Sean Martin Lockhart has warned his International Rules team mates to expect intimidation from the Australian players in tomorrow's first test in Perth. Lockhart, who is one of the more experienced squad members, told the Irish Independent: "I think the Aussies will try to intimidate us in the first 15 minutes, in particular. They will want to establish their physical dominance, so it's vital that we stand up to them, without getting dragged into a dog fight."
He also recalls how in 1999 some Australian players told the Irish players that they were only amateurs and couldn't make it at the highest level.
Ireland won the series though and when swapping jerseys with his opponent at the end Lockhart made his point: "I told him that the difference between him and me was that while he played for money, I played for pride."
Ireland go into the match without Declan Browne who was the recipient of late Australian tackle in the warm-up game against Western Australia on Tuesday.
Tipperary star Browne suffered a dead leg as the Irish team enjoyed a 53-10 win and Irish manager John O'Keeffe was livid over the challenge by former AFL player Ashley Prescott. "It was a bad tackle, it's as simple as that. It has no part in any game and should have not have been tolerated."
The match starts at 11.45am Irish time and will be screened live on RTÉ 1.
Filed by Johnny Proby
