The 2014 International Rules Series (officially the 2014

Virgin Australia Virgin Australia, the trading name of Virgin Australia Airlines Pty Ltd, is an Australian-based airline. It is the largest airline by fleet size to use the Virgin Group, Virgin brand. It commenced services on 31 August 2000 as ''Virgin Blue ...

International Rules Test) was contested between

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

ers from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and Australian footballers from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The 18th series of

international rules football International rules football ( ga, Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta; also known as international rules in Australia and compromise rules or Aussie rules in Ireland) is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was develope ...

since the concept's inception in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

, Ireland entered as defending champions, with Australia seeking their first series win since

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

. The match was played at Perth's

Patersons Stadium Subiaco Oval (; nicknamed Subi) was a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia, located in the suburb of Subiaco. It was opened in 1908 and closed in 2017 after the completion of the new Perth Stadium in Burswood. Subiaco Oval was the high ...

on Saturday 22 November. Unlike previous years, the series was reduced to a single one-off test match, which Australia won 56-46 to record their first series win in four years and the

Cormac McAnallen Cormac McAnallen ( ga, Cormac Mac An Ailín; 11 February 1980 – 2 March 2004) was an Irish people, Irish Gaelic footballer who played for the Eglish St Patrick's GAC, Eglish St Patrick's club and the Tyrone county football team, Tyrone county ...

Cup. The win also levelled the overall series wins between the two sides at 9-9. Selection eligibility was again altered for the Australian team, with only players previously selected in an

All-Australian team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perf ...

eligible to represent Australia.

Fixtures

* Warm-up game: Ireland 9.11.13 (100) ''def.''

VFL The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

1.5.6 (27), 16 November 2014 at

Trevor Barker Beach Oval Trevor Barker Beach Oval, currently known under naming rights as the Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval, is an Australian rules football ground in Beach Road, on the border between Hampton and Sandringham, Victoria. Most commonly known as B ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

* Warm-up game: Australia 86 ''def.'' NSW GAA 7, 18 November 2014 at Tom Wills Oval,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

* Test match: Australia 56 ''def.'' Ireland 46, 22 November 2014 at

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

Background

Australian team

For the first time since

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

only players selected for any

were eligible for selection to represent Australia. The change was made so as to attempt to boost public interest in the series. In April 2014, the

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

announced that

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

premiership coach

Alastair Clarkson Alastair Thomas Clarkson (born 27 April 1968) is an Australian rules football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of the North Melbourne Football Club. He was previously the head coach of the Hawthorn Football Club in the ...

would coach the Australian side and that Collingwood club president and public figure

Eddie McGuire Edward Joseph McGuire AM (born 29 October 1964) is an Australian television presenter, journalist and Australian Football League commentator. He is also an occasional ''Herald Sun'' newspaper columnist. He hosts Channel Nine’s Millionaire ...

would take on the promotional role of

Chef de Mission In diplomatic usage, head of mission (HOM) or chief of mission (COM) from the French "chef de mission diplomatique" (CMD) is the head of a diplomatic representation, such as an ambassador, high commissioner, nuncio, chargé d'affaires, permanent ...

. McGuire stated of the series a need to recapture the prestige associated with playing for Australia; ''"putting the coat of arms over our hearts again to take on the Irish ... we'll turn this into something special. We will make sure only the very best players will be picked in the first place and that they will be desperate to play"''. In July 2014, AFL executives announced that

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

2013 Grand Final coach

Ross Lyon Ross Lyon (born 8 November 1966) is a former Australian rules football player and the senior coach of the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously coached St Kilda from 2007 to 2011 and the Fremantle Footbal ...

would be Australia's assistant coach for the test match and that multiple All-Australian players

Luke Hodge Luke Hodge (born 15 June 1984) is a former Australian rules football player who played with the Hawthorn Football Club and the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played for the Hawthorn Football Club from 2002 to 2017, c ...

