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Irish experiment (Australian rules football)

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The Irish Experiment is the popular name for the interest, primarily from VFL/AFL clubs, in bringing Irish sportspeople, particularly Gaelic footballers, to Australia to play Australian rules football professionally.[1][2] The AFL's focus on Gaelic footballers is due to the similarities between the sports.

Jim Stynes immortalised in bronze at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Became the first non-Australian born player to win the prestigious Brownlow Medal in 1991. With 264 AFL games, he has the record for the most of any Irishman. He represented both Australia and Ireland on several occasions.
Zach Tuohy, has played more than 250 AFL games, won an AFL premiership and represented Ireland 4 times.
Tadhg Kennelly became the first Irish AFL premiership player in 2005 and represented Ireland 6 times.
Pearce Hanley played 169 AFL games and represented Ireland twice.
Setanta Ó hAilpín went against the Gaelic Football trend and made a successful conversion from Hurling.
Laura Duryea, the first player to represent Ireland in Australian rules and play in a top-level Australian competition (AFLW), has three Australian Football International Cup Grand Final appearances and two medals.

The Irish Experiment began in the mid-1980s as an informal project of the Melbourne Football Club.[3] Despite its initial success, enthusiasm for the project lapsed until the 2000s, when it again became ongoing,[4][5][6][7] reaching a record level due to globalisation and professionalism in sport; however, it also faced significant challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

The highest-profile product of the experiment to date has been Medal of the Order of Australia and 1991 Brownlow Medal recipient Jim Stynes, who was an early recruit in 1984, during his highly successful career he played more AFL games than any other Irish player. Tadhg Kennelly was the first to win a premiership in 2005.

Over the years, the Irish experiment has attracted media and public interest in both Ireland[4][9][10][11][12] and Australia.[13] As of 2022, five men recruited from Ireland reached 100 AFL games, though the majority have returned having experienced minimal success in Australia. Since 2018 Irish women have become a major source of talent for the professional AFL Women's competition, with almost an entire team's worth of players participating in the 2020 season. To date, a handful of these recruits have experienced accolades, including first premiership player Ailish Considine, first Irish All-Australian Orla O'Dwyer and notable goalkicker Cora Staunton.

History

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One of the first gaelic footballers to convert to Australian rules was Eugene King, who arrived in Australia in 1956 and was invited to train with the Footscray Football Club[14] however he had difficulty with the shape of the ball and did not make the grade.

Australian Football World Tour

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In 1967, Harry Beitzel drew inspiration from watching the 1966 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final on television and formed an Australian side, nicknamed "The Galahs", to play the game against an Irish side. The next year he organised The Australian Football World Tour, a six-match series with games played against Irish teams in Ireland, the United Kingdom and United States of America. What followed was the beginning of regular interaction between the two codes which was to become the hybrid code of International Rules Football.

Beginnings of the Irish Experiment

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Ron Barassi, drawing comparisons between Australian rules football and Gaelic football was of the opinion that Gaelic Footballers could provide a previously untapped pool of potential Australian Rules players.[15] At the time, Australian Rules was, with the introduction of the Sydney Swans, increasing its national focus and emerging from a semi-professional sport to a fully professional one. As a result, wealthy Victorian clubs were scouting the country far and wide for new talent to gain an advantage in the sport's premier competition. In 1982, Barassi (then the Melbourne VFL club coach) and his recruiting team (including Melbourne's Barry Richardson) travelled to Ireland, looking for young, tall, and talented players.[3]

The first recruit was Sean Wight. Wight was part of an Under-19 VFL premiership side just weeks after his arrival from Ireland in 1983 and was widely hailed for his rapid conversion, though others who joined him had much less success.[16] Further advertising resulted in the recruitment of a "tall, skinny lad", Jim Stynes.[3][9] Both Wight and Stynes, still very much learning the game, played together in the club's 1987 night premiership. While Stynes captured the Melbourne reserves best and fairest that year, he also involved in an embarrassing event which cast doubts on the Irish experiment. His lack of understanding of the rules arguably cost Melbourne a berth in the 1987 VFL Grand Final.[17] The infamous Preliminary Final incident in which he ran over the mark before the siren made him and the Irish experiment the focus of Melbourne media. The mistake awarded Hawthorn's Gary Buckenara a 15-metre penalty which resulted in a winning goal to qualify for the Grand Final. Despite the setback, Stynes and Wight were both to improve in the following seasons and become regular senior players.[18]

Wight and Stynes both featured in the 1988 VFL Grand Final. However, despite high expectations, Melbourne was convincingly thrashed by Hawthorn, then the dominant club of the era. However, Stynes was voted best on field for the Demons.

