Hayden Ballantyne says wearing the Australian Coat of Arms on his shirt during the International Rules series gave him a genuine thrill.
 
Ballantyne was a late call-up to the squad to replace injured Port Adelaide forward Chad Wingard.
 
The group trained in New York before heading to Ireland for the clash that Australia ultimately lost by four-points to the Irish at Croke Park.
 
“One big buzz was when I got my kit…with the Australian emblem on it,  it felt like I was going to the Olympics,” Ballantyne said.
 
“(With) everyone representing the country and playing with the calibre of players over there, (it) was a great experience and I loved it.

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“Hopefully I get a chance next year.”
 
Ballantyne said it was not just the players he learned from but also the elite coaching panel.
 
“Chris (Scott), Ross (Lyon) and Alastair (Clarkson) all coach in similar ways,” he said.
 
“I learned the coaches aren’t coaching that differently from each other.
 
“I learned a lot from all three.”
 
Ballantyne said the tour had helped keep him in top shape when he returned to the club with the other senior players on Tuesday.
 
 “Luckily enough, I got to train a fair bit over in Ireland and New York, so my fitness levels are good,” he said.
 
“We’ll see how I got in the 3km time trial.”