During this weeks edition of our GAA podcast, The Hard Shoulder, presenters and former Meath footballers Anthony Moyles and Niall Kelly discuss the hardest hits and roughest matches they played in throughout their careers.
That led Anthony Moyles to describe the controversial 2006 International Rules series which was marred by a series of injuries and violent incidents.
Moyles said:
I was thinking I could get my jaw broken here tomorrow, there was a fear,
I didn't sleep well for a few nights leading up to it, and thinking anything could happen in this game.
Graham Geraghty was cleared of any wrongdoing in the first match for a knee to the head that ruled out Australia's Lindsay Gilbee. However Geraghty was stretchered off early into the second match at Croke Park after a nasty tackle from Danyle Pearce.
But beyond what appeared to be foul play from a rough Australian team of professionally trained athletes, Moyles mentioned Irish captain Kieran McGeeney's shoulder on Australia's Campbell Brown.
If you want to see a shoulder being executed, it is just from top-drawer.
He hits him and the ball pops up in the air, and I'd say that lad never wants to see Tuam ever again, it was ferocious.
Moyles wasn't lying.
McGeeney walked the walk and also talked the talk if his infamous interview following the second match is anything to go by.
The former Armagh centre-back said:
If you wanna box, say you wanna box and we'll box. If you wanna play football, say you wanna play football and we'll play football.
Ireland lost the series on an aggregate scoreline of 109-79 after the controversial second match finished 69-31 to Australia.
Relive the ill-fated second match as well as McGeeney's interview below.
You can listen further to Anthony Moyles And Niall Kelly discuss the roughest matches of their career and more on this weeks The Hard Shoulder podcast in full below.
