Five Mayo women named in Irish squad for historic clash
Big Mayo representation on Irish team to play Australia
MAYO have five players in the Irish squad for the upcoming AFLW international clash with Australia. The much-anticipated clash will take place at North Sydney Oval on August 1 and Ireland will field a squad of 26, selected from the 46 Irish players on AFLW club squads.
The match will be played under Australian football rules using a Sherrin ball. Both teams will be allowed to use their full squads. There will be 16 players each on the pitch with an extended interchange bench of nine.Former Carnacon, Mayo and Great Western Sydney Giants player Cora Staunton, the first Irish player to line out in the AFLW, is the chair of selectors for the Irish team.
Five Mayo women will wear the Irish jersey on the big day. Sarah Rowe (Collingwood) from Kilmoremoy, Moy Davitts duo Grace and Niamh Kelly (Adelaide), Rachel Kearns (Geelong) from MacHale Rovers and Kiltimagh's Dayna Finn (Carlton) have been named on the Irish squad.
The squad also includes numerous All-Ireland winners, namely Cork's Erika O'Shea (North Melbourne), Kerry's Kayleigh Cronin (Adelaide) and Paris McCarthy (Sydney), Meath's Orlagh Lally (Fremantle) and Vikki Wall (North Melbourne), and Dublin's Jen Dunne (Brisbane) and Sinead Goldrick (Melbourne).Players were not eligible for selection if they had not yet played an AFLW game. The Irish team will be coached by former Tipperary and Sydney Swans player Colin O'Riordan, who is senior coach for the Swans' AFLW team. Tadhg Kennelly, the former Kerry and Swans footballer, now head coach at the GWS Giants academy, will assist O'Riordan along with Leitrim and Fremantle player Áine Tighe, who is on the inactive list, and Brisbane's Craig Starcevich and Geelong's Elise Coventry.
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"It's always a great honour to represent your country and it's extra special for this group to be the first to represent Ireland in an international game of Australian Rules football," O'Riordan said. "From premiership players to All-Australians and club best and fairest winners, our players have already accomplished and contributed so much to the game, in addition to successful careers in other codes. "We're confident we've selected a team that will match it with the best Australian players. We have incredible competitors throughout the squad who are determined to represent Ireland and the Tricolour with immense pride."
Irish AFLW squad
Blaithin Bogue (North Melbourne, Fermanagh); Amy Boyle-Carr (Adelaide, Donegal); Kayleigh Cronin (Adelaide, Kerry); Neasa Dooley (Brisbane, Kildare); Jen Dunne (Brisbane, Dublin); Dayna Finn (Carlton, Mayo); Erone Fitzpatrick (Carlton, Laois); Amy Gavin Mangan (North Melbourne, Offaly); Sinead Goldrick (Melbourne, Dublin); Rachel Kearns (Geelong, Mayo); Grace Kelly (Adelaide, Mayo); Niamh Kelly (Adelaide, Mayo); Tanya Kennedy (Sydney, Donegal); Orlagh Lally (Fremantle, Meath); Niamh Martin (Hawthorn, Tipperary); Aisling McCarthy (Fremantle, Tipperary); Paris McCarthy (Sydney, Kerry); Aine McDonagh (Hawthorn, Galway); Niamh McLaughlin (Gold Coast, Donegal); Aishling Moloney (Geelong, Tipperary); Eilish O'Dowd (GWS, Leitrim); Orla O'Dwyer (Brisbane, Tipperary); Erika O'Shea (North Melbourne, Cork); Sarah Rowe (Collingwood, Mayo); Vikki Wall (North Melbourne, Meath)