At the end of the 1988 season, Victoria Football Association (VFA) club Prahran enticed Dermot McNicholl, who had starred in two previous International rules series, to move to Melbourne.[19] Two weeks later, St Kilda drafted him with the 99th selection in the 1988 VFL draft. In the same draft, Melbourne recruited two more Irish players, Jim Stynes' brother Brian and Tom Grehan.[20] McNicholl spent the 1989 season playing for Prahran, before injury forced him to miss the first half of the 1990 season, after which he recovered and made his senior debut for St Kilda. He played three senior games[21] before returning to Ireland to complete his university studies.[22]

A much-improved Jim Stynes won the Brownlow Medal in 1991, cementing his place as a future Melbourne and AFL Hall of Famer.[23] However, the rare successes were increasingly seen as "one-offs", and other clubs showed little enthusiasm with the "hit-and-miss" strategy. Melbourne, the trailblazer club, was not translating recruitment into on-field success and was fast losing financial resources that were required to sustain international recruitment. As a result, only a few AFL clubs recruited Gaelic footballers who played at the highest level in the 1990s.[citation needed] It was later Stynes' post-playing career as Melbourne president that helped the club eliminate A$5 million in debt in two years, leaving the club A$400,000 in surplus. The Demons had been in debt for thirty years.[24]

Despite the Melbourne Football Club's enthusiasm for the Irish experiment and early success with some Irish players, the majority of players from the Irish Experiment did not fare as well. Most failed to meet expectations, not make VFL level, and many instead returned home to Ireland. Even the recruitment of Jim Stynes' brother Brian yielded just a handful of unimpressive senior games, and McNicholl returned home after only 3 matches.[25]

With the increasing professionalism of the AFL competition, some clubs continued to speculate about the overseas talent pool. Kevin Sheedy in particular conducted a series of his own experiments with overseas players from various sporting backgrounds but did not include Ireland or Gaelic football. Despite generating media publicity, none of these experiments were ultimately successful, and increasingly sections of the Australian media began to mock the idea of international recruitment.

2000s revival

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The Irish experiment lay dormant for many years until Melbourne once again began to take an interest in it. The Sydney Swans followed with the recruitment of Tadhg Kennelly through its rookie list. Kennelly was an almost overnight success, being nominated for the AFL Rising Star award in his first season and widely hailed by the media. As a result, other clubs began to show a much keener interest in Irish talent.[citation needed]

With access to additional resources, AFL clubs began to spend more time and effort in identifying and training athletic and talented rookies. Collingwood, Carlton and Brisbane in particular began to show an interest and held scouting sessions and tryouts for Irish players.

Carlton soon followed, and its experiments with Setanta and Aisake Ó hAilpín began to bear fruit and attract significant media interest in both Australia and Ireland. These experiments were of particular note, as for the first time a club was looking to other sports than Gaelic football, by identifying talented hurling athletes with the right ingredients to become AFL players.

With Gaelic footballer Colm Begley's rapid conversion at Brisbane and Martin Clarke's successful AFL debut, media commentators hailed a new era for the Irish experiment. During the 2007 AFL season, several AFL clubs began sending talent scouts to Ireland.

