Australian co-captain and Brisbane Lions veteran, Chris Johnson, made a heart felt apology for his widely condemned actions of the Second Test in Melbourne. However it did not help him escape a 5 week International Test ban that means he cannot play till at least 2008. Rule changes are also likely to decrease the chance of similar incidents.

Australia dusted up the Irish in more ways than one with a second emphatic victory in the second and final Test of the 2005 series in Melbourne. After a fabulous display of fast skillful International Rules football in Perth, the second Test was marred by a melee and plenty of scuffles after Australian and Brisbane Lions player, Chris Johnson, delivered a "coat hanger" tackle on Irish and Tyrone player Philip Jordan.

Following the first test of the International Rules series in front of 39,000 at Subiaco in Perth, the second game will be played at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne on 28th October.

The big win by the Australian team in the first test may have taken some of the sting out of the series, seeing the match slip back a couple of timeslots in NSW, QLD and the ACT, but this time around the game will get expanded coverage overseas.

Here are some of the TV and Radio broadcast times:

Australia (free to air)

• Melbourne (live Friday 28th October @ 8:30 EST - Channel 9)
• Perth (live Friday 28th October @ 8:30 EST - Channel 9)
• Adelaide (live Friday 28th October @ 8:30 EST - Channel 9)
• Tasmania (live Friday 28th October @ 9:30pm TDST - WIN TV)
• Canberra/ACT (delayed Saturday 29th October 12:05 EST - Channel 9)
• Darwin (delayed Saturday 29th October 12:10am EST - Channel 9)
• Sydney/Newcastle (delayed Saturday 29th October 1:20am EST - Channel 9)
• Brisbane/Gold Coast (delayed Saturday 29th October 1:30am EST - Channel 9)

Ireland
Friday 28 Oct @ 10:30 (live) (RTA One) (free-to-air)

Asia Pacific - Hong Kong
Friday 28 Oct @ 23:00 (delayed) (ABC Asia-Pacific) (free-to-air)

USA
Friday 28th Oct (live) 12:00 (Setanta USA) (pay-per-view) Sunday 30th Oct (delayed) 7:00 pm (Setanta USA) (free-to-air)

All Nations (web radio)
AFL Website www.afl.com.au (live)

If you have any local information for the benefit of international viewers, feel free to contact WFN staff.

International Rules tours have been played at Under 17 AFL/GAA level back to 1981. However this month an under 23 Australian Amateur Football Council team completed its first tour of the Emerald Isle. The u23 Amateurs played 4 matches against an array of Irish teams from Club to a University rep side, Banks-Army team to the All Ireland team itself.

WFN has reported on International rules matches around the world. Apart from the AFL v GAA senior and under 17 matches, International Rules matches have been played by amateur clubs, increasingly on an annual basis, in at least 23 cities across Australia, Ireland, USA, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, China, Singapore and Japan. That is probably not an exhaustive list. This article reports on the first series that we know of in England, where Reading, west of London, has become the scene of what is set to be a regular 3 match annual series.

St Anthony's GAA club in Reading and the Reading Roos share adjacent grounds that has helped forge the partnership. They are also two of the more progressive clubs in developing under age football in Gaelic football and Aussie rules in England.

The 2005 AFL International Rules Series will be televised in the following locations:

Australia

• Melbourne (live Friday 21st October @ 8:30 EST - Channel 9)
• Perth (live Friday 21st October @ 8:30 EST - Channel 9)
• Adelaide (live Friday 21st October @ 8:30 EST - Channel 9)
• Tasmania (live Friday 21st October 9:30pm TDST - Channel 9)
• Brisbane (delayed Saturday 22nd October 12:10am EST - Channel 9)
• Sydney (delayed Saturday 22nd October 12:10am EST - Channel 9)
• Newcastle (delayed Saturday 22nd October 12:10am EST - Channel 9)
• Gold Coast (delayed Friday 21st October 10:00 pm EST - Channel 9)
• Darwin (delayed Saturday 22nd October 12:10am EST - Channel 9)

Elsewhere in the World

• Hong Kong (Friday, 21 October 2005 at 23:00 - ABC Asia Pacific)

If you have any local information for the benefit of international viewers, feel free to contact WFN staff.

UPDATE:

Advice from AFANA is that when they last checked there would be no international coverage besides Ireland and on ABC Asia Pacific, although there would probably be some sort of coverage, radio and or delayed video, on the AFL web site. However, AFANA are also chasing news that the games may be shown, delayed by 2 days, on US satellite TV. AFANA will have the latest information on their site as soon as it is available.

This year's International Rules series between the selections of the AFL and GAA is coming up and the Australian team has been picked with an emphasis on a tactical approach to beating the Irish rather than basing the squad on the All-Australian team. WFN takes a preview of the Aussie side.

It may not be Aussie rules, but wherever Gaelic footy grows it seems to benefit interest and player numbers in Aussie footy. One just has to look at Tadhg Kennelly and Jim Stynes as champion Aussie rules stars who played only Gaelic football til the end of their schooldays.

We've had many requests from the public about when and how they can buy tickets for compromise rules series between Australia (represented by the AFL) and Ireland (by the GAA). The games are being held in Melbourne and Perth and tickets can now be purchased from Ticketmaster. Given the popularity last time, they may well sell out.

Ticketmaster International Rules tickets (not to be mistaken for the Australian Football International Cup)

Gaelic football and Aussie rules are about evenly matched as developing codes in Asia, and there have been regular compromise or International Rules matches between Gaelic and Aussie Rules clubs in Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. If anything Gaelic football has taken a bit of a lead in recent years, despite there being less Irish than Aussie expats in the region.