FORMER West Coast Eagles great Glen Jakovich says the return of International Rules is an exciting prospect for fans and players alike.
A two-time premiership player and recipient of numerous individual honours, Jakovich counts his experience playing as Australian goalkeeper in the 2003 International Rules series as one of the highlights of his career.
"I treated it very seriously. I was playing for my country and I was representing myself and my club in the West Coast Eagles," Jakovich said.
The speed of the game in front of a packed house at Subiaco added to the adrenalin rush of playing for the green and gold.
"The excitement and the atmosphere at Subiaco - I'll never forget it," Jakovich said. "The noise, the roar ... it became nation versus nation, and it's something I've always thrived on, the 'us versus them' mentality."
The two weekends Jakovich spent with his Australian teammates for the games at Subiaco and the MCG gave him the chance to gain an insight into the minds of his week-to-week AFL opponents.
"I got to play with Shane Crawford, got find out what he was like, see how he went about his training and his professionalism," Jakovich said. "Adam Simpson from the Kangaroos, I got to play with him. Brent Harvey, from the Kangaroos - all these gun players – it was a great experience."
"Anytime I played against them [in the AFL], I played against them and then I'd jump on a plane or they'd jump on a plane and leave the state. You never got to socialise within a different environment."
The 41,000-strong crowd at Subiaco witnessed the unlikely teaming of Fremantle's Matthew Pavlich and Paul Hasleby with West Coast Eagles Jakovich and David Wirrpanda, something that was able to unite fans from opposite sides of Western Australian football spectrum.
Jakovich said seeing local talent banding together under the one banner would again draw fans to Subiaco this year in October, and the Australia versus Ireland rivalry would produce a great show.
"It's a fun night out," he said. "It's a great spectacle, you get to see the Irish and how passionate they are. The seriousness of some amateur footballers, which they are, you see them they don't even flinch to take on boys that are bigger and stronger.
"I think they set a very good example, their patriotism for their country."
The series five years ago attracted a combined total of more than 100,000 people to the Subiaco and MCG matches, and was the first year the Australian side won an International Rules series on home soil.
Incidents involving Australian players in Ireland that led to the cancellation of the 2007 series have prompted suggestions the competition has soured in recent years but Jakovich said it was great to have the concept revived.
"Anything that enables AFL players to represent their country gets the thumbs up from me."
Ticketing information:
MCG, Melbourne – October 31
Pre-sale opportunity for West Coast members:
Get the best seat in the house!
All West Coast Members can buy tickets for this match before the general public.
Member’s tickets go on sale August 21 – August 24.
Members will simply need to quote their membership number or show their membership card when booking.
