Croke Park line-ups: Ireland v Australia: Ireland (1-8-12) 42 Australia (1-11-3) 42 Just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong for yesterday's second Test in the Coca-Cola International Rules series at Croke Park.
But the combined assaults of the foulest weather for a big day since the club finals of seven and a half years ago and a power cut were unable to prevent a record crowd of 71,552 and one of the most exciting climaxes the international competition has seen.
Despite the horror of the conditions, the occasional indiscipline of the previous week didn't re-occur, although Australia's Brad Scott inexplicably decided to make a punch bag of Graham Geraghty in full view of everyone and was shown a red card by Australian referee Scott McLaren.
With seconds to go, either side could still have won.
Ireland, battling a seven-point deficit from the first Test, led by three and were launching a last drive when Eamonn O'Hara was pulled up for over-carrying on a lengthy dash from defence.
Irish players were furious with McLaren - presumably because the rule has been so infrequently applied rather than that the offence hadn't been committed.
The hooter sounded its shrill blast to end a titanic contest and to add insult to injury, Chris Johnson - allowed to take the free - put his kick over to deprive Ireland of even the limited consolation of levelling the series at one each.
Instead the Australians didn't need to avail of the aggregate score provision and recaptured the trophy they last won two years ago.
It was a fine victory for coach Garry Lyon who had a daunting injury list going into the decisive Test. Top scorer the last day Matthew Pavlich lost out to a treacherous hamstring and a couple of other players became hors de combat as the match progressed.
By the end Lyon's inter-change options had contracted drastically but his players held on.
Their win was largely the product of a goal plundered at the start of the final quarter. At that point Ireland had outperformed last week's disappointing fade-out and created a winning platform at the end of the third quarter.
This period of 20 minutes - known as the "moving quarter" in Australian Rules - had undone the home team last week when the visitors turned the screw and reclaimed virtually the entire 19-point deficit they had carried through the half-time break.
This time the script looked infinitely more promising for Ireland. They had done the moving in the third quarter and once again had established a 19-point lead (37-18) but this time with only 20 minutes left.
The big danger was the force of the wind that raged in the direction of the Canal End goal.
So ferocious was it that Australia failed to score at all when playing into it during the third quarter.
Lyon said afterwards that his team were conscious that their actual series deficit was only 12 and they pulled that back in a three-minute blitz shortly into the final quarter.
Adam Simpson launched a high ball in on Ireland's goal in the 65th minute and Luke Darcy got the touch ahead of Darragh Ó Sé and Stephen Cluxton for a crucial goal. In rapid succession Nathan Brown, whose marksmanship and that of Chris Johnson with the round ball was something of an embarrassment to some Irish players - and Josh Francou shot overs and sides were level on aggregate.
It was to Ireland's credit that they resisted the visitors' momentum and turned the final 10 minutes into a memorable spectacle. The biggest crowd ever to support Ireland in an international of any sort rose to the team's defiance and through the dying light, the gnawing cold and driving rain the players went for it.
Sadly for the home crowd the revival foundered on inaccuracies when precious chances had been created.
The most obvious was a fine mark taken by Graham Geraghty 30 metres out and more or less in front of goal. He failed to convert it but wasn't the only one to fluff his lines. Frustrating it must have been but the conditions in front of the Hill were atrocious for kickers and chances weren't taken.
The weather made the game almost unplayable for the teams and contributed to making the match the second lowest scoring Test in International Rules history.
Ireland manager John O'Keeffe did a fair amount of juggling with resources after the disappointment of the first Test. Dublin goalkeeper Cluxton came in for Peter Burke and justified his inclusion.
The Mayoman might feel a little aggrieved in that his much-reviled kick-outs weren't improved on that much in the howling gale but in general play Cluxton's mobility and linking with his defence did give more assurance to the defence. His save in the 24th minute turned a goal attempt by Stephen Milne over the bar and prevented Ireland coming under early pressure.
O'Keeffe also included extra defenders, Paddy Christie and Colin Holmes, in order to increase options at the back and Christie played sufficiently well to question his omission for the first Test.
Darragh Ó Sé and Graham Canty swapped roles. This gave the Corkman freer reign at midfield and successfully utilised Ó Sé's fielding prowess despite his lack of experience in the position.
Trevor Giles had a good match beside Canty reading the play well - although some of his distribution fought a losing battle with the breeze - and bringing a sense of order to proceedings.
Given the meltdown a week previously few gave much hope for Ireland when they could only manage a one-point lead at half-time. Too often the ball wasn't running for them. Attacking moves were breaking down in their infancy or as soon as progress was made and an opening created the ball was fumbled. There was little fluency.
Nonetheless, a goal five minutes into the third quarter looked as if it had turned the match. Canty's long ball to Tadhg Kennelly created an opening for Padhraic Joyce. He shuffled to open a target and saw his shot blocked away by Craig Bradley only for the incoming Cormac McAnallen to sweep the rebound into the net.
The advantage was pushed home and the lead stretched.
Adem Yze, one of Australia's most accomplished kickers, got the sin-bin for tackling Dessie Dolan high and with 19 points in the bag a climactic fourth quarter was on the cards and that's how they were dealt.
The attendance of 71,552 beats the previous high mark, set in Melbourne's MCG three years ago.
According to the GAA 77,500 were dispensed including 4,000 yesterday morning. The atrocious weather meant that around 6,000 who had tickets decided not to attend.
Ireland
27. S Cluxton (Dublin)
5. P Christie (Dublin)
22. D Ó Sé (Kerry)
14. A Lynch (Cork)
15 C McAnallen (Tyrone)
20. S Moynihan (Kerry)
16. K McGeeney (Armagh)
9. T Giles (Meath)
4, G Canty (Cork)
7. D Dolan (Westmeath)
13. T Kennelly (Kerry)
24. BJ O'Sullivan (Cork)
11. P Joyce (Galway)
18. C McManus (Offaly)
8. G Geraghty (Meath)
Inter-change
6. R Cosgrove (Dublin)
21 E O'Hara (Sligo)
12. E Kelly (Meath)
19. D Meehan (Galway)
23. T Ó Sé (Kerry)
24.
3 J Bergin (Galway)
26. D Savage (Galway)
10. C Holmes (Tyrone)
Australia
20. A Kellaway (Richmond)
26. M Bickley (Adelaide)
8. J Clement (Collingwood)
B Montgomery (Port Adelaide)
5. B Scott (Brisbane)
32. C Bruce (Melbourne)
C Johnson (Brisbane)
14. L Darcy (Western Bulldogs)
11. S Crawford (Hawthorn)
4. D Kerr (West Coast)
13. A Yze (Melbourne)
6. C Judd (West Coast)
44. S Milne (St Kilda)
7. A Simpson (Kangaroos)
17. N Brown (Western Bulldogs)
Inter-change
10. J Francou (Port Adelaide)
12. T Edwards (Adelaide)
21. C Bradley (Carlton)
37. A Lekkas (Hawthorn)
18. R Murphy (Western Bulldogs)
W Tredrea (Port Adelaide)
C Cornes (Port Adelaide)
30. M Scarlett (Geelong)
Referees: B White (Wexford)
S McLaren (AFL)
Red card: Australia - B Scott (29 mins)
Yellow card: Australia - A Yze (47 mins)
