# 2010 International Rules Series

The 2010 International Rules Series (officially the 2010 Irish Daily Mail International Rules Series) was the 15th International Rules Series, contested between Gaelic football players from Ireland and Australian rules football players from Australia. The Series was won by Australia, winning the first test by seven points and the second test by three, thereby winning with an aggregate score of 102 to 92. This was the first time Australia have won the Cormac McAnallen Cup since 2006. Dane Swan was awarded the Jim Stynes Medal, for being Australia best player over the Series, while Colm Begley won the equivalent award for Ireland. The second test in Croke Park on 30 October marked the end of the broadcasting career of commentator Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh who commentated on his last live match on RTÉ Radio.

## Background

The 2010 International rules series dates were confirmed by the Australian Football League (AFL) and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) on 19 February. Australian coach Mick Malthouse announced his 23-man squad on 8 October. Anthony Tohill was announced as coach of Ireland mid year, and he announced his squad on 14 October. The 2010 Series was the first series to be played since 2008, after global economic problems forced the AFL to pull out of the 2009 edition. It also marked the first series in Ireland since the ill-fated 2006 series. Irish Team Manager Anthony Tohill announced his final squad for the first test of the series on 19 October. Niall McNamee of Offaly is promoted from the standby list to the match day squad for the injured Benny Coulter, who is ruled out of the first test with a hamstring problem. Emmet Bolton of Kildare replaced Michael Shields who was unavailable for the first test as he was playing for St.Finbarr's in the 2010 Cork Senior Football Championship final against Nemo Rangers on 20 October.
Australia prepared for the opening test with a comfortable win in a practice match against a Cork underage representative side on 20 October. Australia won the match 105–12, in front of 2,867 fans at Páirc Uí Rinn in Cork on the Wednesday night, prior to the opening test in Limerick.

## Squads

| Ireland | Ireland | Ireland | Australia | Australia | Australia |
| Name | Team | Position | Name | Team | Position |
| Anthony Tohill | Derry | Coach | Mick Malthouse | Collingwood | Coach |
| 15. Steven McDonnell | Armagh | Captain | Adam Goodes | Sydney | Captain |
| 10. Finian Hanley | Galway | Vice Captain | Matthew Boyd | Western Bulldogs | Vice Captain |
| 2. Colm Begley | Laois | | Kade Simpson | Carlton | Vice Captain |
| 3. Bernard Brogan | Dublin | | Dane Swan | Collingwood | Vice Captain |
| 4. Graham Canty | Cork | | Patrick Dangerfield | Adelaide | |
| 5. Sean Cavanagh | Tyrone | | Dustin Fletcher | Essendon | Goalkeeper |
| 6. Martin Clarke | Down | | James Frawley | Melbourne | |
| 1. Stephen Cluxton | Dublin | Goalkeeper | Bryce Gibbs | Carlton | |
| 7. Brendan Donaghy | Armagh | | Sam Gilbert | St Kilda | |
| 8. Leighton Glynn | Wicklow | | Tyson Goldsack | Collingwood | |
| 9. Daniel Goulding | Cork | | Todd Banfield | Brisbane | |
| 11. James Kavanagh | Kildare | | Brad Green | Melbourne | |
| 12. Paddy Keenan | Louth | | Garrick Ibbotson | Fremantle | |
| 13. Tadhg Kennelly | Sydney | | Kieren Jack | Sydney | |
| 14. Sean McDermott | Roscommon | | Jarrad McVeigh | Sydney | |
| 16. Ciaran McKeever | Armagh | | Leigh Montagna | St Kilda | |
| 17. Kevin McKernan | Down | | Jack Riewoldt | Richmond | |
| 18. Brendan Murphy | Carlow | | Eddie Betts | Carlton | |
| 19. Michael Murphy | Donegal | | Daniel Cross | Western Bulldogs | |
| 20. Kevin Reilly | Meath | | Travis Varcoe | Geelong | |
| 21. Michael Shields | Cork | | David Wojcinski | Geelong | |
| 22. Tommy Walsh | Kerry | | Paul Duffield | Fremantle | |
| 23. Emmet Bolton* | Kildare | | Liam Picken | Western Bulldogs | |
| 24. Gary Brennan* | Clare | | | | |
| 25. Gary Connaughton* | Westmeath | | | | |
| 26. Benny Coulter* | Down | | | | |
| 27. Eamonn Fennell* | Dublin | | | | |
| 28. Johnny McCarthy* | Limerick | | | | |
| 29. Niall McNamee* | Offaly | | | | |
*Reserved on Standby

