International Rules: Moves are under way to put a halt to the movement of players from Gaelic games to Australian Rules. A proposal is to be discussed at next month's meeting between the GAA and AFL to the effect that players recruited from Ireland must be signed on as members of a club's senior match panel - rather than the rookie list, as is currently the practice.

Although there hasn't been a major exodus of players to Australia in recent years, traffic has picked up recently with high-profile departures of senior players from Cork, Setanta Ó hAilpín, and Laois, Colm Begley - following in the footsteps of Tadhg Kennelly, who signed for the Sydney Swans as a teenager in 1999 and whose career reached the heights of an AFL Premiership win this year.

The conduct of trials each year to sieve through available talent coming in from minor level has been a further irritant to many in the GAA, although these are usually organised by agents rather than clubs. Concern about the disappearance of youthful talent is one of the factors that has generated hostility towards the Rules series and its Australian connection.

Whereas the violent scenes in last October's second test has been the vehicle for much of the growing opposition to the international project, it is accepted within Croke Park that the series can't survive the poaching of players any more than it can outbreaks of indiscipline.

"This has to be done," said a senior GAA source. "It's causing immense ill will and even the Australians accept that. The idea behind this proposal is that it would make recruiting Irish players unattractive because clubs aren't going to want to bring untried footballers on to their main panel as opposed to getting them on essentially a trial basis for rookie panels and international rookie panels."

The Irish Times understands this proposal has been tacitly accepted by the AFL ahead of next month's meeting, which will also address the issue of violent play and its punishment. Last Saturday's Central Council meeting was very vocal in its criticism of the international game and calls for the series' termination were heard and only shelved on the basis that the matter would be raised at county conventions this month.

The issue is also raised by Kerry chair Seán Walsh in his address to the county convention. Although he is critical of the scenes that marred this year's series, Walsh doesn't believe that the international tests should be discontinued anytime soon.

"The Irish team trip to Australia this year generated a lot of heat on and off the field. First and foremost we should be outright in our condemnation of some of the indiscipline that took place by Australian players.

"Punishment has always been a deterrent (in Gaelic games) to a player who commits a foul - that is not the case with the compromise rules, but should form part of any review that is to take place before the next series of games are played.

"We should work with AFL before the next series of games in updating the rules and making the necessary changes required for the success of the series up to 2010. Then and only then should we judge our own commitment to the series based on what we have seen by way of behaviour and commitment from the Australians."

Walsh does, however, propose that players from the All-Ireland finalists should not be selected for international duty. "I firmly believe that players from the two teams participating in the All-Ireland final should not form part of travelling party when the series is played in Australia. Due to their involvement in the All-Ireland series it is most likely that their own county championships are already well behind the schedule."