GAA: Paraic Duffy hopes International Rules will be played next year

Paraic Duffy has expressed support for hosting a return International Rules series with Australia next year.

GAA director general Duffy met with his Australian counterpart, AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan, on Saturday night after Ireland’s Test defeat in Perth to discuss the future of the series.

The appeal of the hybrid game has waned with both the public and players in recent years, especially in Australia.

Next year had been scheduled as a gap year but after the success of last weekend’s Test in Perth, where the AFL’s best players featured for Australia in front of a near-capacity crowd of 38,262, both sides are keen to take the next steps in further securing the series’ future.

Maybe, if we had one game in Ireland next year when you threw everything into it in Croke Park, I think after Saturday you could be back to the days of full houses.

“This is the end of a cycle now,” said Duffy. “We had to go back to Central Council when this series was over to see where we’re going but I think after Saturday it’s a much easier discussion than it would have been after last year.”

Asked would the proposal be for one Test in line with this year’s reduction from the previous scheduling of two matches per series, Duffy said that no decision had yet been made on that.

“No, not necessarily. It could be two games but looking at the experience of Saturday when they really marketed the game well it worked very well.

“Maybe, if we had one game in Ireland next year when you threw everything into it in Croke Park, I think after Saturday you could be back to the days of full houses.

“But no, we didn’t make any decision (on the number of Tests) but broadly speaking we’re all very positive about it. We had discussions with Gill and they’re very positive about wanting to come to Ireland next year.

“We want it to happen but we have to get clearance from Central Council.”