## Matches

| | 2010 International Rules Series – Test 1 | 2010 International Rules Series – Test 1 | 2010 International Rules Series – Test 1 | | |
| Saturday, 23 October 2010 | Ireland | def. by | Australia | Gaelic Grounds, Limerick, County Limerick (Crowd: 30,117) | |
| | 0.2.3 (9) 0.3.7 (16) 0.5.7 (22) 1.8.10 (40) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 0.4.0 (12) 0.7.0 (21) 0.10.2 (32) 0.14.5 (47) | Umpires: David Coldrick (Ireland) & Brett Rosebury (Australia) Television broadcast: TBA | Umpires: David Coldrick (Ireland) & Brett Rosebury (Australia) Television broadcast: TBA |
| Brogan | Brogan | Goals | Nil | Nil |
| McDonnell 2, Brogan, Goulding, Cavanagh, Glynn, McKernan, Walsh | McDonnell 2, Brogan, Goulding, Cavanagh, Glynn, McKernan, Walsh | Overs | Goodes 4, Banfield 2, Betts 2, Montagna 2, Cross 2, Frawley, Dangerfield | Goodes 4, Banfield 2, Betts 2, Montagna 2, Cross 2, Frawley, Dangerfield |
| Cavanagh, Begley, McDonnell, Kennelly, Brogan, Cluxton | Cavanagh, Begley, McDonnell, Kennelly, Brogan, Cluxton | Best | Boyd, Cross, Swan, Duffield, Banfield, Ibbotson, Picken, Goodes | Boyd, Cross, Swan, Duffield, Banfield, Ibbotson, Picken, Goodes |
| Nil | Nil | Injuries | Nil | Nil |
| | 2010 International Rules Series – Test 2 | 2010 International Rules Series – Test 2 | 2010 International Rules Series – Test 2 | | |
| Saturday, 30 October 2010 | Ireland | def. by | Australia | Croke Park, Dublin, County Dublin (Crowd: 61,842) | |
| | 0.2.3 (9) 0.4.5 (17) 1.8.8 (38) 1.11.13 (52) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 0.4.4 (16) 0.7.7 (28) 0.12.12 (48) 0.14.13 (55) | Umpires: David Coldrick (Ireland) & Brett Rosebury (Australia) Television broadcast: TBA | Umpires: David Coldrick (Ireland) & Brett Rosebury (Australia) Television broadcast: TBA |
| Kavanagh | Kavanagh | Goals | Ni | Ni |
| Coulter 2, M. Murphy 2, Begley, McKernan, McDonnell, B. Murphy, Brogan, Kennelly, Cavanagh | Coulter 2, M. Murphy 2, Begley, McKernan, McDonnell, B. Murphy, Brogan, Kennelly, Cavanagh | Overs | Green 4, Swan 3, Goodes 2, Banfield 2, Montagna, McVeigh, Betts | Green 4, Swan 3, Goodes 2, Banfield 2, Montagna, McVeigh, Betts |
| Canty, Begley, McKernan, Coulter, Walsh, M. Murphy, Clarke | Canty, Begley, McKernan, Coulter, Walsh, M. Murphy, Clarke | Best | Swan, Green, Banfield, Gibbs, Frawley, Fletcher, Goodes | Swan, Green, Banfield, Gibbs, Frawley, Fletcher, Goodes |
| Nil | Nil | Injuries | Nil | Nil |
| Australia win series 102–92 on aggregate ||||||