US V. THEM.

chrisoff · Post by **chrisoff** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 4:56 am

Wombat wrote:I'm a bit lost here.

I was under the impression that there was some sort of understanding that, following Bloody Sunday, no game of English invention would ever be played at Croke Park. Wrong?

Correct, but this is temporary while Lansdowne Road is being redeveloped. I guess they just don't have any other large venues fit to host the games.

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 5:07 am

It has taken years of talk and endless discussion but the G.A.A. have finally come around to allowing "foreign" games to be played on their turf. Since the I.R.A. ceasefire and the end of the violence in the North the G.A.A. had no real choice but to take a step back and make a contribution to the new society that exists in Ireland today.
It was not all that long ago since any member of a G.A.A. club was banned from attending a rugby/soccer match, let alone play those games.

There has never been any trouble at this game when it was played in Landsdown Road so I fail to see the point of causing any today in Croke Park.

99% of the Irish fans will be there for the game, it's the other few morons I worry about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelic_Ath ... ssociation

The above link has a lot of information and background.

Slan,
D.

buddhu · Post by **buddhu** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 5:15 am

It could be a brilliant day. Fingers crossed.

dwinterfield · Post by **dwinterfield** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:31 am

Wombat wrote:I'm a bit lost here.

I was under the impression that there was some sort of understanding that, following Bloody Sunday, no game of English invention would ever be played at Croke Park. Wrong?

According to the story in today's Boston Globe, the Gaelic Athletic Associationn temporarily relaxed the rule banning non-Gaelic games at Croke Park while the stadium where they are normally played is refurbished.

I hope the day goes smoothly. The game is getting attention here too.

chrisoff · Post by **chrisoff** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:31 am

But of course before all that Scotland are about to thump Italy in the first game of the day

COME ON!

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:32 am

dwinterfield wrote:
According to the story in today's Boston Globe, the Gaelic Athletic Associationn temporarily relaxed the rule banning non-Gaelic games at Croke Park while the stadium where they are normally played is refurbished.

I think the rule was understood to be a ban on British games. The attendance record at Croke part was set at a 'combined rules' international football match between Ireland and Australia. The game is a hybrid of Australian and Gaelic football. Although Australian football is in many respects very similar to Gaelic football it seems itself to be a hybrid game. It certainly isn't exclusively Gaelic in origin, even though Irish and highland Scots immigrants have always been prominent.

chrisoff · Post by **chrisoff** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:34 am

I don't get aussie rules football at all. It just seems to be chaos.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:46 am

chrisoff wrote:I don't get aussie rules football at all. It just seems to be chaos.

There isn't an offside rule which confuses a lot of people. It's very similar in basic rules to Gaelic football except for a ball more like a rugby ball and a lot more body contact allowed.

If you haven't seen it recently, you mightn't recognise it. Instead of a certain amount of belting the ball back and forth, teams now play precision passing games with flooding back just as in soccer. The tehn attack on the break and aim to centre, as in soccer.

chrisoff · Post by **chrisoff** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 9:20 am

Let me revise my earlier statement. Scotland are about to come back from a disasterous start, where they gifted 3 tries in the opening 7 minutes, to thump Italy

chrisoff · Post by **chrisoff** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:52 am

Or we could play awfully and get humped 17 - 37 and become the first top ten team to lose at home to Italy

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:54 am

Not looking good..

Deepest sympathy.

Slan,
D.

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 12:28 pm

23 - 3.

Looking good..

Slan,
D.

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:30 pm

Well I'm off to the Pub for some polite banter..

Slan,
D.

buddhu · Post by **buddhu** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:42 pm

Congratulations, Dub.

A fantastic game. A record-breaking margin for your lads.

I'm glad Ireland won, and I'm glad they won with such style, and by such a huge number of points. A tiny, tiny, tiny amount of very late justice has been done.

England didn't play badly, just not with anything like the determination and and confidence the greens showed.

Hats off to you. May you always beat us at that venue.

Anywhere else though, and next time your arses are grass...

buddhu · Post by **buddhu** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:47 pm

chrisoff, hard luck mate.

I think today I can truly say I know how you feel... *ouch*!