The Irish international rules team, set to play an Australian side consisting of AFL stars in Perth on Friday, have employed the services of a rugby coach to help them "accept" the notion of being tackled.

The Irish, selected from the country's amateur Gaelic football competition, aren't used to the AFL tackling style employed in the mixed-rules game. Body checking is permitted, but hands can't be laid on an opponent.

It's hoped accepting the tackling concept could prevent some of the violent altercations that have marred previous campaigns.

Many - though, not all - of the scuffles in past series have originated from Irish players reacting angrily to tackles that Australians would view as rough but legitimate.

"We are trying to work and get our minds around this tackle," said Tom Parsons, who, at 20, is the youngest member of Ireland's squad.

"We have to change our mentality. We are not used to it, but we have to be able to take the tackle, get up and get on with it."

To help "get on with it", rugby coach Trevor Brennan was asked to work with the group. They may call it compromise rules in Ireland, but the young Irish squad arrive in Australia with an uncompromising approach.

"We have not won this for a few years, but we are coming there to win," Parsons said. "The game is brilliant. It's fast, there is good movement and big scores. What else could you want?"

For the Irish, the two-Test series, starting at Subiaco Oval, is a meeting of not only different sports and different nations, but of different cultures.

For a first-time tourist such as Parsons, it is difficult even to imagine the salaries commanded by the likes of AFL stars Chris Judd and Jonathan Brown, the hours they devote to training a day or the army of coaches, trainers and sports scientists that keep them in peak condition.

In Ireland, men play for their local teams, knock off work to race to training, give all for their parish, for their county, for the place they've lived their whole lives. The neighbourhood watches and cheers.

While Australian selectors picked from those who made themselves available after a long year, in Ireland selectors held try-outs.