The future of the Coca-Cola International Rules Series is in serious doubt after the violent scenes that marred the second Test at Croke Park yesterday.
Australia beat Ireland by 69-31, to take the series 109-79 on aggregate but it was the violence and aggression for which the series will be remembered.
There were several ugly punch-ups throughout the game and Ireland's Graham Geraghty was knocked unconscious after an over-the-top tackle from Australia's Danyle Pearce.
Ireland manager Seán Boylan was furious with the incidents that marred the game and has cast major doubt on the future of the series.
'I played intercounty for 20 years, was involved with management for 23, and as far as I'm concerned what happened out there in the first quarter is not acceptable in any code of sport. It's not acceptable on the street,' he told the Irish Times.
'All week Graham Geraghty has been targeted. We were told what was going to happen to him. And the people got their way. When you have Tadgh Kennelly, Colm Begley, Shane Ryan, Graham . . . Do you know how many interchange players we had left? Three. How that can be termed as playing with the spirit of the game is beyond me.
'I believe it's wrong that you deliberately go out to target someone in such a way as they get hurt. I don't mind physical, man-to-man, and I've no problem being beaten on the scoreboard if a team plays better than us.'
When asked if the future of the series in now in doubt, Boylan replied: ' Correct. No question. I have never seen our president (Nicky Brennan) as annoyed or vexed in my life.
' They (Australia) either want to make this a series, to foster, and to develop as an international series, or do we want to have it just to show I'm stronger than you, bigger than you, and can knock the head off you, can give you the knee in the back, and that's acceptable.'
Boylan revealed that he had wanted to withdraw his players from the game after a violent first quarter, but the players convinced him otherwise. 'I took them off after the first quarter. But the players changed my mind. They said they wanted to go out and have a good go at it. They wanted to play football,' he said.
Ireland captain Kieran McGeeney echoed his manager's opinion and said: 'I don't cry about getting beat and stuff like that. They're a great running team and that, but if you want to box, we'll put on our gloves, we'll go bare knuckle, whatever.
'We don't mind it physical, that's part and parcel of the game, but what happened today. I mean with Benny Coulter. It doesn't take a brave man to elbow someone in the face.'