In March 2008, it was revealed by the media that the AFL had considered a radical proposal to launch an Irish-dominated team in Sydney's western suburbs, which would perform before an international audience under the Celtic brand name. The "Sydney Celtics" plan was first put to AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou in early 2007 by Gaelic Players Association executive Donal O'Neill. It was said that the proposal originated at the International Rules Series in Ireland in late 2006, where O'Neill put forward a plan to purchase an AFL licence in Sydney. However, the AFL later dismissed it as simple speculation.[26]

By mid-2008, the interest of clubs reached a peak, and Tadhg Kennelly and Jim Stynes spoke out about the increasing recruitment activity. AFL player manager Ricky Nixon set up recruitment networks in Ireland to complement those already in place by clubs such as Collingwood, Carlton and Brisbane.[7] Nickey Brennan, the GAA boss, spoke out against the recruitment activity in June 2008.[10] The AFL and GAA had ongoing discussions about putting limits on the recruitment of players.[11]

Despite the rise of former hurler Setanta Ó hAilpín in the AFL, recruitment interest in Ireland began to wane in mid-2010. Several Irish players cancelled their rookie contracts to return home; others were delisted after brief bouts in the various state leagues.

2010–2015: AFL turns to other sources of talent

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With a media circus surrounding the conversion of professional Australian rugby league players Karmichael Hunt to the Gold Coast Football Club and Israel Folau to the Greater Western Sydney Giants, focus began to shift to other sports, particularly rugby football as a potential source of talent. With the success of Canadian rugby union player Mike Pyke's conversion and many other players transitioning at the junior level, the AFL and commentators began to speculate that professional rugby league players might make an easier transition to the AFL due to coming from a heavy-contact professional sport involving an oval ball.[27] The transition of two highly publicised rugby league players has since proved to be of little success,[28] and the cross-code focus of AFL recruiters has returned to the GAA[29] and expanded to include American professional sportsmen.[30]

In particular, the first AFL International Combine was held in the United States targeting college basketballers and college footballers was particularly successful, eventually producing such AFL-listed Americans as Eric Wallace, Jason Holmes and Mason Cox.[31]

Revival and European Combine 2015–2020

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In 2015, the AFL appointed Tadhg Kennelly, a former player for the Sydney Swans, as its International Talent Manager; and, in addition to the US Combine, Kennelly organised a special European Combine to be held in Dublin. As expected, the large proportion of the turn-out were Gaelic footballers.[32] The two best-performing participants at the combine are then given the opportunity to attend the AFL National Combine. Sean Hurley, Paddy Brophy, Daniel Flynn, Ciarán Byrne, Ciarán Sheehan and Cian Hanley are some notable people who have previously attended the combine.[33]

In 2018, the Irish contingent in the AFL consisted of five senior-listed players and six rookie-listed players.

The 2020 AFL Grand Final featured two players: Zach Tuohy and Mark O'Connor.[34] Both were playing for Geelong but the team lost the game to Richmond.

Damage inflicted by the 2020 Conor McKenna coverage

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On 20 June 2020, Conor McKenna of Essendon tested positive for the highly infectious novel coronavirus disease COVID-19. This resulted in the postponement of the match scheduled for the following day between Essendon and Melbourne.[35] One other player was quarantined due to close contact during training. McKenna had another COVID-19 test on 22 June which was confirmed as negative in the evening of 23 June. He remained in quarantine pending a further test later in the week.[36] During this time McKenna was subjected to an intense trial by media, abuse on social media and became a public villain in the country, treatment which provoked much criticism.[37] On 8 September 2020, McKenna announced his retirement and return to Ireland after 79 games played.[38] Geelong footballer Zach Tuohy described the official and media abuse directed at McKenna as "disgraceful" and "outrageous".[39] In Ireland, it was also suggested "stars of the future that may being [sic] tempted to pursue a life in the AFL Down Under, may reconsider".[40]

List of Irish sportsmen linked with the VFL/AFL

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This list includes any player who at minimum (regardless of whether he ever went to Australia or played actual VFL/AFL matches) meets any one of the following criteria:

a) brought to Australia by an AFL club
b) spent time training with an AFL club
c) played in an AFL club's affiliated state league club or AFL practice match
d) offered an AFL contract by a club
e) listed on an AFL rookie or senior list

Notable players

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The following players from the Irish experiment have either played a VFL/AFL game, or are currently[when?] on an AFL list.

