AFTER LAST YEAR’S facile 173-72 aggregate win over Australia’s all-Indigenous team in the two-Test International Series, Paul Earley’s Ireland are likely to face a much stiffer challenge on Saturday in Perth.
It was announced that only All-Australians would be eligible to represent their country in this year’s one-off Test, with Alastair Clarkson assisted by Ross Lyon and Chris Scott for the clash at Patersons Stadium at the Subiaco.
Earley is allowed name a matchday 23 and will be reliant on some of the following in an attempt to guide his team to the Cormac McAnallen Trophy.
Michael Murphy (Donegal)
Since breaking into the Donegal senior fold aged just 17 in 2007, Irish captain Murphy was courted by Australian Rules agent a target of agent Ricky Nixon. Murphy’s powerful style and fielding ability would certainly fit well into the oval-balled game. However, the now 25-year-old, who recently opened a sports shop in his own name in Letterkenny, has remained loyal to his local Glenswilly club. Having lost both the All-Ireland final to Kerry and the Donegal SFC showpiece to St Eunan’s in recent weeks, Murphy will be gunning to conclude 2014 on a high. Will be better rested this year than he was 12 months ago when he was forced to play in the Donegal SFC final for Glenswilly less than 24 hours after the first Test in Cavan.
Colm O’Neill (Cork)
O’Neill scored four goals – among his 30 points – in last weekend’s 100-27 warm-up hammering of a Victorian Football League selection in Sandringham, Melbourne. With no goalkeeper in Australian Rules, goals are an area Ireland must target. The hosts are likely to give Dustin Fletcher – a 39-year-old Essondon full-back – the role he participated in manfully in 2005, 2006 and 2010 – the goalkeeping gloves. Having returned from a third cruciate knee injury this year, with a goal against Tyrone in the Allianz League Division One, few would be begrudge the Ballyclough forward the opportunity to play a starring role in Perth on his first time on the panel.
Pearce Hanley (Brisbane Lions)
As the only AFL-listed players in the Irish squad, 26-year-old Hanley, who is carrying a slight jaw injury which forced him to miss the last quarter in the Melbourne warm-up, will be well known to the Australians due to his excellent form with Brisbane Lions, where the former Mayo footballer is considered one of the best footballers in the country, performing at half-back or wing. Hanley featured for Ireland at the 2006 U-17 International Rules Series in Fremantle; winning the Ron Barassi Medal as Ireland’s best player. Having signed a new five-year deal last year, Hanley will soon be joined in Brisbane by his 17-year-old brother Cian.
Paddy O’Rourke (Meath) or Niall Margan (Tyrone)
Earley may not name both goalkeepers in his travelling party on the 23-man matchday squad on Saturday after both saw action in Sandringham. O’Rourke had a bug on arrival in Australia but has since recovered and has the experience of playing in last year’s Series in Cavan and Croke Park, while Morgan is too considered to be from the top tier of goalkeepers with fine distribution in Gaelic games. With new rules – at the Australians’ behest – stating that kick-outs must travel further than 45 metres, possession retention won’t be as simple for Ireland as it was last year so breaking even against the aerially superior hosts is important.