Scott Pendlebury Scott Pendlebury (born 7 January 1988) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has served as the Collingwood captain since the 2014 season. In round ...

Joel Selwood Joel Anthony Selwood (born 26 May 1988) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was a quadruple premiership player, a six-time All-Australian, and a three-ti ...

and

Patrick Dangerfield Patrick Dangerfield (born 5 April 1990) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Adelaide Football Club. Drafted by Adelaide in 2007, Dangerfi ...

had committed to representing Australia. The league subsequently announced that

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

premiership coach

Chris Scott Christopher or Chris Scott may refer to: Sports *Chris Scott (Australian footballer) (born 1976), Australian rules footballer and coach *Chris Scott (cricketer, born 1964), English cricketer for Nottinghamshire and Durham *Chris Scott (cricketer, b ...

would join the coaching panel as a second assistant coach. The Australian jersey for the test match was announced on 4 October, with the inclusion of the green and gold v-design a significant point of difference from previous designs. In November, three-time premiership player and

captain

was selected as captain of the Australian team. The squad was announced in October 2014. Due to the eligibility criteria of having been selected for an All-Australian team, Brownlow medalist

Matt Priddis Matthew Harley Priddis (born 21 March 1985) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Prior to being drafted, Priddis won two premierships with the Subia ...

couldn't be selected. Star trio of Gary Ablett,

Lance Franklin Lance Franklin (born 30 January 1987), also known as Buddy Franklin, is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Hawthorn Football Club from 20 ...

and

were notable absentees, being ruled out because of injuries.

best and fairest

Nat Fyfe Nathan Fyfe (born 18 September 1991) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has served as Fremantle captain since the 2017 season. Fyfe is a dual Brown ...

, originally selected for the test match, was ruled out of the match after sustaining a shoulder injury during Australia's warm up win over a New South Wales

team. The Australian team and the series itself was sponsored chiefly by airline company

, with the company logo featuring prominently on the Australian team jersey. The

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

and its digital multichannel

7mate 7mate is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010. The channel contains sport and regular programs aimed primarily to a male audience, with programming drawn from a c ...

broadcast the match in Australia and

Sommet Sports Sommet Sports was a sports-oriented television channel operated in New Zealand that was broadcast on channel 14 on Freeview NZ. It offered a varied range of sporting events, some of which had never been screened in New Zealand. This included liv ...

broadcast the match in New Zealand.

Irish team

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

(GAA) president

Liam O'Neill Liam O'Neill is a Gaelic games administrator, who served as the 37th president of the Gaelic Athletic Association. He is from County Laois. Biography A former chairman of the Leinster Council, O'Neill initially sought the GAA presidency at the ...

announced in April 2014 that former

Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who built ...

footballer

Paul Earley Paul Earley (born 3 July 1964) is a former Irish sportsman who played Australian rules football for Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and Gaelic football for the Roscommon county team. Earley was the first player recruited fro ...

would once again serve as manager and coach of the Irish team, joined by a back room team identical to the 2013 series, including

Tony Scullion Tony "The Tiger" Scullion (born 6 February 1962) is a former dual player of Gaelic games who played Gaelic football and hurling with Derry in the 1980s and 1990s. He is chiefly known as a footballer and was part of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland Ch ...

(Derry),

Séamus McCarthy Séamus McCarthy (born 1954) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for the Tipperary county team. Born in Bansha, County Tipperary, McCarthy first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he fir ...

(Tipperary),

Jarlath Fallon Jarlath "Ja" Fallon (born 1973) is a former Gaelic footballer who played for the Tuam Stars club and at senior level for the Galway county team. He is regarded as one of the finest players to come from Tuam since Seán Purcell and Frank Stock ...

(Galway) and Nicholas Walsh (Cavan/GWS Giants). The Irish team will be sponsored on the team jersey and sports kits by live stream service ''GAAGO''.

