RICHMOND'S Nathan Foley says the speed of his Australian teammates in adapting to the round ball could even encourage some 'toe-tapping' when they meet Ireland in the First Test of the 2008 Toyota International Rules Series on Friday night.
In the hybrid game, players with possession must bounce or tap the ball – between the hand and foot – every six steps.
The Australians assembled in Perth on Monday and have trained at Subiaco Oval on each of the days they have been there.
"Obviously the Irish are so good at it so it would be great to see one of the Australians do it," Foley said.
"I’ve seen Dale Thomas do it so you might see [that] on Friday night."
And there have also been some clear cases for Australia's best kick with the foreign-shaped ball.
"Daniel Wells and David Rodan kick it pretty well," Foley said.
"They're probably two boys that stand out with the round ball."
Foley insisted that goalkeeper Michael Firrito had not been put off his duties after a frustrating show in Monday night's practice match, which saw a number of shots hit the back of the net.
"He’s going well," Foley said of the North Melbourne defender.
"He's getting the hang of it. He was really under the pump on Monday night. Hopefully that won’t happen come Friday night."
Firrito's fortunes will be aided by a backline that will work to prevent Ireland's dangerous forwards from earning a one-on-one situation with the keeper.
"That’s a huge factor," Foley said.
"It’s really hard being one-on-one. So we need to help out the goalkeeper as much as we can."
Both teams will congregate for a dinner on Wednesday night and, while Foley said he was looking forward to mingling with the opposition, getting to know his amateur counterparts gave him an appreciation of his opportunities as a professional footballer.
"It makes you realise how lucky you are," he said.
"You get the opportunity to do this full-time. Without a doubt it means you have huge respect for what they do, working every day and having to get their training in so they can compete at such an elite level is really great."
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The 2008 Toyota International Rules Series: Australia v Ireland
First Test – Subiaco Oval, Perth, Friday October 24
Second Test – MCG, Melbourne, Friday October 31
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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