KEVIN Sheedy may no longer be coaching the Australian International Rules team, but he has still succeeded in imposing his controversial personality on this year's series which heads for the second Test in Melbourne on Friday night with Ireland holding a slender one-point lead.

Having dubbed Sean Boylan a 'leprechaun' last week, Sheedy has now alleged that Irish players kicked the Australians during the controversial 2005 and '06 games which almost led to the abandonment of the entire series. He also defends the tackle by Danyle Pearce which left Graham Geraghty unconscious and headed for hospital after taking a dangerous hit during the second Test in Croke Park in '06.

Henchman

"Pearce tackled one of their players, their henchman, a bit of a Gaelic version of Leigh Matthews. There was nothing wrong with Danyle's tackle but the Irishman was knocked unconscious when his head hit the ground and he was taken from the field on a stretcher," he writes in his autobiography 'Stand Your Ground' which hit Melbourne book stores yesterday afternoon.

Matthews was one of the AFL's most famous players, whom Sheedy likens to Geraghty. The former Australian and Essendon coach also accuses the Irish players of having been involved in skulduggery in various games.

It comes at a time when relations between the GAA and the AFL have returned to cordial territory after extensive negotiations saved the series from extinction.

While Sheedy, who is of Irish extraction, argues that the International Rules games have been good for both countries and acknowledges that managing Australia was the best part of the later stages of his coaching career, his portrayal of Irish players as the aggressors will come as an embarrassment to the AFL as they strive to distance themselves from the '06 horror show in Croke Park.

He describes the atmosphere in Croke Park after Geraghty was stretchered off was like nothing he had ever experienced in a lifetime of coach.

"The tension was amazing. There was only a small number of Australians in Croke Park amid all these very angry Irish people. I had never comes across anything like it. Later, there were lots of crisis meetings going on all over the place between Irish and Australian officials and the series was called off in '07."

Referring to Chris Johnson's shocking tackle on Philip Jordan during the second Test in Melbourne in '05, he writes that it "created the biggest brawl of all time".

"Nothing like what Chris did had ever happened in Gaelic football. They didn't play their game like that," he writes, in what may be an attempt at sarcasm before going on to defend Johnson.

"Chris was suspended but, in his defence, a lot of Irish players had been ankle-tackling and raking our players with their feet. I think it's safe to say that as far as our players were concerned they didn't mind if they were punched but they took umbrage at being kicked. For Australian footballers, being kicked is a bit like someone coming to your party and knocking over your barbecue. You just don't do it," he added.

Despite controversies, Sheedy was convinced that the series would survive because it was good for both associations and is delighted to see it back this year as part of the AFL's 150th anniversary celebrations.

He reveals that he was keen to bring Down's Martin Clarke to Essendon but was turned down by the club because if would have cost AUS$20,000. Clarke moved to Collingwood instead.

In an interesting coincidence, on the day that Sheedy's book was launched where he accuses Irish players of kicking opponents, Tadhg Kennelly offered a revealing insight into the contrasting psyches of the two countries.

Commenting on the nastier end of various International Rules clashes over the years, he accepts that while Ireland have a case to answer too, one aspect of the Australian approach annoyed him.

"I have no problem if you are a hard Aussie Rules footballer and you do it in Aussie Rules, but if you are not and then you do it in International Rules, I think: what is the reason? My problem is guys who aren't genuinely hard in Aussie Rules but think they can do it against the Irish. But it takes two to tango and we have been just as bad," said Kennelly, a star with Sydney Swans for several years.

He is unable to play for Ireland this year due to injury but has been helping out on an advisory capacity.