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

TV network

TG4 TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was formerly known ...

will broadcast the test match live into Ireland. Ireland plan without reigning Footballer of the Year

Michael Darragh MacAuley Michael Darragh MacAuley is a Gaelic footballer who plays club football for Ballyboden St Enda's GAA, Ballyboden St Enda's and inter-county for Dublin county football team, Dublin county team from 2010 until 2020. He plays his club football wit ...

(broken finger) and last year's Player of the Series

Ciarán Sheehan Ciarán Sheehan (born 19 November 1990 in Farran, County Cork, Ireland) is an Irish sportsman. Sheehan played Gaelic football and hurling with his local club Éire Óg GAA (Cork), Éire Óg, his divisional side Muskerry GAA, Muskerry, and was ...

, who is tied to AFL club

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

. Last year's captain

Michael Murphy Michael, Mick, or Mike Murphy may refer to: Artists and entertainers * Michael Murphy (actor) (born 1938), American actor * Mike Murphy (musician) (1946–2006), American drummer for the Bee Gees and Chicago * Michael Bryan Murphy, lead singer o ...

and fellow 2014 All-Ireland finalists with

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

Patrick McBrearty Patrick McBrearty (born 5 August 1993) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Cill Chartha and the Donegal county team. He is usually selected in the full-forward line for his county, often flanking Michael Murphy with Colm McFadden (befo ...

and

Neil McGee Neil McGee (born 13 November 1985) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Gaoth Dobhair and, formerly, both the Donegal county team and the Ireland international rules football team. From Gweedore in County Donegal, he won three All Star ...

, all returned. The Irish touring squad was announced on 28 October 2014.

All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...

winning captain

was again selected for the role of captain of the national team, while

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

Aidan Walsh Aidan Walsh (born 23 January 1990) is an Irish hurler and Gaelic footballer who plays for Cork Championship club Kanturk and at inter-county level with the Cork senior hurling team. He usually lines out as a full-forward. Playing career Cork ...

was selected as vice-captain. In total, 15 counties are included across the 25 man squad,

Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...

leading the way with four Irish-based players and

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of the Melbourne-based 1883 foundation VFL c ...

prolific back-man

Pearce Hanley Pearce Hanley (born 1988 in England) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played with the Brisbane Lions from 2008 to 2016. A former Gaelic f ...

being the only

player selected in the side. All-Ireland champions

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

featured only one member in the team.

Rule changes

It was announced that several rule changes would be made for the 2014 test match so as to accommodate key position Australian players seeking opportunity to compete. In July 2014, the AFL and GAA introduced several rule changes: * Number of consecutive hand-passes teams are allowed increased from four to six * Interchange rotations increased from 10 to 15 a quarter (unlimited rotations allowed at quarter and half time breaks) * A mark no longer paid for a backwards kick * Goalkeepers required to kick the ball out beyond the 45m line after all wides, behinds and overs * Failure of a goalkeeper to kick over the 45m line will result in a free kick to the opposition (from the 45m line)

Squads

* Coach:

() ''†

was selected in the Australian team though did not participate in the test match after being injured in the warm-up match'' * Coach:

(

) ''†

Niall Morgan Niall Morgan (born 17 July 1991) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for the Edendork St Malachy's club and the Tyrone county team. A knee injury in 2013 ruled him out for the rest of the season. This was considered a severe blow to Ty ...

and Padraig O'Neill were selected in the Ireland squad, though did not participate in the test match after failing to make the final 23-man team''Team news: Morgan and O'Neill out of Irish team
/ref>

Result

References

External links

* {{GAA 2014

International Rules series The International Rules Series is a senior men's international rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team (selected by the Australian Football League) and the Ireland international rules football team (s ...

International Rules Series The International Rules Series is a senior men's international rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team (selected by the Australian Football League) and the Ireland international rules football team (s ...

International Rules series International sports competitions hosted by Australia Sport in Perth, Western Australia Articles containing video clips