Seven years ago, AFLW was barely mentioned in Ireland.
As Irish player Orla O’Dwyer notes, excluding the occasional social media clip of a great goal, there was no exposure to the game and limited knowledge of teams and players.
“Now in 2026, most games are broadcast in Ireland over the weekend and there’s a huge fan base,” she says. “It’s completely changed.”
On August 1, North Sydney Oval will host a long-awaited representative football clash between Australia and Ireland, bringing some of the biggest names in AFLW together.
O’Dwyer is among the first eight players to be named for the Ireland squad alongside Dayna Finn, Niamh Kelly, Aisling McCarthy, Aine McDonagh, Aishling Moloney, Erika O’Shea and Sarah Rowe with, with Sydney’s Irish-born AFLW coach Colin O’Riordan to take charge.
Midfielder O’Dwyer – who was the first Irishwoman to sign with the Brisbane Lions and debuted for the club in 2020 – said it was surreal to be selected.
“Most Irish girls probably say it, but to play for your country is like such a huge thing, and to do that in first Ireland v Australia game has been so exciting,” she told this masthead.
“You see how people got around the men’s Origin, and think it’s about time to women do something exciting.”
O’Dwyer was born in Sydney and spent the first year of her life in Australia before travelling back to her parents’ homeland in Ireland.
“So many of the Irish girls have No.1 supporters back home, and they get up at three or 5am to watch games, so there will definitely be a watch party back home,” she joked.
Since the AFLW’s inception in 2017, the presence of Gaelic football cross-coders has skyrocketed, with 46 Irish players in the league. As more Gaelic footballers make the journey to Australia, the league is rapidly being shaped by agility, speed and an attacking style.
Melbourne captain Kate Hore has been selected for the Australian team, and is confident Australia can beat their Irish counterparts.
“I mean, we founded the game. We’ve been playing this game a lot longer than what they have,” she joked.
“They’re great competitors, the Irish girls. Yeah, I don’t know what’s in the water in Ireland, but speed is just like part of their DNA, so yeah, we’re definitely gonna have to be a little bit watchful of that.
“They’ve got some amazing players, but I definitely back in our Aussie girls, and there’s going to be a lot of pride on the line too. It’s going to be a fierce contest.”
Hore joins reigning AFLW best and fairest and dual North Melbourne premiership player Ash Riddell as the first players named for Australia. Monique Conti, Courtney Hodder, Georgie Prespakis, Matilda Scholz and young star Zippy Fish have also been named.
The 2026 AFLW season will bring a raft of changes, as the league finally implements the long-called-for additions of representative footy and double-headers in larger venues.
Hore is also dealing with change. She had shoulder surgery during the off-season, got engaged, and has welcomed a new coach in Tom Wilson – who replaced premiership coach Mick Stinear – to the club.
Stinear departed at the end of last season after his decade-long stint at Melbourne to join Geelong as coach.
While Hore admits change can be daunting, she said Wilson had brought a fresh voice to the Demons, who missed out on a grand final spot last year after losing by 10 points to eventual premiers North Melbourne in a preliminary final.
Following the Australia v Ireland game, Carlton and St Kilda will launch the AFLW season with a double-header at Marvel Stadium featuring the women’s and men’s teams on August 9, with more double-headers to follow during the season.
Hore said it was a “a positive step forward”, noting that the transition from suburban venues to large stadiums would bring AFLW to “that next level of professionalism”, but was disappointed the Demons hadn’t landed a double-header.
”I was sad when we weren’t a part of it this year. I was a bit bummed, just because I feel like we play an exciting brand of footy that people want to come and play … so hopefully we can showcase that next year if we get a game.”
Hore and O’Dwyer want Australia v Ireland to become an annual clash.
“The time of year when it’s played is really exciting too, it’s right before the season starts, there’s already a lot of talk about AFLW, so I feel like it’ll just really take off,” O’Dwyer said.
The remaining players to represent Australia and Ireland will be announced in the coming days, with tickets on sale from Wednesday June 24.
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Hannah Kennelly is an award-winning sports reporter and Formula 1 writer at The Age.Connect via email.From our partners
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