Christy O'Connor: Player drain to the AFLW an issue not going away anytime soon for the LGFA 

AFLW AN ISSUE NOT GOING AWAY: Kerry's Kayleigh Cronin is one of 39 Irish players in the AFLW. Pic: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

When it emerged last December that Kerry’s Kayleigh Cronin – player of the match in last year’s All-Ireland ladies final – had signed for Adelaide Crows in the AFLW, there were fears that Cronin’s loss could leave Kerry vulnerable in the 2025 championship.

Nobody in Kerry was prepared to look that far ahead at the time because nobody knew what might happen next. Plenty of players who had signed for AFLW clubs played with their county in the championship before departing for Australia, but the matter was going to be complicated this year with the AFLW beginning a fortnight earlier, kicking off next weekend.

Cronin played for Kerry in the National league and proved her worth in the process, being named on the Team of the League after Kerry hammered Armagh in the final. And then Cronin was gone to Adelaide.

The loss of another key player from the game increased the debate as to how much the drain of the AFLW may be effecting the overall standard of the ladies game.

“You would be foolish to say that you are not worried because at this point they (AFLW) have so many players and so much backing,” said Dublin’s Carla Rowe earlier this year. 

“And it is the top players on every single team that are going over.” 

This year will see the highest number of Irish girls playing in the AFLW, 39, five up from last year’s figure of 34. The numbers have been steadily increasing each year but the figures are also slightly inflated through players who emigrated to Australia and graduated to the pro game through the pathway of local football.

Is too much being made of those numbers anyway? Every county sheds players from their squads every year. Kerry did lose Cronin but they also lost a significant chunk of its panel from last year’s All-Ireland winning group.

There are only a tiny proportion of players playing AFLW in comparison to the huge playing numbers right across the board in the ladies game. Still, the game at the elite level is bound to be affected when so many of the top players are being drained out of the system. How would Gaelic football look if up to 30 of the best players in the country were no longer involved?

There is always a fear of a decreasing standard when any game is being stripped of some of its best players. Vikki Wall, Meath’s outstanding player, has been able to play for the county this year (which has been crucial to Meath’s progress to Sunday’s final) before she returns to North Melbourne – where she won an AFLW title last year. Yet Wall’s exceptional talent and experience granted her that dispensation because the majority of players are no longer able – or willing – to combine an AFLW career with a ladies football career.

The issue will become far bigger again if the recruitment drive starts at a younger age, like it does in the men’s game. As it is, the AFLW are always looking to recruit the game’s best players.

It’s hard to blame players for not going. The attractions of a professional lifestyle and playing sport in beautiful weather are huge. More than 5% of players on AFLW lists are now Irish, and the trend suggests growth could continue.

This weekend is all about the All-Ireland finals and the six counties competing on Sunday. Still, the issue around the ladies game and the increasing player drain to the AFLW is not going away anytime soon.