The furore over the physicality hides our skill deficit "Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard for all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence; in other words it is war minus the shooting" - George Orwell George Orwell was not present to witness the second test of the International rules series in Croke Park however nearly 82,000 did and I wonder how many left the magnificent stadium questioning whether or not they witnessed a real 'sporting' encounter. As a supporter of the international rules series I was extremely disappointed with the outcome of the second test. Three issues in particular stand out. - The over the top physical approach by the Australians. - The inability of the officials to take action. - The inadequacy of the Irish players in performing the basic skills, compared to their southern hemisphere opponents. Prior to the second test, the scene was perfectly set. The first test, while low key, had a terrific conclusion and with Croke Park bulging at the seams, a cracking clash was anticipated. Unfortunately, the huge support did not get value for money. The contest, if you want to call it that, was neither sporting nor entertaining. The differences of opinion were not singularly reserved for the field of play - if the digs on the pitch were plentiful then the verbal swipes off it were just as bad. Never before have I seen Sean Boylan as animated after a game. He was seething with anger. Judging by Nicky Brennan's post match demeanour he wasn't exactly delighted to be handing the winning trophy to Australians' Barry Hall. The question remains whether it will be the last time a captain from Australia or Ireland raises aloft the Cormac Mc Anallen trophy. I hope not - what a shame that the cup named after one of Ireland's greatest sportsmen should end up residing in Australia. If this international dimension is to be maintained then a number of lessons must be learnt with a number of changes to the rules necessary. GAA officials, together with Irish management, should have held their counsel and refrained from jumping in so quickly to ridicule the Australian approach. The post match outburst gave the impression that the Irish are sore losers and 'whingers'. But on reflection were the Aussies really that bad? After the game I spoke to a retired Tyrone 'great'. He didn't get to see the first quarter and couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. Quarters 2, 3 and 4 were played without any real needle or malice. So what exactly were the Australians playing at? In my opinion they went as far as they could to physically impose themselves and to intimidate their slightly smaller opponents - don't tell me these tactics are new to us GAA folk. The Aussies pushed the rules as far as they could but they never got a man sent off - not one red card was issued. I'm not condoning this approach, far from it! It was dreadful to watch but they see themselves as proud professional athletes and they wanted to utilise their strengths to the maximum. As a result the Irish players were left powerless - not physically strong enough to withstand the abuse and receiving no protection from the referees. By exploiting the rules in this manner, the Australians ruined the game as a spectacle. This obviously resulted in the Australians receiving such negative headlines, when in fact their football skills were so impressively superior to those of the Irish. Sean Boylan's anger was totally understandable; he was particularly outraged with the tackles on Geraghty and Coulter. Boylan insinuated that a number of his players were targeted for special treatment and he left the Australians and the viewing public in no doubt as to what he thought of their physical approach. Whilst I felt his criticism may have had some justification I'm not convinced such a public outcry was appropriate. I've no doubt Sean received more sympathy across the country than he did in parts of Tyrone. Most GAA supporters have good memories and in Tyrone we are no different. Ten years ago Art McRory and Eugene Mc Kenna were in a similar position to Boylan, when Tyrone faced Meath in an All Ireland semi-final. As with the Ireland team this year, Tyrone capitulated much too easily that day and were left feeling very angry and demoralised at the nature of the defeat. Despite having a number of players 'targeted' McRory and McKenna refrained from pointing the finger of blame, despite feeling so aggrieved. On such occasions it's not so easy to swallow the pride and to move on. The majority of those wearing the Irish jersey in October appear to be ready to swallow their pride and take on the Aussies next year. Rules can be altered and sanctions can be imposed for next year to prevent the nonsense reoccurring but the gulf in class will still remain. The last two series have not only highlighted the difference in the interpretation of the rules between the two countries but have also accentuated the gap between the 'professional' and the 'amateur' athlete. Not only are the Australians physically superior, they are currently proving dominant in catching, kicking, fist passing, support play and of course the tackle. Their team selection is now totally geared to the IRS style of play and not the AFL. As a consequence Australian players are faster, more mobile and far more comfortable when in possession. If the GAA hierarchy have serious decisions to take off the field, then simultaneously the players and management of the Irish team will have serious ground to make up on the field of play, if the future of the international rules series is to be secured on a long term basis. In the meantime those of you with tickets booked for 'Down Under' next year -don't cancel just yet! Tweet

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