At the Australian team’s training session in Melbourne on Friday three players separated off from the rest for some goalkeeping practice. With assistant coach Jason Mifsud and Melbourne Victory’s goalkeeping coach Steve Mautone  giving instructions on positioning and tactics Ash McGrath, Nathan Lovett-Murray and Cameron Ellis-Yolmen.

 

Irish manager Paul Earley, captain Michael Murphy and Irish selector Ja Fallon speak about this week's upcoming Test match at Kingspan Breffni Park against Australia.

Ireland have named their 23 man team ahead of the upcoming International Rules Series Tests against Australia in Ireland.  The first Test is this Saturday 19th of October at Kingspan Breffni Park. 

Among the named squad Australian football followers will recognise Carlton’s Zach Tuohy and former Brisbane/St Kilda player Colm Begley. Chrissy McKaigue played with the Sydney Swans reserves, and Michael Shields lasted half a season with the Carlton Football Club before deciding to go back to Ireland.

Ciaran Kilkenny who left Hawthorn before the season started this year and Ciaran Byrne who has signed with Carlton to be on the club’s list as an International Rookie in 2014 have also been named.

The squad is as follows

 

The VAFA are two thirds of the way through their tour of Ireland playing three International Rules format matches. In their first match in County Cork they easily defeated Na Piarsaigh by 86 points and in the second match they went down by 18 points to the combined Dublin Universities team.

Later tonight local time they will play the All Ireland Gaelic football team in the final match of the tour in Cavan.

Results and match reports below.

Ireland have named a 29 man squad ahead of the upcoming International Rules Series Tests against Australia in Ireland. This squad is expected to be shortened to 23 closer to the first Test.

Among the named squad Australian football followers will recognise Carlton’s Zach Tuohy and former Brisbane/St Kilda player Colm Begley. Chrissy McKaigue played with the Sydney Swans reserves, and Michael Shields lasted half a season with the Carlton Football Club before deciding to go back to Ireland.

Others that had short stints in Australia are John Heslin at Richmond (he also played in the winning Irish team at IC11) and Ciaran Kilkenny who left Hawthorn before the season started this year.

Ciaran Byrne has signed with Carlton to be on the club’s list as an International Rookie in 2014.

The squad is as follows

Narrowed down from a squad of 33 a little over a month ago the Australian team of 21 players for the International Rules series in Ireland has been named. The AFL chose to make up this year's team from players of Indigenous Australian heritage. They depart for Ireland on Saturday.

Ireland International Rules manager Paul Earley today confirmed Michael Murphy as team captain for the upcoming Test series against Australia.

Murphy is the 2012 Donegal All-Ireland winning captain will lead Ireland’s campaign in both Cavan and at Croke Park as Ireland look to retain the Cormac McAnallen Cup won in Australia two years ago.

Murphy said: “It is a massive honour to be involved with the Irish team, never mind accepting the accolade to lead my country as team captain. “I have enjoyed immensely the experience of pulling on the Irish jersey in the past and I am especially looking forward to playing with the best footballers from our game against the visiting Australian team over the course of the two upcoming tests.”

The AFL today announced the names of the players eligible for selection in the Indigenous Australian Rules team which will play in the 2013 International Rules Series in Ireland.

Paul Earley was this week named as the new manager of the Irish team for the 2013 International rules series against Australia. The two match series will be played in Ireland in October this year at a yet to be named venue in Ulster and at Croke Park.

Earley was the first Irishman recruited from Ireland to play in the VFL. Earley played for Melbourne in the VFL in the last match of 1984 after being recruited from gaelic football where he played for Roscommon. He then returned to Ireland and continued his GAA football career and played in the 1987 International Rules series for Ireland.