International Rules squad named
6:26:38 PM Tue 5 October, 2004
Samantha Lane
Sportal
A dramatically new-look Foster's International Rules side has been selected to tour Ireland after 17 of the 22 All-Australian players were unavailable this year.
At the announcement of the team on Tuesday, Australian coach Garry Lyon said that the absentees from the squad should not be focused upon, and claimed that the 2004 side - full of quick, strong tackling and defensively-minded players - was supremely capable.
"It gives us an opportunity then to go and pick players which are ideally suited to playing this game," Lyon said of the unavailability of the majority of the 2004 All-Australian players due to injury or personal circumstances.
"Every year I've coached we've taken at least two, and often four or five players who are not suited to the game. And they know it and we know it, but they wanted to go and we were really happy to take them and encourage them. But we also know we’re going to carry them for most of the game."
"We're not carrying one of those players this time around. Not one. So from that point of view it puts us, I think, in better shape than we've been in years gone by. In fact this squad's going to give us a better opportunity to win than had the All-Australian, every one of those players said 'yes I want to go'," he said.
Nick Riewoldt, Austinn Jones, Brett Kirk and Adam McPhee are the only 2004 All-Australian players who are available to travel to Ireland and play the two-test series that starts at Dublin's Croke Park on October 17.
Luke Ball (St Kilda), Craig Bolton (Sydney), Jude Bolton (Sydney), Joel Bowden (Richmond), Michael Braun (West Coast), Nathan Brown (Richmond), Cameron Bruce (Melbourne), Joel Corey (Geelong), Jared Crouch (Sydney), Nick Dal Santo (St Kilda), Alan Didak (Collingwood), Andrew Embley (West Coast), Brad Green (Melbourne), Robert Haddrill (Fremantle), James Hird (Essendon), Max Hudghton (St Kilda), Jason Johnson (Essendon), Mark McVeigh (Essendon), Mal Michael (Brisbane Lions), Brady Rawlings (Kangaroos) and Dean Solomon (Essendon) complete the squad.
"Don't focus on who's not here…because it's of absolutely no interest to us beyond today, who's not here, because there's too many good players and too much talent in this squad for us to dwell on it a moment longer," Lyon said.
"I'm absolutely satisfied and comfortable with the reasons they're (the All-Australian players) not going to be involved. It's something that we, as well as the AFL will continue to look at and we weigh it up at the end of each series to see if this is the right way to go."
"We refuse to try and talk players in to representing their country."
The AFL will decide whether to amend the selection criteria and may contemplate dropping automatic selection for All-Australian players, but AFL Football Operations Manager Adrian Anderson said he was comfortable with the current arrangement.
"We're delighted that the players who are here and able to go and there's some extremely exciting young talent are able to represent the country but we're also happy to be able to offer the honour of representing the country to the people who earn All-Australian selection," Anderson said.
Lyon said he was in favour of All-Australian players automatic qualification for International Rules.
Eighteen of the 26 man squad finished in the top six of their club's best-and-fairest count this year and more than half the team has previous experience of playing the hybrid game - either at senior or under-age level.
The Australians have won the past three International Rules series and are seeking their third consecutive win on Irish soil. Lyon will coach the team for the last time after completing a four-year term.
The squad will undergo an intense training camp this weekend before travelling to Dublin on Monday.
http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=174080