* The first Irish experiment player associated with that club
† Currently on an AFL senior list
‡ Currently on an AFL rookie list
Currently on an AFL senior list
Year linked with AFL Player GAA Initial VFL/AFL club Draft status VFL/AFL debut VFL/AFL matches Notes
1982 Sean Wight Kerry Melbourne* Rookie 1985 150 Melbourne's first Irish recruit. Had a serviceable career at Melbourne.
1983 Paul Earley Roscommon Melbourne 1984 1 Returned to Ireland.
1984 Jim Stynes Dublin Melbourne Rookie 1987 264 Won the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship with Dublin before joining Melbourne and winning the Brownlow Medal in 1991. Inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2003. Still holds the AFL record for consecutive games played. The Jim Stynes Medal, the Australian Player of the Series award in the International Rules Series, is named after him. He was honored with a state funeral in Melbourne when he died in 2012.
1987 Dermot McNicholl Derry St Kilda* 1988 National draft (Pick 99) 1990 3 St Kilda's first Irish player returned to Ireland in 1990 because his university refused to let him defer his course any longer.
1990 Brian Stynes Dublin Melbourne Rookie 1992 2 Younger brother of Jim Stynes.
1999 Tadhg Kennelly Kerry Sydney* 1999 AFL draft (rookie) 2001 197 Sydney's first Irish player was also the first to win an AFL premiership medallion (in 2005 – the Swans' first Premiership in 72 years)[9][41][42] and his much-celebrated AFL career led to renewed interest in Irish recruitment. Took a sabbatical from AFL in a bid to win the 2009 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final with Kerry (his father Tim had won five All-Irelands with Kerry), which he did before returning to Australia and rejoining the Swans in 2010. Also won the 2011 GAA Medal for being Irish Player of the Series in the International Rules Series. He is the first player to have won both the All-Ireland Senior Football Final and the AFL Grand Final.
2004 Setanta Ó hAilpín Cork Carlton 2004 rookie draft 2005 88 Better known as a hurler[5][43][44]
Shifted to Greater Western Sydney in 2012.
2006 Colm Begley Laois Brisbane 2006 AFL draft (rookie) 2006 30 Brisbane's first Irish player made a rapid conversion which stunned the Australian media. Played his first AFL game just weeks after his arrival in Australia, however was eventually delisted by Brisbane but given a second chance by St Kilda[9][45][46][47] Decided to return to Ireland after the 2009 AFL season and was delisted.[48]
2006 Martin Clarke Down Collingwood 2006 rookie draft 2007 73 Clarke was Collingwood's first Irish recruit, and was very successful upon debut in 2007. He returned to play Gaelic football for Down in 2010, and returned to play Australian football for Collingwood in 2012.[49]
2007 Pearce Hanley Mayo Brisbane 2007 rookie draft 2008 169 Promoted to Brisbane's senior list for 2010. Joined Gold Coast for the 2017 season.
2008 Michael Quinn Longford Essendon* 2008 AFL draft (rookie) 2009 8 Essendon's first Irish AFL player[50] Played in the 2009 NAB Cup and debuted in Round 2, 2009 for Essendon. On debut took the record from Martin Clarke for the quickest time to convert between codes.[51]
