Ulster duo delay departure to Australia

No player likes to choose between club and country, no matter what the sport, and the Irish International Rules team have at least been spared that fate.

Because no player likes to pass up on a trip to Australia either, especially this time of year. With that in mind Irish manager Paul Earley has agreed to allow two of his players – Derry’s Chrissy McKaigue and Monaghan’s Conor McManus – delay their departure by a week, and travel direct to Perth to join up with the squad ahead of the one-match Test on Saturday week, November 22nd.

Both McKaigue and McManus are still involved in the Ulster club championship, with Slaughtneil and Clontibret respectively. Those clubs will now play each other, in Sunday’s Ulster semi-final, fixed for Omagh, after which the pair will travel to Australia together.

In the meantime the main Irish travelling party depart tomorrow morning on the long-haul flight to Melbourne, ahead of Sunday’s scheduled warm-up game there, against the semi-pro Victorian Football League selection.

Initial fears that Irish and Donegal captain Michael Murphy, and also Tipperary’s Ciarán McDonald, might also have to delay their departures have been averted, as their club interests have ended in recent weeks.

Following Sunday’s warm-up game in Melbourne, the Irish travelling party will move on to Perth, where they will be joined by McKaigue and McManus.

Club final

Whichever club comes through Sunday’s Ulster semi-final, meanwhile, will then book their place in the provincial final on Sunday, November 30th. So either McKaigue or McManus will have an Ulster club final to look forward to on the Sunday they get back. However, should Sunday’s semi-final require a replay (and extra-time will be played), things could yet become complicated.

Earley was always keen to ensure the pair remained part of his Irish squad. McManus made an enormous impact on last year’s series, scoring two goals in the second Test at Croke Park and wining the man-of-the-match award, as Ireland racked up a record aggregate win over the Australians – 173-72 points.

McKaigue, considered one of the best defenders in Gaelic football, actually spent several years playing Australian Rules, with the Sydney Swans, before returning home in 2012. He’s also been one of the main reasons why Slaughtneil have been advancing in the Ulster championship.

“It’s been set in stone that no matter what happens in the club championship, we are both still going to Australia, so that’s good,” said McKaigue, speaking after Sunday’s Ulster quarter-final win over Cavan Gaels.

Some battle

“We have both worked awfully hard this past seven or eight weeks (with the International Rules panel), and we will get our chance to go, but for now, we will be focusing on our club duties. I’m just going to savour this week, playing in an Ulster semi-final, and so will Conor. It’s going to be some battle, again, but you can’t complain too much.”

McKaigue may well end up marking McManus on Sunday, given their respective roles within their clubs, even though they’ve recently been training alongside each other, with the Irish squad.

Despite last year’s comprehensive victory at home, Earley’s squad are still rated as underdogs partly due, reckons Earley, to the fact Australia have this time named their strongest possible squad, and further rule changes, plus the reduction to a one-Test series, will make the Irish quest for victory that bit more difficult.

Earley is also putting special emphasis on Sunday’s warm-up game in Melbourne, given the 2014 series – and perhaps the entire future of the series – will hinge on the Sunday’s one-match Test in Perth.

“You’d prefer two Test matches, undoubtedly. You just can’t turn up for one game and expect it to be really high quality, high calibre. The best we could do was to get the practice game, and hopefully it will prepare us . . . .”

Earley will be able to call on the AFL experience of Pearse Hanley, one of five Mayo players selected, who currently plays with Brisbane Lions:

“We also have Nicholas Walsh,” said Earley, referring to the former Cavan footballer and one of Earley’s Irish selectors. “Nicholas is full-time involved with Greater Western Sydney Giants, and has been with us for the last couple of months . . .”