It was all the Aussies fault of course
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Irish stars in hot water
15 December 2006 Herald-Sun
Daryl Timms
THE Australians have copped all the flak for the fiery opening to last month's International Rules Series in Dublin, but now the Irish players are in strife.
It's expected two Australians and two Irishmen will face charges next week after a review of incidents in the game.
At least two Australians -- Ryan O'Keefe and Campbell Brown -- were the victims of unfair play. O'Keefe was head-butted and Brown was deliberately kneed.
A bloodied O'Keefe responded to the head-butt by throwing punches.
Irishman Graham Geraghty could also be in trouble for an incident he was involved in before being knocked out in a tackle by Danyle Pearce.
GAA and AFL representatives are expected to hear charges and hand down penalties next week in a telephone link-up.
The GAA decided at its central council meeting last weekend to abandon next year's series in Australia. They will only consider reviving the games if the AFL agrees to rule changes and increased penalties.
The Irish press reported yesterday that GAA president Nickey Brennan believes the re-establishment of trust between the GAA and the AFL was the first step towards the survival of the hybrid game.
He feels that the fiery incidents at Croke Park eroded any trust built up between the two sporting bodies.
While the Irish are expected to push for a ban on tackling, the GAA's director-general Liam Mulvihill hinted at other radical changes.
"All the analysis of the games over the last few years suggests it isn't nearly as fast as it was in the early days and that will be one of the aspects that we will be looking at from both sides," Mulvihill said.
Brennan said a planned meeting with AFL bosses in Dubai in January would not happen and there was no time frame to start discussions.
"We had a problem with trust after the second test, there is no point in saying otherwise," Brennan said.
"We were most unhappy on our side. I'm not going to prejudge what the Australians will say when they get our document (on rule changes and penalties).
"But they do realise there are big problems and that it would take a fairly major change in terms of the type of game being played to resurrect it," he said.
Brennan defended the decision to abandon the junior series as well as the senior tour.
"It's all about relationships with the AFL. There are quite a few people who would have a view that the junior tour is also a problem in that it has become a recruiting ground for young players. We need to review all of that," he said.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,20930033%255E19742,00.html
