HE MAY be one of their biggest players, but Kieran Donaghy won't be filling the role of enforcer for Ireland when the International Rules Series begins in Perth on Friday.
Donaghy stands at 196cm, and plays as full forward for Gaelic Football powerhouse Kerry, but he said he will be more concerned with scoring points rather than throwing his weight around against the traditionally more physical Australians at Subiaco Oval.
"I'm not a giant in your game but I'm pretty big back home. I play at full forward and I'm one of our biggest guys in that position in our competition," he said in Perth this week.
"There's not much of an enforcer role needed and I don’t have the physique to do that anyway. My size will help give us a target up forward and hopefully I can set up a few guys for scores, and maybe pop a few over myself.
"This is a great series and we have to make sure that whatever happened two years ago doesn’t happen again.
"That's up to us as well as the Aussies and we are just looking forward to a great sporting occasion, and may the best team win."
The amateur nature of Ireland's indigenous game means the 25-year-old had to take three weeks leave from his job at Ulster Bank to take part in the tour, but his rise to stardom was unconventional by the standards of either nation.
After constantly failing to break into the Kerry side, Donaghy was eventually recruited to play senior football for his county after winning a reality TV show on Irish television program Underdogs.
On the show, prospective county players attempted to prove they were worthy of selection, and Donaghy has more than justified his TV crown, winning two All-Ireland medals in 2006 and 2007 and All-Star awards in 2006 and 2008.
Also a basketballer of some note, having won a National Cup title with the Tralee Tigers in 2005, he said his next challenge is to overcome the West Australian heat.
"I don’t know if we are acclimatised to the weather as I don’t think it has ever been this hot in Ireland but it's been great," he said.
"The jet lag has pretty much gone, apart from the guys that have just joined us, but we will be ready to go on Friday, and I'm looking forward to it."
Donaghy also said it had been a long-term dream for him to grace the top AFL venues, and he will be realising a dream when he runs out for his country on Friday night.
"When I was a young fella I said I wanted to play on Subiaco and Telstra Dome, and I'm getting one of those wishes granted, and it's an honour and privilege to play on this pitch," he said.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing it packed with almost 50,000 Aussie and Irish fans and hopefully it's a great series."
There have been a number of rule changes for this series, and the Irish have even employed a tackling coach Trevor Brennan from rugby union, but it's set kicks that Ireland's main forward target will be perfecting between now and the match.
"The mark is quite strange, especially for me as a forward, and it has been two years since I've done it," he said.
"My team Kerry made the All-Ireland final this year, so I only joined the squad two or three weeks ago, so I'm still getting used to that kicking with a man in front of me.
"It's like a free kick in our game, but I've never taken one of them. If I get the chance I might play on to have a shot, but if I have to take a free kick hopefully it's no problem and I can put it over."
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The 2008 Toyota International Rules Series: Australia v Ireland
First Test – Subiaco, Perth, Friday 24 October
Second Test – MCG, Melbourne, Friday 31 October
Tickets on sale now at ticketmaster.com.au, by calling 1300 136 122 or at a Ticketmaster outlet.
For full coverage of the 2008 series, click here.
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