[8] McGuire stated of the series a need to recapture the prestige associated with playing for Australia; "putting the coat of arms over our hearts again to take on the Irish ... we'll turn this into something special.

[11] The Australian jersey for the test match was announced on 4 October, with the inclusion of the green and gold v-design a significant point of difference from previous designs.

[18][19] Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) president Liam O'Neill announced in April 2014 that former Roscommon footballer Paul Earley would once again serve as manager and coach of the Irish team, joined by a back room team identical to the 2013 series, including Tony Scullion (Derry), Séamus McCarthy (Tipperary), Jarlath Fallon (Galway) and Nicholas Walsh (Cavan/GWS Giants).

Last year's captain Michael Murphy and fellow 2014 All-Ireland finalists with Donegal, Patrick McBrearty and Neil McGee, all returned.

[24][25] It was announced that several rule changes would be made for the 2014 test match so as to accommodate key position Australian players seeking opportunity to compete.

† Niall Morgan and Padraig O'Neill were selected in the Ireland squad, though did not participate in the test match after failing to make the final 23-man team[28]