AUSTRALIA must exploit its physical advantage over Ireland in the Virgin Australia International Rules Series without crossing the line into thuggery, AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan says.
Patrick Dangerfield, Gary Ablett, Nat Fyfe and Rory Sloane headline a star-studded Australian squad that will face the Irish in the two-Test series.
McLachlan is hoping for a bumper crowd of close to 40,000 for the opening encounter at Adelaide Oval on November 12, before the series is decided at Perth's Domain Stadium on November 18.
It's the first Test in Perth since more than 38,000 people saw Australia beat Ireland by 10 points in 2014.
Ireland holds the trophy after a four-point win in a one-off Test in Dublin in 2015.
Games between the two countries have traditionally featured plenty of fiery moments, but McLachlan believes the Australian side can strike the right balance.
"Our guys will play the right style of football, I'm confident of that," McLachlan told reporters in Adelaide on Wednesday.
"It's not like the Irish are shrinking violets.
"There's a physicality advantage that I think we have.
"We have to be very legal and very fair about it.
"We need to be sure we need to exploit that to try and win the game."
McLachlan said there would be "a significant consequence" if players crossed the line and resorted to illegal tactics.
"We've got a team that's here to play proper football," he said.
McLachlan said the series was reviewed annually, but admitted it was unlikely it would be played every year.
To be eligible to be chosen in the Australian squad, players must have been selected in at least one All Australian team.
"The best players like meeting the other great players and spending time with them," he said.
"It's the closest we have to State of Origin these days.
"We will go back to Ireland again, and we're keen to go to New York and play the Irish and go on to Ireland, and those guys get to have great experiences.
"If you look after them well, they want to play together with the best players."
