International Rules Captain Shaun Burgoyne has led Australia to a 10-point victory over Ireland at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
Australia secured the upper hand in the two-match series with a 63-53 win, with Burgoyne part of one of the highlights of the match, setting up teammate Nat Fyfe for Australia’s first goal of the series in the third quarter.
Fellow premiership Hawk Jack Gunston also played a hand in the win as he made his round-ball debut, with the tall utility delivering the ball deep into Australia’s attacking half for West Coast midfielder Luke Shuey to then find the back of the net for the side’s second goal during the final quarter.
Read: Burgoyne named Australian skipper
Australian Coach Chris Scott praised the preparation and performance of the players, who withstood a late fightback from the Irish after leading by 15 points at the final break.
“We only had a short preparation but we were blessed with the squad we were able to put together, and we did invest a fair bit of trust in those guys to help develop the way we wanted to pay, even in that short period of time, and then asked them to deliver,” Scott said post-game.
Australia will next face Ireland in the series’ second and final encounter at Domain Stadium in Perth on Saturday November 18 (4.45pm AWST).