International Rules Second Test: Gloomy silence in the cavernous dressing-rooms of the MCG bore the most eloquent witness to Ireland's performance in yesterday's second Test of the Foster's International Rules series.

Few had given Ireland much chance of being disappointed by a close call at the end of the series but they went closer than any other defeated Ireland team had done.

Australia won the series for the first time at home and deservedly so, but yesterday saw a stirring resurrection by the visitors.

Finishing better and closing down their opponents with a noticeable sharpness and hunger, they improved out of recognition and expectation. In the end it just fell short of what would have been the greatest comeback in the game's 20-year history.

Australia rallied in the final quarter and limited the damage to a three-point defeat, which meant they took the series on aggregate after last week's 10-point victory in Perth.

This was a compelling match. Like last year, it kept the series alive until the dying moments and that was a fair achievement given the disparity between the sides a week previously.

There were more heroes and fewer causes for regret, little enough controversy but a great deal of excitement. Ireland weren't happy with the third-quarter penalty that was one of the match's pivotal moments but Australia grumbled about a disallowed goal in the first quarter after goalkeeper Enda Murphy was deemed to have been fouled.

Not inspiring confidence was the fact Brian White and Stephen McBurney were giving decisions that helped their respective countries. Ireland went quite a while without getting an award of any sort from McBurney but manager John O'Keeffe, far from criticising the officials, once more commended them.

In fairness it was McBurney who reversed an Australian penalty award - for a spear tackle by Canty on Robert Harvey - because of Jade Rawlings's third-man-in offence and sin-binned his compatriot. And a review of the match video makes it hard to find fault with the decision-making of either official.

Television showed Australian manager Garry Lyon giving his team-talk before the match. He emphasised the need to tighten up in the first quarter; his team had trailed by 14 after the first 20 minutes in Perth. He presumably never imagined they'd do even worse this time.

There weren't many selection surprises. Cork's Colin Corkery was omitted from the line-up together with Gary Cox, Cathal Daly and the injured Declan Browne. Corkery's accuracy would have been an undoubted asset but his comparative lack of mobility militates against him far more than it does at home.

Australia's David Wirrpunda recovered from injury and so there was no need to draft in Jason Akermanis or Brady Rawlings as cover.

It was another blistering start by Ireland, whose two goals - from Steven McDonnell, flicked in from a Padhraic Joyce line ball, and Brian McDonald, who took a quick mark before finishing expertly - came between the 10th and 13th minutes. This 12-point haul threw the series back into the pot and set the stage for a memorable night.

The goals underlined Ireland's attacking improvement but the team as a whole coped better with the high ball and the mark despite the persistent rain. Australian confidence with the round ball certainly took a knock as it skidded around the wet pitch.

Once again McDonnell showed his pre-eminence as a forward. This has been his first series but a two-Test total of 34 will ensure it's not his last. He covered huge amounts of ground.

Defensively Ireland also improved. Kieran McGeeney was used in his familiar Armagh role as an extra defender and played more ball than anyone in the early stages. The threat of Barry Hall was recognised by the full-time deployment of captain Graham Canty to mark him.

Canty was once more immense and became the first Irishman to win his team's series medal more than once, having also taken the award last year. Like Darren Fay before him, he managed to restrict the menace of a far taller opponent, disrupting Hall's possession by getting a touch to the ball and preventing clean marks.

He also stood up to the Sydney giant physically and never backed down. The scores on the board at the hooter showed that Hall's Perth total of 13 had shrunk to four. And Canty's 74th-minute block on Brett Kirk prevented the Test being lost. No wonder local pundits were talking him up as a potential Aussie Rules export.

One vivid imprint from the aftermath was the sight of Ciarán McManus in such distress after losing the series. International Rules retains for some an air of novelty and by extension inconsequence. That the Australians invested so much in winning and that Irish players are so upset at losing indicates such views sell the game short.

McManus had every right to be disappointed but could also hold his head high after another barnstorming performance that took him all around the field and again eclipsed Australian captain and playmaker Shane Crawford.

By half-time the margin was just as it had been at the same stage in Perth, Ireland five ahead, except that yesterday this included the repayment of the entire first-Test shortfall.

The previous week the third quarter had been pivotal. Ireland had more chances but squandered them whereas Australia looted two goals. This was the 20-minute period that everyone expected to be vital. Maybe as suggested afterwards, Ireland put too much into keeping their lead intact, indeed extending it, and left too little for the final quarter.

It's easy to pocket the gains of the third quarter yesterday and to decry the loss of initiative in the fourth but the first Test had been decided by the swing in the penultimate period. That was what Ireland set out to prevent.

In retrospect the third or "Premiership" quarter had an influence. For a start it yielded Australia's goal. Canty was penalised for pulling down Robert Harvey, who took the kick himself. His shot was well placed but lacking venom and Murphy will be a bit disappointed not to have got to it.

Harvey was a live wire and was rewarded with the Jim Stynes medal for his team's Player of the Series.

A few minutes after the penalty - which restored Australia's series lead - McDonnell went close with two chances for overs, one hitting the post and one clawed away by Glen Jakovich for a 45, which yielded only a point.

Irish fans took encouragement from the team's resurgence towards the end of the quarter. Joyce, whose touch on the ball left the Australians stunned, chipped into his hand, slipped his marker and took the over.

Then just before the hooter the excellent Anthony Lynch joined the attack and dribbled the ball soccer style - a tactic used on a few occasions without the Aussies managing to counter it - in on goal but shot over the bar.

Australia hadn't scored much in the fourth quarter in Perth and so Irish hopes were high with a 44-27 lead, seven overall. But nemesis arrived in the form of Nathan Brown. He had been well held by Seán Martin Lockhart and was scoreless at the end of three quarters. But in the last 20 minutes he hit three overs and a behind for a 10-point total that made him Australia's top scorer. Ireland struggled to break the tightening stranglehold but were creating too few chances.

It wasn't until two minutes from time that Ireland fell more than a score behind in the series but once that happened there was no way back and the exhausted players did well to hold out for the Test win, which did them honour and, importantly, saved the series from anti-climax.