O'Keeffe can select strongest line-up

INTERNATIONAL RULES: Ireland manager John O'Keeffe will have a full complement of players for Sunday's second International Rules Test against Australia in Croke Park.

"No one is carrying an injury that will prevent him from playing on Sunday," said O'Keeffe, "which is fortunate considering the physical nature of the first game."

There were concerns over the fitness of a trio of players following last Sunday's opening Test. Armagh's Kieran McGeeney and Paul McGrane required facial stitches and Sligo's Eamonn O'Hara had suffered from bad bruising after been hit from behind, but all three have been cleared to play.

With confirmation that all club fixtures involving Irish team players have been postponed O'Keeffe can name his 23 strongest players in his efforts to overturn Australia's seven-point advantage. Things could change a little, however, should the series Control Committee decide to impose any player suspensions as a result of last Sunday's outbreaks of indiscipline.

The joint GAA-AFL committee is due to meet later today to decide if any such measures will be taken. Ireland's Evan Kelly and Australia's David Neitz received yellow cards in last Sunday's game and it is expected the committee will take some sort of action.

O'Keeffe has also responded to the stern comments made by GAA president Seán McCague earlier in the week, when he threatened to cancel the series if there was any repeat of the scenes which marred the first Test.

"I've always felt it was counter-productive for our players to get involved in any of those unnecessary physical confrontations," said O'Keeffe. "But I would still expect the players to stand up for themselves.

"If there is to be a total crackdown on these outbreaks of indiscipline then it has to work on both sides. And of course we would be conscious that no one should go out there to swing a fist. The simple fact is, though, we just feel it is counter-productive to our game, and much more of an advantage to Australia than it would be to us."

The squad will reassemble in Dublin this evening and have two training sessions tomorrow and Saturday. One of the areas O'Keeffe has prioritised for reassessment is the responsibility of the goalkeeper. Having called up Dublin's Stephen Cluxton there is much speculation Mayo's Peter Burke will lose his place.

"We will be looking at a couple of positions," admitted O'Keeffe. "Obviously the kick-out situation is very important to us, and we will be assessing the goalkeeper position on Friday and Saturday.

"But tactically the one main thing I will be highlighting before Sunday is the taking of the six-pointers whenever the opportunities arise. That was something we fell short on last weekend, but will be very important if we are to overturn the seven-point deficit on Sunday."

O'Keeffe has also pointed out that Longford's Paul Barden, Dublin's Paddy Christie and Tyrone's Colin Holmes are in contention to make his starting panel Nicholas Walsh, who replaced Barden weekend, will remain in the camp as a stand-by player, but O'Keeffe has ruled out the possibility of introducing Meath's Darren Fay at this stage.