Australia International rules football team

This article concerns the men's team; for information on the Australian women's team, see Australia women's international rules football team.
Australia
Emblem               
Union Australian Football League
Head coach Australia Alastair Clarkson (2015)
Captain Australia Luke Hodge (2015)
First colours
Biggest win
Australia Australia 69 – 31 Ireland Republic of Ireland
(2006, 2nd Test)
Biggest defeat
Republic of Ireland Ireland 116 – 37 Australia Australia
(2013, 2nd Test)

The Australia international rules football team is Australia's senior representative team in International rules football, a hybrid sport derived from Australian rules football and Gaelic football. The current team is solely made up of players from the Australian Football League.

Although Australian rules football is played around the world at an amateur level, Australia is considered far too strong to compete against at senior level. Hence, selection in the Australian international rules team is the only opportunity that Australian rules footballers have to represent their country. Until 2004 the majority of the men's Australian squad was composed of members of the All-Australian team, as well as other outstanding performers from the season. In 2005 the decision was made to select players best suited to the conditions of the hybrid game, which resulted in a younger, smaller and quicker team being selected.[1] However this was reverted to the All-Australian model ahead of the 2014 series. For the 2013 Series only, the decision was made to select an all-Indigenous team, known as the Indigenous All Stars.[2]

Competing in the International Rules Series, the only team Australia plays against is the Ireland international rules football team. The series has been played close to annually since 1998, having first been played in 1984. Australian under-age teams have been represented in the past, as well as a women's team in 2006. Australia last hosted the International Rules Series in 2014.

Squads

2015 (Tour to Ireland)

Jim Stynes Medal: Harry Taylor

2014

Jim Stynes Medal: Luke Hodge

2013 (Tour to Ireland)

Jim Stynes Medal: Ashley McGrath[3]

2011

Jim Stynes Medal: James Kelly[4]

2010 (Tour to Ireland)

Australia squad, 2010 International Rules Series

Jim Stynes Medal: Dane Swan[5]

2008

Jim Stynes Medal: Kade Simpson[7]

*Max Rooke was named in the initial squad, but did not play due to illness. He was replaced in the squad for the second game by Josh Hunt.[8]

2006 (Tour to Ireland)

[9]

Jim Stynes Medal – Ryan O'Keefe

*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.[10]

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

***Brett Peake and David Mundy only played in the second game.[11]

2005

Jim Stynes Medal – Andrew McLeod

2004 (Tour to Ireland)

[12] [13]

Jim Stynes Medal – Nathan Brown

2003

Coach:Garry Lyon

Jim Stynes Medal – Brent Harvey

2002 (Tour to Ireland)

Jim Stynes Medal: Andrew Kellaway

2001

Jim Stynes Medal – Matthew Lloyd

2000 (Tour to Ireland)

Jim Stynes Medal – James Hird

1999

Jim Stynes Medal – Jason Akermanis

1998 (Tour to Ireland)

Jim Stynes Medal – Stephen Silvagni

Australian honour roll

Honour roll

Series Captain(s) Goalkeeper(s)Jim Stynes MedalCoach Result
1998 Wayne Carey Stephen Silvagni Stephen Silvagni Leigh Matthews Ireland (128-118)
1999 Nathan Buckley Stephen Silvagni Jason Akermanis Dermott Brereton Ireland (122-114)
2000 James Hird Andrew Kellaway James Hird Dermott Brereton Australia (123-98)
2001 Michael Voss Darren Gaspar Matthew Lloyd Garry Lyon Ireland (130-105)
2002 Shane Crawford Andrew Kellaway Andrew Kellaway Garry Lyon Australia (101-95)
2003 Shane Crawford Glen Jakovich Brent Harvey Garry Lyon Australia (101-94)
2004 James Hird Simon Goodwin Nathan Brown Garry Lyon Ireland (132-82)
2005 Andrew McLeod & Chris Johnson Dustin Fletcher Andrew McLeod Kevin Sheedy Australia (163-106)
2006 Barry Hall & Dustin Fletcher Dustin Fletcher Ryan O'Keefe Kevin Sheedy Australia (109-79)
2008 Brent Harvey Nathan Bock & Michael Firrito Kade Simpson Michael Malthouse Ireland (102-97)
2010 Adam Goodes Dustin Fletcher Dane Swan Michael Malthouse Australia (102-92)
2011 Brad Green Matt Suckling James Kelly Rodney Eade Ireland (130-65)
2013 Daniel Wells Ashley McGrath Ashley McGrath Michael O'Loughlin Ireland (173-72)
2014 Joel Selwood Dustin Fletcher Luke Hodge Alastair Clarkson Australia (56-46)
2015 Luke Hodge Dustin Fletcher Harry Taylor Alastair Clarkson Ireland (56-52)

Most Australian caps

Note: includes players' caps from 1984 – 2014.[14]

Player Club SeriesNumber of Caps
Brent Harvey North Melbourne 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2014 10
Terry Daniher Essendon 1984, 1986, 1990 9
Steve Malaxos Claremont/West Coast 1984, 1987, 1990 9
Craig Bradley Carlton 2000, 2001, 2002 9
Gary Pert Collingwood 1984, 1986, 1987 8
Tony McGuinness Footscray 1986, 1987, 1990 8
Rohan Smith Footscray 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003 8
Shane Crawford Hawthorn 2000, 2001, 2002 8
Nathan Brown Richmond 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 7

Guernsey

The 1984–1990 Australian teams wore a traditional Australian rules sleeveless guernsey in plain gold. The teams of 1998–2011 wore a predominantly navy blue gaelic football style guernsey, with either a green or gold v or green and gold sash. The Indigenous All Stars team which represented Australia in 2013 wore a unique Indigenous-styled guernsey. Ahead of the 2014 test match, the Australian guernsey was significantly altered, in favour of a mix of green and gold, with the traditional v-shape.[15]

See also

References

  1. AFL typecasts its International Rules team
  2. AFL: Australia to field all-Indigenous team for International Rules Series against Ireland
  3. Ash McGrath with Jim Stynes Medal (via Twitter)
  4. Kelly Aussie's best
  5. AAP (31 October 2010). "Australia claim McAnallen Cup". SportsAustralia.com. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
  6. Crowley, Hayden, Selwood in Rules squad; 8 October 2008
  7. AAP (31 October 2008). "Ireland win match and Rules series". The Age. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
  8. Josh Hunt joins Aussie squad; 28 October 2008
  9. Australian Panel 2006
  10. Nick Higginbottom, Mark Stevens and Sam Edmund; AFL demands Fevola apology; 2 November 2006
  11. Aussies thump Ireland to regain trophy; RTÉ; 5 November 2006
  12. "Irish terriers tear through Australia" theage.com.au 26 October 2004. URL accessed 7 September 2006
  13. "Irish Lyon gives tour squad seal of approval" abc.net.au 5 October 2004. URL accessed 7 September 2006
  14. Lovett, Michael, ed. (2010). AFL Record Season Guide 2010. p. 898. ISBN 978-0-9806274-5-9.
  15. 2014 Australia International Rules jumper decided
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