Series - History
International Rules – a short History
The first visit of an Australian Rules team to Ireland took place in October 1967 when a team called "The Galahs", organised by Harry Beitzel, defeated All Ireland champions Meath 3-16 (25) to 1-10 (13) and later Mayo 2-12 (18) to 2-5 (11) in exhibition games played in front of attendances of over 20,000.
The driving force behind this initial tour was former Victorian Football League umpire (referee), Harry Beitzel, who had umpired the 1955 Grand Final between Collingwood and Melbourne. A decade later he was managing director of his own PR and Management Consulting firm and was also well-known as a TV panellist and radio commentator. Struck by the similarities between Gaelic Football and Australian Rules organised the 1967 trip to Ireland with the help of Legendary Aussie Rules star Ron Barassi, who captained the tourists.
The first venture by an Ireland team to Australia came in March of the following year and former Meath All Ireland medal winner Peter Mc Dermott was at the heart of it’s organisation as the Royal county recorded five wins in five matches over the host teams. Beitzel was back in Ireland with another squad in October 1968 for games against Kerry, Meath, Down and the Combined Universities. Kerry toured Australia in March 1970 and another Beitzel group returned in October 1978 to play UCD, Dublin and Kerry. Kerry then visited Australia in October 1981 as part of a round-the-world tour.
However, it wasn't until Australian schoolboy teams toured Ireland in 1981 and 1984 and a Dublin Colleges team toured Australia in 1983 that talk of a fully blown international series led to a senior tour.
In 1984 the first of a series of "Compromise Rules" matches (later named “International Rules) were played between Ireland and Australia. Initially, the series was played over three Test games. The very first full international between the countries was played in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork on October 21st in front of just 8,000 spectators, in a game won by the Australians on a scoreline of 70-57. Ireland won the second test in Croke Park (12, 500 attended) setting up a Series decider at GAA headquarters on November 3rd. In front of 32,000 spectators, Australia inspired by the likes of Terri Danaher, James Platten, Stephen Malaxos and Robert Di Pierdomenico (the Big Dipper) won the first ever series between the two countries, winning the final test by 76-71.
Two years later, in 1986, Ireland visited Australia for the first, recording a 2-1 series victory in tests played in Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide. The Australian public however were slow to take the new game to their hearts and no more than 10,000 attended any of the fixtures.
When the series returned to Ireland in 1987, it was again the Tourists who triumphed 2-1. In the 4th series, played in Australia, the excellent record of visiting teams was maintained when Ireland regained the series with victory over the host nation. 18,000 had paid to see the first test, but attendances in the region of only 7,000 at the 2nd and 3rd games necessitated a change in policy for the GAA and AFL and the two countries would not clash again in competitive fare until the International Rules series was revived in 1998.
Almost immediately, the reception for the 2nd coming of the Rules game was positive. An extensive marketing campaign and a huge improvement in the overall quality of the play as both countries concentrated on adopting to the “compromise” rules hooked the public in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The series would now be played over two tests, and aggregate score from the games would be used to decide the eventual winner. The 35,000 who saw Ireland become the 1st team to win the Series on home soil was a record for an International between the two countries and when 64,326 people came to the 1st test in Melbourne in 1999, it was clear that this time the series would have a future.
In 2002, a new record attendance of 71,521 was recorded in Croke Park for the 2nd Test of that year’s series.
The trophy presented to the winning team is the Cormac Mc Annallen Cup, named in honour of the former footballer, who represented his country in International rules before his tragic death in March 2004.
For the 2006 series the following Disciplinary Rule Changes were agreed in January:
- Any player guilty of a red card offence will automatically be sent off for the rest of the game with no replacement, and a penalty kick awarded to the opposition. A tribunal hearing will then determine any further penalty, with a minimum of a one-match suspension for any guilty verdict.
- Any player guilty of a yellow card offence will be sent off for 15 minutes, with a replacement allowed. If a player receives two yellow cards, he will be sent off for the rest of the game with no replacement. There will be no penalty kick in either of these circumstances. A tribunal hearing will then determine any further penalty.