Strong Irish interest as AFLW season gets underway

August 31, 2023

Orla O'Dwyer celebrates with the AFLW Premiership trophy.

There will be plenty of Irish interest in the new AFLW season which gets underway tomorrow.

A 30-strong Irish contingent will be involved in the AFLW, which is entering its eighth season, including Jennifer Dunne who linked up the Brisbane Lions just three days after winning her fourth All-Ireland ladies football medal with Dublin earlier this month. She joins Tipperary’s Orla O’Dwyer, who won the Premiership with Lions in 2021.

Armagh’s Blaithin Mackin, who scored the opening goal for Melbourne in their 2022 AFLW final victory over the Lions when Dublin’s Sinead Goldrick was also to the fore, will be joined by her sister Aimee at the Demons. A notable Irish absentee will be Cora Staunton, who called time on her AFLW career with the Giants earlier this year.

The Mayo legend was the first Irish female player to make the move to Australia back in 2017 and became the Giants’ all-time leading scorer in a successful career Down Under.

There will be 10 rounds of games involving 16 teams with the top eight qualifying for the playoffs. The Grand Final is scheduled for December 3 and TG4 will once again have a highlights show every Saturday morning.

 


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