So at 'half-time' in the Toyota International Rules series, Ireland hold a slender one-point advantage over Australia. Despite the host's stirring late fight back, there was a school of thought that Ireland may have missed a trick by not playing more positively with an extra-man advantage in the closing minutes.
With the series to be decided on aggregate, it remains to be seen how pivotal Australia's fourth quarter performance when reducing a 17 point margin down to just one could prove in the final analysis. "We could have pushed up and attacked a bit more, but at that stage the mission was to just win the first test," admitted Irish captain Seán Cavanagh in the aftermath.
Perhaps the most relieved man in Perth's Subiaco Oval was GAA President Nicky Brennan who championed the revival of the International Rules series. A repeat of the incidents that marred the 2006 series would be regarded as a stain on his tenure. Crucially for its continuation, both sides embraced the need to make the series work.
Sportsmanship and discipline were the buzz words from GAA and AFL officials in recent weeks and Campbell Brown's frontal charge on Finian Hanley aside, the test match was free from flashpoints.
Yet there is a view that the new rules and crackdown on over-aggression could dilute the interest of Australian supporters. Next Friday will tell us how much this series has grabbed the attention of the nation's AFL public. An attendance of 35,153 at the Subiaco Oval was along expected lines given that the support base of resident teams, West Coast Eagles and Freemantle Dockers, rank in the lower half of the AFL averages. Victoria is the hotbed of the AFL game with 10 of the competition's 16 sides hailing from the state. The turnout at the 100,000-capacity MCG should prove a more accurate barometer of the level of interest in International Rules in the country as a result.
A glance at the mainstream Australian sports websites last Friday evening gave an insight into where the hybrid game rates in terms of popularity among the wider Australian sporting fraternity. Leading stories varied between analysis of the 2009 AFL draw, the Rugby League World Cup currently being held in the country as well as the Australian cricket side's tour of India. Even reports on Harry Kewell's performance for Galatasary in the UEFA Cup received a higher number of hits than the International Rules match report on one leading website.
On the pitch, the expected advantages for each side materialised on Friday. Ireland's greater ease with the round ball, economy with goalscoring chances and goalkeeping ability were crucial factors in the narrow victory. The tackle in International Rules, so alien to the game of Gaelic football, was once again an area of advantage for the Aussies and that became more apparent as Friday's contest progressed. The host's shooting woes were highlighted by missed goal chances including a penalty kick that was spurned early on. Ominously ahead of next Friday however, the Kangaroo's finishing showed marked improvement during the final quarter comeback.
The destination of the Cormac McAnallen Cup remains far from decided; however, with an extra week of training with the round ball ahead, the balance could well have tipped in the home side's favour.
