway stage, Australia had moved into a narrow 18-17 lead and an eight points overall advantage.

But in the third segment, known as the "championship quarter" in Aussie Rules terms, normally a dominant spell for the Southern Hemisphere side, it was the Irish who raised the tempo.

Remarkably, Ireland hit 20 points and held their opponents scoreless to take a 19 points lead into the final period.

Tyrone's Cormac McAnallen blasted home a brilliant goal, and there were overs from Dolan and Galway pair Derek Savage and Padraig Joyce to make it 37-18.

The superior fitness of the professional Australian sportsmen came predictably to the fore in the final quarter, and when Luke Darcy punched to the net for their only goal, they were on a roll.

Brown hit two superb overs, and there were further three-pointers from Josh Francou and Chris Judd.

Ireland, visibly tiring, could only manage one over in response, from O'Hara, and it was the Aussies who finished with a flourish, Chris Johnson twice on target.