VICTORIOUS Irish manager Sean Boylan says winning the 2008 Toyota International Rules series ranks up there as one of his greatest achievements in sport.

Boylan, who spent more than 20 years as a manager with County Meath in the GAA, says leading the Irish team to victory was beyond his wildest dreams.

“If someone said to me that I would have the honour of managing an Irish team I wouldn’t believe that. I would have loved to be a great player and was I not that fortunate, but I was lucky to have a lot of great people around me,” Boylan said.

“Some of us have been very fortunate to be associated with many great events and none more so for me on a personal level than tonight. To play some small part in helping these lads represent their country and representing it in a wonderful way,” Boylan said.

Making the victory even more memorable for Boylan was Ireland winning the Cormac McAnallen cup.

McAnallen played for Ireland in the 2001, 2002 and 2003 series before dying suddenly in his sleep from a heart condition in March 2004.

Boylan said he was emotional seeing Sean Cavanagh captain the side to win the cup named after his close friend.

“The last time Ireland won the series out here, Cormac McAnallen was playing,” Boylan said.

“For Sean as his neighbour and friend to lift the Cormac McAnallen cup has to stand right up there with anything that I’ve ever been fortunate to be associated with before.”

Boylan said he was not sure if AFL clubs would poach his players after such an impressive series but said relations between the two countries was at an all-time high.

“The one thing they will recognise is that we’ve learnt a lot from their sport and they’ve learnt a good bit from ours as well,” he said.

“You go into shops on the street and people stop to shake your hand and wish you well. We know they are probably the most competitive nation in the world, yet we know that off the field of play it is friendship.

“The friendship the lads have made with the Australian team has been fantastic and we have to thank Mick Malthouse and Nathan Buckley so much for creating that environment.”