TonyK
CibbuanoAFL names IR squad
October 8th 2008 02:54
The AFL announced on Wednesday the 25-man Australian squad that will tackle Ireland in this month’s revived International Rules series.
Only six members of the squad – Hawthorn defender Campbell Brown, Dockers midfielder Ryan Crowley, North Melbourne star Brent Harvey, West Coast on-baller Adam Selwood, Carlton’s Kade Simpson and Harvey's team-mate Daniel Wells - have previous international experience.
The series kicks off on Ocrtober 24 at Subiaco Oval and finishes a week later at the MCG.
The hybrid game was shelved because of Irish anger over on-field violence when it was last played two years ago and Australian coach Mick Malthouse said his players are now 'charged with the responsibility' of playing the game within the spirit of the rules.
"The coaches (and) the player group will be very much aware of the fact that (for) this series to continue (it) is (reliant) around the way we conduct ourselves - and also the Irish, let's not forget it takes two to tango," Malthouse said.
Malthouse admitted that the onus is on his players to shy away from an illegal level of physicality but that didn’t stop him from selecting aggressive players.
"We haven't gone out of our way not to pick aggressive players. There are rules in place that state that you can tackle and you can bump when the opportunity arises, that you can still run hard at the football," he said.
"What we don't want to do is get compromised in the mind thinking we've got to tread very lightly when in fact you've still gotta have a massive assault on the ball."
Malthouse said the squad was picked on form.
“We have gone for youth, speed, skill and agility," he said.
"The squad consists of players who have had outstanding seasons with their clubs, 23 of the 25 have finished in the top 10 of their club best and fairest.
"They all deserve the opportunity to play for their country and win for their country."
A crackdown on physicality isn't the only feature of the revamped series with a limit of only four consecutive handpasses allowed by a team before a kick must occur.
But assistant coach Nathan Buckley said he was confident that Australia will adapt to the new rule.
"Now that there's restrictions on handballs ... we might have to kick the ball a little more often than we have before," Buckley said.
"There's no doubt that's not necessarily our strength with the round ball but we'll have strategies to get around it and make sure that we find a way to be competitive and win the matches."
Australian squad:
Nathan Bock (Adelaide), Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs), Jared Brennan (Brisbane Lions), Campbell Brown (Hawthorn), Shaun Burgoyne (Port Adelaide), Matt Campbell (North Melbourne), Ryan Crowley (Fremantle), Michael Firrito (North Melbourne), Nathan Foley (Richmond), Brent Harvey (North Melbourne), Roger Hayden (Fremantle), Leigh Montagna (St Kilda), Daniel Motlop (Port Adelaide), Marc Murphy (Carlton), Michael Osborne (Hawthorn), Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood), Drew Petrie (North Melbourne), David Rodan (Port Adelaide), Max Rooke (Geelong), Brad Sewell (Hawthorn), Kade Simpson (Carlton), Adam Selwood (West Coast), Dale Thomas (Collingwood), Scott Thompson (Adelaide), Daniel Wells (North Melbourne).
Only six members of the squad – Hawthorn defender Campbell Brown, Dockers midfielder Ryan Crowley, North Melbourne star Brent Harvey, West Coast on-baller Adam Selwood, Carlton’s Kade Simpson and Harvey's team-mate Daniel Wells - have previous international experience.
The series kicks off on Ocrtober 24 at Subiaco Oval and finishes a week later at the MCG.
The hybrid game was shelved because of Irish anger over on-field violence when it was last played two years ago and Australian coach Mick Malthouse said his players are now 'charged with the responsibility' of playing the game within the spirit of the rules.
"The coaches (and) the player group will be very much aware of the fact that (for) this series to continue (it) is (reliant) around the way we conduct ourselves - and also the Irish, let's not forget it takes two to tango," Malthouse said.
Malthouse admitted that the onus is on his players to shy away from an illegal level of physicality but that didn’t stop him from selecting aggressive players.
"We haven't gone out of our way not to pick aggressive players. There are rules in place that state that you can tackle and you can bump when the opportunity arises, that you can still run hard at the football," he said.
"What we don't want to do is get compromised in the mind thinking we've got to tread very lightly when in fact you've still gotta have a massive assault on the ball."
Malthouse said the squad was picked on form.
“We have gone for youth, speed, skill and agility," he said.
"The squad consists of players who have had outstanding seasons with their clubs, 23 of the 25 have finished in the top 10 of their club best and fairest.
"They all deserve the opportunity to play for their country and win for their country."
A crackdown on physicality isn't the only feature of the revamped series with a limit of only four consecutive handpasses allowed by a team before a kick must occur.
But assistant coach Nathan Buckley said he was confident that Australia will adapt to the new rule.
"Now that there's restrictions on handballs ... we might have to kick the ball a little more often than we have before," Buckley said.
"There's no doubt that's not necessarily our strength with the round ball but we'll have strategies to get around it and make sure that we find a way to be competitive and win the matches."
Australian squad:
Nathan Bock (Adelaide), Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs), Jared Brennan (Brisbane Lions), Campbell Brown (Hawthorn), Shaun Burgoyne (Port Adelaide), Matt Campbell (North Melbourne), Ryan Crowley (Fremantle), Michael Firrito (North Melbourne), Nathan Foley (Richmond), Brent Harvey (North Melbourne), Roger Hayden (Fremantle), Leigh Montagna (St Kilda), Daniel Motlop (Port Adelaide), Marc Murphy (Carlton), Michael Osborne (Hawthorn), Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood), Drew Petrie (North Melbourne), David Rodan (Port Adelaide), Max Rooke (Geelong), Brad Sewell (Hawthorn), Kade Simpson (Carlton), Adam Selwood (West Coast), Dale Thomas (Collingwood), Scott Thompson (Adelaide), Daniel Wells (North Melbourne).
| 44 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
