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grounded

Irish team stranded as Qantas dispute throws second match into doubt

Ireland’s second International Rules test against Australia is in doubt after Anthony Tohill’s men were caught up in a massive airline strike.

IRELAND’S INTERNATIONAL RULES return match against Australia has been thrown into doubt by a large scale strike by Qantas.

Anthony Tohill’s team are currently stranded in Melbourne, after the airline suddenly grounded flights over a dispute with engineers.

All internal and international flights have been affected, with 108 planes at 22 airports on the ground.

Press photographer Ray McManus, travelling with the Irish team, told The Score that the team was about to board the flight to travel to Sydney – en route to their next match against Australia at the Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast next Friday – when Qantas cancelled all flights without notice.

The team is en route to a nearby hotel having been forced to reclaim their baggage from the abandoned flight.

There was no indication when the Irish team would be able to fly out to Sydney as the dispute intensifies, with workers set to be ‘locked out’ from next Monday.

Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said: “We have decided to ground the Qantas international and domestic fleets immediately.”

Read: Strike action grounds entire Qantas fleet >