Over the weekend Geelong’s Aishling Moloney starred with a haul of six targets in opposition to West Coast, whereas her fellow Irish teammates, defenders Rachel Kearns and Anna-Rose Kennedy, held the fort down again.
It is a sight AFLW followers are rising extra accustomed to seeing: Irish expertise flourishing throughout the AFLW.
Hawthorn’s pleasure machine Aileen Gilroy admitted she could not kick a Sherrin when she first arrived on Australian shores in 2020 to play for North Melbourne.
Now, you’d suppose she could be in competition for an All Australian blazer after the season she’s had.
And one of many newest newcomers from Gaelic soccer, GWS’ Eilish O’Dowd began her AFLW profession with the quickest purpose in competitors historical past this season.
She scored in simply 12 seconds within the Giants’ opening match of the season — a second that made the nationwide information again in Eire.
They’re a part of a contingent of 36 Irish gamers throughout golf equipment within the AFLW. However how are they shaping the competitors? And why do they need to come?
The attraction of enjoying in Australia
The primary draw card for Irish gamers to return over is the professionalism of AFLW, as Gaelic soccer continues to be newbie, each for the lads’s and ladies’s competitions.
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O’Dowd stated they put in the identical hours and work dedication within the Irish competitors, however do not receives a commission or are in a position to have elite skilled existence.
She’d been following lots of the Irish gamers who’d made the change on social media — together with Fremantle’s Aine Tighe who she grew up 10 minutes down the highway from and Brisbane’s Jennifer Dunne who she performed with at Dublin Women — and located their set-ups in Australia fairly engaging.
“I am a trainer again at dwelling and usually I would do like, my 9 to a few or 4 educating, after which come dwelling, have dinner after which prepare for coaching,” stated O’Dowd.
“And that is your complete day. And also you’d type of repeat [that every day] … so it is beautiful to have the ability to get up and going to work is coaching and enjoying with the ladies.”
Gilroy echoed that it wasn’t simply concerning the pay cheque however the skilled environments AFLW afforded in comparison with Gaelic.
“We do not get that at dwelling. Like, we do not have, you already know, medical doctors, physios on the prepared for you,” Gilroy stated.
“So to return out right here and have the ability to be a full-time athlete is an enormous alternative.”
Nonetheless, O’Dowd stated there was combined emotions again dwelling concerning the inflow of Irish gamers within the AFLW, significantly because the Irish home competitors has misplaced lots of prime gamers to Australia.
“Some persons are actually supportive of Irish gamers coming over, as a result of it is a skilled set-up and also you’re attending to expertise the skilled athlete life and to develop your self as a footballer,” O’Dowd stated.
“However then there are some that may be in opposition to it, that you just’re not persevering with to play Gaelic soccer on your membership and your county … So, there’s combined opinions about it.”
Injecting the sport with ‘attacking aptitude’
The inflow of Irish expertise has elevated from only one participant within the inaugural 2017 AFLW season to now 36 gamers in 2024.
4 of those gamers are on Geelong’s listing, after Kate Kenny joined Moloney, Kearns and Kennedy this 12 months.
Cats AFLW operations and recruiting supervisor Ben Waller stated they naturally play with “such attacking aptitude”, which brings lots of vitality to the sport of AFLW.
“Issues that for them are simply so pure of their recreation, that they have been enjoying since they had been younger, they’re in a position to carry that talent set into AFLW and it has an actual influence,” Waller stated.
He added that AFLW has much more physicality, whereas Gaelic utilises much more uncontested possessions and run and carry.
For instance, Rachel Kearns, who he stated began in Australia “as a chaotic half-forward” has now discovered a house at half-back, the place she will be able to utilise her working assault.
Geelong are beginning to use the working energy of Anna-Rose Kennedy and her fellow Gaelic soccer converts as they study the sport in Australia. (Getty Pictures: AFL Photographs/Michael Willson)
“And now Anna-Rose Kennedy’s studying that position as nicely. So I feel they have been in a position to match into our techniques and constructions rather well, however from their very own distinctive talent set, which actually provides to the sport,” stated Waller.
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A purpose for this, Irish AFLW expertise ID and elite abilities coach Mike Currane defined the AFLW is extra ‘stop-start’ and congested — because of the nature of stoppages and sure recreation kinds or plans — whereas Gaelic is extra free-flowing.
“Gaelic the sport is extra fluid and fixed and the Irish gamers pure instincts will all the time be to play on and transfer the ball quicker,” Currane stated.
“Step and go and use their pure agility and velocity as you see so usually with the likes of Niamh Kelly, Niamh McLaughlin, and even a number of the taller gamers like O’Dowd and Moloney.”
With AFLW being much more tactical and recreation plan based mostly, Currane stated you’ll usually hear the Irish gamers initially pissed off that the play would not change to the open facet or to house extra usually.
That’s as a result of their pure intuition could be to modify and get the ball away from congestion, as a substitute of enjoying again into visitors and contests.
Nonetheless Waller added this extra free-flowing intuition is also why Irish gamers are extra prepared to “have a ping” at purpose. He stated in Australia there is a stress utilized to having a shot at purpose and lacking, ranging from while you decide up a ball as a child.
“Whereas they appear to have such a freedom in terms of scoring. I do know they chortle about it typically that they can not consider you really get a degree for lacking,” Waller stated.
“However they only do not appear to really feel that very same stress … they usually’re prepared simply to have a ping.”
The push for an Worldwide Guidelines sequence
When Collingwood star Sarah Rowe threw her assist behind an Worldwide Guidelines sequence, much like what the lads’s competitors held in 2017, she stated the Gaelic affect of AFLW could be on full present.
“Hopefully that involves fruition,” Rowe stated on AFL.com.au’s podcast Tagged, whether or not it was the AFLW All Australian facet in opposition to the Irish stars within the Australian competitors or a brand new staff created out of Gaelic gamers again in Eire.
“I do know for a reality if us Irish gamers performed in opposition to the Australian gamers we might play the sport in another way.
“We’d attempt to play it much more uncontested, we would transfer the ball, we would not play the mark, we might need to transfer the ball actually shortly like we do in Gaelic soccer.”
Eilish O’Dowd helped Dublin win the ladies’s All-Eire title final 12 months — as an AFLW convert she says she would like to see an Worldwide Guidelines Collection. (Getty Pictures: Sportsfile/Piaras Ó Mídheach)
O’Dowd agreed: “I would be positively thinking about that. I feel it might be wonderful.
“While you have a look at all of the Irish gamers, we now have a superb combine of some midfielders, wingers, again types, so we most likely would have a powerful facet. So, it will be actually fascinating to do, particularly if the numbers are as excessive as they’re.”
Solar, sand and occasional: the added advantages
There are added advantages, which assist being so far-off from dwelling. For O’Dowd, it is the solar and sea, dwelling proper beside the seashore at Bondi. And for Geelong’s slew of Irish expertise, the espresso.
Waller joked earlier than their Irish recruits come over, earlier than they need to get to the membership, they’re “hanging out” for an Australian brew.
“All of us do take slightly satisfaction in that espresso,” he stated.
However greater than something, it is the assist from the gang that helps with homesickness.
For Gilroy’s fiftieth recreation this 12 months in opposition to Collingwood in week two, she stated there have been about 25-30 folks there in assist of her, Irish flags in tow.
“That is actually particular so far-off from dwelling. And to have the ability to have that impact on the opposite facet of the world, it isn’t even the nation, the opposite facet of the world is huge,” Gilroy stated.
“You’ve a lot satisfaction as nicely while you see, since you’re similar to, you simply keep in mind the place you got here from and what you’ve got finished.”
