GAA players are catching up with their Australian opponents in terms of fitness. That's the opinion of Cork's Anthony Lynch, who is starting his third international series this week in Perth.

The Cork defender has been a first-choice for the county since his impressive performances helped Cork to the 1999 All-Ireland final but it's only since 2002 that he's become a fixture on the Ireland team.

Within his relatively short time involved Lynch believes he has seen GAA players make great strides. It's five years since Ireland have gone into the final quarter of the second Test without being in a position to win the series.

"It was very evident in previous years that the third quarter was their big quarter," he said. "But I remember over here in 2003 we had a massive third quarter and although we lost it again in the fourth we were well able to compete until the end. The gap has closed but to what extent we'll know the next day."

Unable to take part last year, Lynch had a great series in 2003, bringing his perceptive reading of the game and aggression on the ball to the international arena. His willingness to stand up to bigger opponents was a key asset to the defence in which his county colleague and then captain Graham Canty was outstanding.

Although not the speediest of players, Lynch's positional sense and quick thinking have helped him establish a place in Ireland's defence. He clearly enjoys the opportunity to travel with the team and prepare full-time for matches.

"People say 'you're going on a holiday' and I say it's not a holiday; because we're training all the time. But it's better than a holiday for me because I enjoy it so much."

One of the most striking images from two years ago was a fired-up Lynch grappling in the second Test with Barry Hall, the enormous Sydney forward who caused such trouble for Ireland in the first Test in Perth, and who misses out through injury this time around.

According to Lynch the physically stronger Australians are particularly dangerous in the tackle, which is something they instinctively do better than the Irish. "The tackle is our weak thing just as the round ball is theirs. If you do get caught in the tackle you're done for so the thing is to avoid it. It's all about awareness and getting the ball away as quickly as possible."

The team were undergoing a training session within hours of arriving despite the effects of jet-lag and just a few hours' sleep. Knuckling down after an exhausting long-haul flight is, Lynch believes, necessary given the comparatively short preparation period available.

"You don't have a lot of time here. We'll be only settled tomorrow and then it's three days to the match. There's 27 players for 24 places so someone's going to lose out.