Oval Ball For International Rules

Xavi6

From http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport -

Demetriou demands oval ball for International Rules

Mark Robinson | April 01, 2008 12:00am

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has said today that the resumption of the International Rules series between Australia and Ireland will not be given the go ahead unless the game adopts an oval ball.

Speaking at a press conference in Melbourne, Mr. Demetriou said that the Irish had benefitted greatly from using their code’s ball of choice.

“The Irish have always had an advantage when it comes to the ball used in the series,” he said.

“The skills required to kick a round ball are completely different to those which our players use with the oval ball and I feel it is time we were given the opportunity to show our skills on the international stage.”

The Irish counties, appalled by the violence of the 2005 and 2006 series, have given the green light for clashes with Australia to resume.

At least 24 of 32 counties backed the revival of the series at a St Patrick's Day meeting of the Gaelic Athletic Association's central council, although this new demand from the AFL may require them to hold further talks.

Relations between the Irish and the AFL broke down after a rugged second Test at Dublin's Croke Park in 2006.

The Irish suspended their involvement and the concept looked likely to remain in the deep freeze until a meeting of the GAA and AFL in Dubai in February.

Both bodies agreed in-principle to a peace document that included ramped up penalties for poor on-field discipline.

Well I have to say it'd be interesting to see how the Irish lads get on kicking one of the eggs. Any thoughts?

An Citeog

Xavi6 wrote: »

From http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport -



Well I have to say it'd be interesting to see how the Irish lads get on kicking one of the eggs. Any thoughts?

Tbh, you can't just change the ball without making adjustments to some of the other rules. Then it just becomes Aussie Rules with a rectangular pitch and goals. Not sure how easy it'd be to score a goal either (of the 6 point variety). You'd have to look at changing the tackling rules or the steps you're allowed take or a load of different things. The Aussies have destroyed us the last few series with the round ball. If they start using the oval ball, the Irish might aswell not even turn up!:D

Imposter

lol - I think they should just change the date of the game. Have it early in the season - sometime like April 1st. That was Ireland would probably be fitter than the aussies.

future_plans

What date is it again?

Flukey

The reality of the matter is that one of the biggest advantages the Australians have always had in the decades of the various formats of this sport is the round ball. They play their own game with an oval ball. An oval ball is far more difficult to deal with. It is much harder to judge the bounce of it. While it can be held quite comfortably, that is only if it comes to you perfectly. If it is slightly off sync, then it is harder to catch cleanly. The round ball has a uniform shape, so it is much easier to predict where it will go when it bounces. Its uniform shape also means that it can be caught the same way always. So all in all the oval ball is harder to deal with than a round ball. Now, our Australian friends are very accomplished with the oval ball, even being able to run and bounce it back to themselves. So if they can do something more difficult with such ease, then doing the easy thing of dealing with a round ball should be even easier for them. So they have a major advantage. Look at the amount of series they've won. It is never once made an issue about when they win a match and they've quite a few, some by very large margins. Anyway, it's not as if they've seen or kicked a round ball in their lives. 1st of April or not, to say the round ball is a disadvantage to them is a complete joke.

An Citeog

Flukey wrote: »

The reality of the matter is that one of the biggest advantages the Australians have always had in the decades of the various formats of this sport is the round ball. They play their own game with an oval ball. An oval ball is far more difficult to deal with. It is much harder to judge the bounce of it. While it can be held quite comfortably, that is only if it comes to you perfectly. If it is slightly off sync, then it is harder to catch cleanly. The round ball has a uniform shape, so it is much easier to predict where it will go when it bounces. Its uniform shape also means that it can be caught the same way always. So all in all the oval ball is harder to deal with than a round ball. Now, our Australian friends are very accomplished with the oval ball, even being able to run and bounce it back to themselves. So if they can do something more difficult with such ease, then doing the easy thing of dealing with a round ball should be even easier for them. So they have a major advantage. Look at the amount of series they've won. It is never once made an issue about when they win a match and they've quite a few, some by very large margins. Anyway, it's not as if they've seen or kicked a round ball in their lives. 1st of April or not, to say the round ball is a disadvantage to them is a complete joke.

I completely disagree with you. A lot of Aussie Rules players grew up playing footie and rugby and that's it. You're taking it for granted that they can just transfer their skills onto the round ball, even though many of them would have never played with it before. It's not just about the bounce, there are loads of different factors. Kicking style is a major one. If you're kicking an oval ball, it's always foot down and laces straight through it. Compare that to kicking a round ball. The punt pass isn't even used that often anymore in Gaelic Football and when kicking a point, players will tend to kick around the ball, rather than straight through it. That's a huge advantage for the gaelic footballers over the Aussies. Same with catching and the general feeling of the ball. Don't think you've quite thought this one through!;)

Anyway, as this was an April fools joke (damn you Xavi6!!:D), I think it's time to lock this thread or just let it die.