Paddy O' Rourke on standby list for International Rules game

Paddy O'Rourke is the only Meath player to feature in the Ireland EirGrid International Rules squad which was announced this morning ahead of the International Rules Series taking place between Ireland and Australia on Saturday 21st November, 7pm at Croke Park.

Manager Joe Kernan will be assisted by selectors Dermot Earley and Pádraic Joyce and they announced an impressive line-up of newly crowned football All-Star award winners in their match day panel of 23 players with an additional eight players listed on standby in the event of injury - O'Rourke is on the standby list.

Fresh from being named Footballer of the Year last Friday night, wing back Jack McCaffrey from the Clontarf club in Dublin is one of nine All-Stars selected by Kernan and he is joined by Mattie Donnelly, Lee Keegan, Philip McMahon, Conor McManus, Rory O’Carroll, Aidan O’Shea, Donnchadh Walsh and Ireland team captain Bernard Brogan.

Over the last ten weeks a total of 70 players have been involved in training and trial matches before the panel was whittled down and the Irish squad will have five of the six All-Star forwards who were unveiled last week available.

“Unfortunately injuries and club commitments have ruled some players out, but I am happy that we have still managed to assemble a very strong squad and it was a difficult job to reduce numbers down to the squad and the standby list,' said the manager.

“The fact that the Australians are sending over such a strong team of players means that we will have to up our game if we are to take those boys on and that’s exactly what we are planning to do,” he added.

Tickets for the game at Croke Park are available from gaa.ie/tickets and from selected outlets and are priced at €25 for adults and €5 for Under 16s.

Throw-in on Saturday week is at 7pm and the game will be preceded by the Hurling Shinty international between Ireland and Scotland.
There will also be a commemoration to mark the 95th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday.
 
IRELAND SQUAD 

Niall Morgan (Tyrone)
Colm Begley (Laois)
Gary Brennan (Clare)
Bernard Brogan (Dublin)
Eoin Cadogan (Cork)
Mattie Donnelly (Tyrone)
Eoin Doyle (Kildare)
Peter Harte (Tyrone)
Darren Hughes (Monaghan)
Lee Keegan (Mayo)
Paul Kerrigan (Cork)
Jack McCaffrey (Dublin)
Ciarán McDonald (Tipperary)
Philip McMahon (Dublin)
Conor McManus (Monaghan)
Rory O'Carroll (Dublin)
John O'Loughlin (Laois)
Aidan O'Shea (Mayo)
Michael Quinn (Longford)
Donnchadh Walsh (Kerry)
Diarmuid Connolly (Dublin)
Paul Cribbin (Kildare)
Paddy Mc Brearty (Donegal)
 

STAND BY PLAYERS:
Paddy O'Rourke (Meath)
Killian Clarke (Cavan)
Ray Connellan (Westmeath)
Kieran Hughes (Monaghan)
Gearoid McKiernan (Cavan)
Dessie Mone (Monaghan)
Colm O'Neill (Cork)
Enda Smith (Roscommon)