We are just 10 days away from the opening salvo of the 2013 International Rules series and if anyone has not seen it yet, Ireland's 29-man panel was named at the start of the week.
Paul Earley's team will face an All-Indigenous Australian side which was named back in August, starting with the Breffni Park clash on October 19th.
To talk about how he whittled the original training squad from 40 down to 29, Ireland manager Paul Earley was on Off The Ball last night.
"There were a lot of tight calls but we think that this is the squad that will serve Ireland best in the two tests," said Earley who exclaimed that they have been training every weekend since the start of September in order for the players to get used to the hybrid game.
"We've given the players an opportunity to learn the game. It takes a little while to learn the game particularly for the players who have never played it before. They are developing new skills and it takes a while for them to become comfortable with those and become instinctive. Some of those skills are harder to master. Some players have developed quicker than others but that's the nature of it and it was a factor in how we decided the squad."
Paul Earley played in the AFL in 1984 ©INPHO/Lorraine O'Sullivan
Earley believes Ireland will have an advantage in the kicking stakes, although he pointed out that the wave of Australian Rules footballers are accustomed to kicking a round ball.
Knowing how to utilize the bench will also be vital according to Earley who explained that Australian Rules' averages 140 rotations per game whereas Gaelic football only has the five substitutes.
Ireland captain Michael Murphy is likely to miss the first test in Cavan as he is in action in the Donegal County Final. Today, it was revealed that the Donegal County Board had rejected a request to move the date of the final.
Ireland captain Michael Murphy ©INPHO/James Crombie
Earley addressed the issue last night and had said that no decisions on personnel for the first test would be made until after this weekend in any case.
Much has been made about the fact that the International Rules series is in need of a boost with declining attendance figures in recent editions. Indeed the All-Indigenous idea is Australia's attempts to breathe new life into the series.
But ex-Roscommon star Earley, who briefly represented Melbourne believes there are mitigating factors for the poor attendance figures from the last series in Australia.
"The team that Australia picked [in 2011] didn't have as many household names as previously. They also played the second test in an emerging Australian Rules area which is the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast isn't a stronghold, they have a new team up there and were trying to promote the game. So the attendances were very poor.
A small crowd at the second test in Australia two years ago ©INPHO/James Crombie
"I think if they played it in Sydney or in Melbourne where there are alot of Irish and stronger Rules community, then numbers would be up. There's also a break every two or three years which probably doesn't help and lacks the continuity of 1998 to 2006 when it was played every year. We haven't played it in Ireland for the last three years and some people are even asking if we're playing in Australia. But from what I gather, ticket sales are going well and we'll have a full house in Cavan.
Main image ©INPHO/James Crombie
