Madam, - I'm an Aussie with dual Irish/Oz citizenship. I am ashamed and disgusted at the thuggish criminal behaviour of a couple of the Australian International Rules players recently. This sort of violence has crept into Australian Rules football and is not checked, in fact it is highlighted and encouraged by the Aussie media. It is alienating a whole generation of parents who will now not let their children play the sport, a very sad outcome.
The majority of Australians are appalled by this violence in sport. - Yours, etc,
MIKE FENTON, Bunbury, West Australia.
Madam, - I am embarrassed and ashamed about the disgraceful display of violence against your country's football players last Friday night. I could not believe what I was watching, and I urge the Irish to cancel all further matches against Australia immediately.
In our media today there has been an outcry against the dreadful behaviour in the game, and I want your readers to know that many Australians abhor what took place.
I hope that the stupidity of a few does not lessen your regard for the rest of us.
Sincere apologies, - Yours, etc,
ELIZABETH JAMES, Clarinda, Victoria, Australia.
Madam, - There has been a lot of talk about the Australian "thuggery" and "villainy" in the recent International Rules series. As an Australian, who along with hundreds of thousands of others, watched and appreciated the series, may I put a few things straight:
Firstly, Australian Rules is played at levels of speed and physical intensity beyond anything that was seen in these two games. The players are conditioned to it. They expect that intensity and know how to manage those conditions and protect themselves. In these two games again and again the Irish footballers, in Australian Rules terms, left themselves open to physical damage that in Australian Rules would never occur. The infamous Robertson "shirt-front", for example, in the first game, would hardly have raised an eyebrow in an Australian Rules game; and no Australian Rules player would have left himself open to it.
Robertson was obviously as surprised as anyone at the outcome of the collision.
Secondly, the skills that Australian Rules players develop operate at such a pace that they are largely instinctive. It's very difficult to pull out of these instinctive reactions. It's frustrating and difficult, and it's easy to make mistakes. Things that look like physical aggression can be simply instinctive reactions in the wrong place. You could see it happening all the time in these two games, if you knew the Australian Rules game.
Thirdly, the difference between the two teams was not that between two teams playing International Rules football, but that between professional and amateur athletes. These Australian Rules players are elite professional athletes: their physical skills, conditioning and strength have been the focus of their lives for years: their living depends on it. Australian Rules is recognised as a code that demands extraordinarily high all-round physical attributes and skills. And these players are the best in the nation.
You have to ask the question: what was the Irish football association thinking of, to put their courageous amateur boys up against professionals like this? Of course it was going to expose them to injury. Every Australian watching the game was wincing, seeing within two minutes what was going to happen.
The Irish boys didn't deserve this treatment: it was just good luck that no one was seriously injured. As it was, they earned the admiration of Australian sports fans (not easy to come by) for their courage in standing up, whatever the personal cost. No one would have blamed them if they'd have walked away; but they didn't. - Yours, etc,
GEOFF WELLS, Adelaide, South Australia.