2008 Zach Tuohy Laois Carlton 2009 AFL draft (rookie) 2011 270 Made his senior debut in 2011. Has enjoyed as successful career including a premiership in 2022.
2008 Niall McKeever Antrim Brisbane 2009 AFL draft (rookie) 2011 22 Trained with Richmond's senior squad in Melbourne. Was also linked to North Melbourne before signing a rookie contract with the Brisbane Lions.[52][53]
2008 Tommy Walsh Kerry St Kilda 2009 AFL draft (rookie) 2012 5 A high-profile talent and who after several offers accepted an invitation to train with St Kilda[54] in Melbourne but withdrew, leaving open the possibility of a future contract with an AFL club. Finally agreed to sign for St Kilda in 2009[52] but didn't play a game. In 2012 he signed with Sydney. In 2014, he decided to return to Ireland.[55]
2009 Jamie O'Reilly Down Richmond* 2009 AFL draft (rookie) 2010 4 Richmond's first Irish signing.[52] Delisted in 2011
2011 Caolan Mooney Down Collingwood* 2012 Rookie draft 2012 6
2013 Ciarán Sheehan Cork Carlton* 2014 Rookie draft 2013 6 The second player to have played for both GAA and AFL teams to win the GAA Medal as Irish Player of the Series in the International Rules Series (2013). Delisted at the end of the 2017 season.
2013 Ciarán Byrne Louth Carlton* 2014 Rookie draft 2014 22 Left at the end of the 2018 season to return to Ireland.
2014 Conor McKenna ‡ Tyrone Essendon* International rookie 2015 105 Left following negative media coverage of his COVID-19 diagnosis, a test which could not be replicated two days later.[56] McKenna immediately resumed his Gaelic football career with Tyrone.[57]
2015 Conor Glass Derry Hawthorn* International rookie 2017 21 First Irishman to play for Hawthorn. Announced decision to depart in September 2020.[58] Resumed his Gaelic football career.[59][60][61][62]
2015 Colin O'Riordan* Tipperary Sydney International rookie 2018 29
2016 Mark O'Connor † Kerry Geelong International rookie 2017 109 Became the second player alongside Zach Tuohy to win an AFL premiership in 2022.
2016 Conor Nash † Meath Hawthorn International rookie 2018 73 Rugby union convert (represented Ireland in junior rugby union)
2016 Darragh Joyce ‡[63] Kilkenny St Kilda International rookie 2018 5 Former hurler
2018 James Madden †[64] Dublin Brisbane International rookie 2021 13
2018 Mark Keane ‡[65] Cork Collingwood International rookie 2019 20 Declared homesickness as a reason to terminate contract and remain in Ireland. Returned to the AFL signing with Adelaide prior to the 2023 AFL season.
2018 Anton Tohill[65] Derry Collingwood International rookie 2019 1 Turned down a one-year extension in 2021 and returned to Ireland to pursue a medical degree[66]
2018 Callum Brown †[67] Derry Greater Western Sydney International rookie 2021 37
2021 Oisín Mullin ‡ Mayo Geelong International rookie 2023 11 [68]
2023 Matt Duffy ‡ Dromard Carlton International rookie – – Ruptured anterior cruciate ligament after signing with Carlton. Expected to be in Australia for the 2025 AFL season.[69]
2023 Rob Monahan ‡ Kerry Carlton International rookie – – [70]
2023 Liam O'Connell ‡ Cork St Kilda International rookie – – [70]
2024 Karl Gallagher ‡ Monaghan Adelaide International rookie – – [71]

