2006 International Rules series

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. Both of the matches were landmark matches for International Rules Tests in Ireland: 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 the off-field actions of the Australian team and the on-field actions of both teams, as well as injury to several players from both sides.

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

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.^[1]

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. In December, 2006, the Gaelic Athletic Association decided not to participate in the series any further unless the Australians agreed to abide by a code of conduct and more strict rules regarding tackling.

Jim Stynes Medal

Ryan O'Keefe was awarded the Jim Stynes Medal.

Squads

[1]

*Brendan Fevola was an emergency for the first game, but was sent home before the second game due to misconduct in that he was involved in a fight at a pub.[2]

**Lindsay Gilbee and Sam Fisher only played in the first game.

***Brett Peake and David Mundy only played in the second game.[3]

Matches

First Test

Second Test

References

See also

• International rules football
• Gaelic football
• Australian rules football
• Comparison of Australian rules football and Gaelic football