Irish in AFLW: McCarthy shines, Cora reaches 50, but injury for Kearns 

Evergreen Cora Staunton's three goals put her second on the all-time AFLW scoring list

CORA THE SCORER: Cora Staunton (left) and Brodee Mowbray of the Giants celebrate during the 2022 S7 AFLW Round 01 match between the Western Bulldogs and the GWS Giants at Ikon Park on August 28, 2022 in Melbourne,  (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

It was a mixed weekend for the Irish in the AFLW. Tipperary's Aisling McCarthy shone on her debut for the West Coast Eagles, Cora Staunton scored three goals in defeat to reach 50 in the competition, but Rachel Kearns suffered a serious AC joint injury after a heavy tackle playing for Geelong Cats.

The evergreen Staunton's three goals put her second on the all-time AFLW scoring list, but couldn't prevent the GWS Giants from slumping to a 41-34 defeat by the Western Bulldogs.

McCarthy scored one goal, had 18 disposals, six clearances and two marks in a 40-28 victory over Port Adelaide for the West Coast Eagles.

Her fellow Tipp woman Orla O'Dwyer took last year's fine form into a new campaign as she scored two goals for the Brisbane Lions in a 76-27 demolition of Fremantle Dockers.

Vikki Wall and Erika O'Shea both impressed as they teamed up together for the first time for North Melbourne Kangaroos in a 40-14 hammering of Gold Coast Suns.

But there was pain for Mayo footballer and Galway WFC soccer star Kearns, who had to be given pain relief on the pitch after landing heavily on her shoulder after a tackle by Richmond's Beth Lynch. After the low-scoring 15-11 win for Geelong, the club confirmed Kearns had suffered a "serious left AC joint injury".