2006 International Rules series
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Image:International rules 2006.jpg The 2006 International Rules series (officially the 2006 Coca-Cola International Rules Series) is the 9th annual International Rules Series and the 15th time that a test series of international rules football has been played between Ireland and Australia.
The 2006 series involved two sell-out test matches, the first in Galway and the second in Dublin. The Galway test was the first international rules series match to be played under floodlights and the Dublin crowd was the largest crowd in the history of international sport in Ireland.
Both tests were again controversial due to on-field and off-field actions of the Australian team and injury to several players from both sides.
Contents |
[edit] Fixture
- First Test: 28 October 2006 at Pearse Stadium, Galway, County Galway, Ireland
- Second Test: 5 November 2006 at Croke Park, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
[edit] First Test
Graham Geraghty was cited for a knee to the head of Australia's Lindsay Gilbee.
Off field controversy also dominated the series. Brendan Fevola's assault of an Irish barman which resulted in his being sent home from the Australian tour in the series brought the series into question for the behaviour and laid-back attitude which the professional Australian players have towards the series.<ref>Foolhardy antics stain a concept that still needs to be defended article from the Age</ref>
[edit] Second Test
A tackle by Australia's Danyle Pearce on Ireland's Graham Geraghty in the second test left Geraghty unconscious and requiring hospitalisation. The act was considered a "square up", further adding tensions to the series. Despite several on-field incidents, including a shirtfront by Adam Selwood which resulted in the broken nose of an Irish opponent and a headbutt to Australia's Ryan O'Keefe which left his face bloodied, red cards were not used and the actions were cleared by the match review panels.
Irish Coach Sean Boylan publicly blamed thuggery and refereeing for Ireland's loss to Australia and called for the series to be scrapped. However, the board members decided to let the series be continued.
[edit] Squads
[edit] Matches
[edit] First Test
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image:Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland | 0.5.1 | 0.6.3 | 0.8.5 | 1.12.6 | (48) |
| Image:Flag of Australia.svg Australia | 0.1.1 | 0.4.2 | 1.8.3 | 1.9.7 | (40) |
| Ireland won by 8 | |||||
| Date | Saturday, 28 October, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Scoring (IRL) | Goals: Bergin Overs: McDonnell 4, Barden, Begley, Bergin, Brogan, Cavanagh, Earley, Geraghty, Kennelly |
| Scoring (AUS) | Goals: O'Keefe Overs: O'Keefe 3, Davis 2, Hall 2, Davey, Lappin |
| Best | IRL: Kelly, McDonnell, Fitzgerald, Bergin, McGeeney, Brogan AUS: Lappin, O'Keefe, Fletcher, Sherman, Hall, Davis |
| Injuries | Nil |
| Venue | Pearse Stadium, Galway, County Galway |
| Attendance | 35,000 |
| Umpires | Pat McEnaney (Ireland) Shane McInerney (Australia) |
| Match report | |
[edit] Second Test
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image:Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland | 0.3.1 | 0.4.4 | 0.5.5 | 0.7.10 | (31) |
| Image:Flag of Australia.svg Australia | 1.3.1 | 1.6.3 | 3.11.6 | 3.15.6 | (69) |
| Australia won by 38 | |||||
| Date | Sunday, 5 November, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Scoring (IRL) | Goals: - Overs: Brogan 2, Earley 2, McDonnell 2, Coulter |
| Scoring (AUS) | Goals: Crowley, Goddard, Stanton
Overs: Hall 4, Sherman 3, O'Keefe 2, Pearce 2, Bateman, Davey, Davis, Goddard |
| Best | AUS: Pearce, Sherman, O'Keefe, Hall, Fletcher, Davey IRL: Kelly, Lockhart, Cavanagh, Moyles, Coulter, McDonnell |
| Injuries | AUS: Brown (hand/lower back), Crowley (knee) IRL: Geraghty (concussion) |
| Venue | Croke Park, Dublin, County Dublin |
| Attendance | 82,127 |
| Umpires | David Coldrick (Ireland) Shane McInerney (Australia) |
| Match report | |
[edit] See also
- International rules football
- Gaelic football
- Australian rules football
- 2005 International Rules Series
| | Image:Flag of Australia.svg | Image:Flag of Ireland.svg |
|---|---|---|
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Series | ||
