Australian coach Kevin Sheedy says he has no doubt that Ireland started the aggression towards the visitors in both the first and second Tests of the 2006International Rules series.
Sheedy was hounded by questions from the Irish media - in relation to the first quarter scraps in the second Test - during his post-match conference, after Australia won the series by 30 points and the second test by 38 points at Croke Park on Sunday.
"So you never went to Galway last week and you don't think that Ireland was the aggressors - I think Ireland was the aggressors last week and this week," Sheedy said.
"I think if you actually have a look at the game in the first quarter - minute by minute - and what players were hurt and how they were hurt - I'm pretty sure you'll see some of the Australian players hurt badly and head-butted and obviously kneed in the back on a couple of occasions."
"The tape will tell you the truth and both teams are at fault - by the way in the first quarter - but my suggestion before we ever play is to have a dinner before we play. Set down the rules of the tournament - that's my only suggestion."
Sheedy said 2006 Jim Stynes Medallist Ryan O'Keefe was head-butted during the match, while Matthew Lappin and Campbell Brown both got kneed in 'obviously another accident' from the Irish.
And when asked about O'Keefe being head-butted, Sheedy was straight down the line to the Irish media.
"Did it come up on the screen? Yes or no, because I tell you what, you won't see it - because you get blinded by your passion," Sheedy said.
"Ask him (Ireland coach Sean Boylan) why our player was head-butted, why Lappin was deliberately kneed in the back and the same with Brown - ask him those questions."
Sheedy said the Irish felt aggrieved simply because they was beaten, while he also had a dig at Boylan, when the Ireland manager approached him and called for the match to be called off after the first quarter.
"I couldn't understand him and he walked past me and up and down the ground and I was told I wasn't allowed to move into their area and he was not allowed to move into my area, so I wasn't sure what was going on," Sheedy said.
"My job was to try and find out what was going on in the ground. I don't know Sean Boylan at all. All I know is that he smiles when he wins and he's grumpy when he loses - like most people."
Sheedy said the future of the series was raised again simply because Australia won.
"Every time Australia wins - the series is coming to the end," Sheedy said. "(You're) unbelievable. You're (the Irish) the greatest con men I've ever met."
"If we played the game next week, you'll get 88,000 and except for the first quarter when there would probably be six or seven incidents - and one was an unfortunate one where our recruit of the year (Danyle Pearce) … put a tackle on (Graham) Geraghty - except for that - I don't know whether you'd be upset."
"I thought it was a great tackle … and you tackle a tough player like Geraghty and he's an excellent player and I nearly said last week that Geraghty is the player that I'd love to play for Essendon - and that's my own club team."
"If you're going to be upset and annoyed - try to make sure there is a lot of truth in your annoyance - that's all - otherwise you could embarrass yourself about the way after you see the game - that's all."
Sheedy said the concussion sustained by Geraghty was simply an unfortunate accident.
"Unfortunately the incident with (Graham) Geraghty, which was a tackle by one of our smaller players, Pearce, unfortunately his head hit the ground and if a player's head hits the ground - and it's happened to me in an accident three months ago - you get knocked out," Sheedy said. [/b]
