INTERNATIONAL RULES: The great experiment is alive and well. Yesterday International Rules, the loveable mongrel sport that spans the hemispheres, returned to Croke Park. Once again, the Australians won, beating Ireland on a scoreline of 65-58, leaving the series, which will be decided on aggregate scores, poised beautifully for next Sunday's concluding match.

The latest 80 minutes left us knowing nothing more and nothing less about this genetic engineering of two indigenous sports. As ever, it mattered deeply to the participants of both countries. As ever, the crowd thought it was a great gas. And, as ever, the Australians endured a fascinating love-hate afternoon with our Gaelic football. They look at the round ball in much the same way as we regard the boomerang: nothing against it, but what's the point?

The thing was that after two quarters of spectacular miss-kicks that tickled the home fans no end, the visitors got the hang of things and far too well.

Goals from Matthew Pavlich and Daniel Kerr turned the game the Down Under way and the Irish could not recover.

"It could have been worse there at the end as well," frowned Ireland's Trevor Giles afterwards. "Peter Burke made a great save for us and they were on the goal-line at the final whistle. So in that regard, you'd be happy enough. We are seven points down, so it's still possible."

For the first two quarters, the fizz seemed to have left the hybrid sport. As Ireland sauntered into a 38-19 half-time lead, many had begun to mourn its demise. For long stretches, it looked like a Gaelic football exhibition, with Padhraic Joyce whipping over scores from distance.

The spectacle looked unfair. The Australian flavour of the day seemed to be reduced to the luminous sideline officials and a hooter that made a loud and indignant sound, as if Croke Park herself was being molested.

Throughout, there was a feeling of goodwill in the ground. Everyone wanted the game to work. Awkward as the fledgling sport is, both the Aussies and the Irish see their own reflection in its enthusiasm and honesty, its occasional grace and touch of wildness.

The obligatory homage to the faction fights of yore were dispensed with in the first quarter, after which Evan Kelly was singled out and yellow carded for the Best Punch award.

Those exchanges seemed to satisfy both countries and for the remainder of the game the emphasis was largely on skill and effort.

A largely novice Irish team gladly demonstrated the art of kicking its Roundness to great effect early on. Twice, Australian goalkeeper Andrew Kellaway was the visitors' savour, drawing brave and point-blank saves during a stream of Irish attacks.

The Australians forced their way back into the game by reshuffling their lines, bringing Matthew Pavlich up front.

Along with Chris Johnson, veteran Craig Bradley and Nathan Brown, Pavlich set about gobbling the Irish lead and finished top-scorer with 17 points.

In the end, they were charging at the Irish with abandon, happily subscribing to the joys of the round ball and eagerly seeking more goals. The match ended with the sort of bizarre sights that this game sometimes throws up, with a gang of bodies strewn on the Irish goal-line, the ball buried beneath them. It looked like a marriage of rugby and mud-wrestling. But, crucially, another Australian goal was prevented.

"What happened there?" wondered visiting manager Garry Lyon. "Are you allowed dive on the ball or are you not?"

The day began in a much more serious vein. The atrocity in Bali, which involved so many Australian nationals, brought a sombre note to the occasion. The touring party knew many AFL colleagues were visiting the island when the terrorist attacks took place. A minute's silence was held prior to yesterday's game.

"I suppose those events brought us all a bit closer," said captain Shane Crawford. "Adam Simpson is with us and a couple of his team-mates got burned pretty badly there. So it was a pretty emotional time last night and the guys stuck together and helped one another through."

That backdrop provided a deeper value to the Australian win. The tourists embark on a journey west this morning for some, emm, cultural pursuits.

They return to the capital on Thursday in the hope of becoming the world masters of this strange round-ball game that continues to work against the odds.