Other

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The following players have been connected with a VFL/AFL club, but never played a senior game.

Year linked with AFL Player GAA Initial VFL/AFL club Notes Ref.
1956 Eugene King Footscray
1983 Glenn Earley Melbourne Was not successful. Returned to Ireland.
1985 James Fahy Dublin Melbourne
1988 Tom Grehan Roscommon Melbourne
1989 Niall Buckley Kildare Melbourne
1989 Colin Corkery Cork Carlton*
1989 Colm McManamon Mayo Geelong*
1990 Anthony Tohill Derry Melbourne Broke his leg playing Aussie Rules and returned to Ireland in 1991. [72]
2001 Kevin Devine Dublin Melbourne
2001 Bernie Collins Cork Western Bulldogs
2002 Nicholas Walsh Cavan Melbourne
2002 Declan O'Mahoney Dublin Sydney
2004 Aisake Ó hAilpín Cork Carlton Brother of Setanta, and better known as a hurler. He returned to Ireland in 2009, then returned to Melbourne in 2011, where he played suburban club football. [5]
2005 Seán Cavanagh Tyrone Brisbane [73]
2005 Brendan Quigley Laois Brisbane
2006 Cathal Corr St Kilda Played for Coburg Tigers in the VFL.
2007 Brendan Murphy Carlow Sydney Decided to return to Ireland after injuries hindered his attempt to adapt to the new code. [74]
2007 Kevin Dyas Armagh Collingwood [75]
2007 Michael Shields Cork Carlton [5]
2007 Conor Meredith Laois North Melbourne
2008 Kyle Coney Tyrone Sydney
2008 Brian Donnelly Louth Adelaide
2008 Ian Ryan Limerick Essendon [76][77]
2008 Carl Dias Dublin Adelaide Trialled in Australia by Adelaide but not offered a rookie contract [78]
2008 Chrissy McKaigue Derry Sydney Hurler and footballer offered a rookie contract. Trialled in Australia by Sydney. Signed a rookie contract in September 2009. [79][52]
2008 James Kielt Derry St Kilda Trained with both St Kilda and North Melbourne.[80] [81]
2009 David Moran Kerry St Kilda [52]
2009 Ger Cafferkey Mayo St Kilda [52]
2009 Paul Cribbin Kildare Collingwood Agreed to join the club in 2010[82] [83]
2009 Sean O'Kennedy Donegal Collingwood [52]
2009 James McCarthy Dublin North Melbourne [52]
2009 Barry Reilly Cavan North Melbourne [52]
2010 Paul Cribbin Kildare Collingwood Football Club
2011 John Heslin Westmeath Richmond Returned home, citing homesickness as his reason to pursue a GAA career
2012 Ciarán Kilkenny Dublin Hawthorn Decided for personal reasons to remain in Ireland where he wished to pursue a career with Castleknock and Dublin. [84]
2014 Daniel Flynn Kildare Port Adelaide Returned home citing homesickness
2014 Padraig Lucey Killarney Geelong
2014 Cian Hanley Mayo Brisbane Lions Brother of Pearce Hanley
2015 Sean Hurley Kildare Fremantle
2015 Paddy Brophy Kildare West Coast Eagles
2016 Ray Connellan Westmeath St Kilda Delisted at the end of the 2018 season, then played half a season for Essendon in the VFL [85]
2017 Cillian McDaid Galway Carlton Left at the end of the 2018 season to return to Ireland [86]
2018 Red Óg Murphy Sligo North Melbourne Left at the end of the 2019 season to return to Ireland [87]
2018 Stefan Okunbor Kerry Geelong Contract ended in 2021, returned to play for Kerry.
2019 Luke Towey Sligo Gold Coast [88]
2019 Cian McBride Meath Essendon Delisted [89]
2019 Ross McQuillan[90] Armagh Essendon Prevented by the COVID-19 pandemic from playing in cancelled reserve competition while there. [91]
2020 Deividas Uosis Dingle Brisbane Rookied but not offered a senior contract, delisted 2022
2021 Ultan Kelm Fermanagh Fremantle Hip injury delayed rookie listing until 2022 [92]
2021 Fionn O'Hara Westmeath Hawthorn Learning his craft at Box Hill Hawks [93]

AFLW

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As of 2018/2019 the AFLW was actively recruiting ladies Gaelic footballers[94][95] primarily due to the success of Laura Duryea who originally found success in the sport while travelling in Australia, and recent increase in the success rate of the men's programs.

See also

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Currently on an AFL senior list
Ladies' Gaelic football players in the AFLW
Player Gaelic football AFLW team AFLW debut Notes
Yvonne Bonner Donegal Greater Western Sydney 2019
Ailish Considine Clare Adelaide 2019
Joanne Doonan Fermanagh Carlton 2020
Laura Duryea Cavan Melbourne 2017 First Irish player to play in AFLW. First AFLW player to represent Ireland in Australian rules.
Clara Fitzpatrick Down St Kilda 2020
Kate Flood Louth Fremantle 2019
Aileen Gilroy Mayo North Melbourne 2020
Sinéad Goldrick Dublin Melbourne 2020
Katy Herron Donegal Western Bulldogs 2020
Grace Kelly Mayo West Coast 2020
Niamh Kelly Mayo West Coast 2020
Aisling McCarthy Tipperary Western Bulldogs 2019
Niamh McEvoy Dublin Melbourne 2020
Orla O'Dwyer Tipperary Brisbane 2020
Sarah Rowe Mayo Collingwood 2019
Aishling Sheridan Mayo Collingwood 2019
Mairéad Seoighe Galway North Melbourne
Bríd Stack Cork Greater Western Sydney 2021
Cora Staunton Mayo Greater Western Sydney 2018 First Irish player actively recruited to AFLW[96][97][98]
Áine Tighe Leitrim Fremantle
Bree White London Collingwood 2017

Source:[99][100]


References

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