25-player Ireland squad named for AFLW clash with Australia

Ireland will be coached by Colin O'Riordan along with Tadhg Kennelly and Áine Tighe

Erika O'Shea (North Melbourne) and Carla Rowe (Collingwood) are both part of the Irish squad for the AFLW game against Australia on August 1. Pic: AFL Photos

The full Irish squad for the AFLW international clash with Australia has been confirmed. It features 25 of the 46 Irish players on AFLW lists. 

The game will be played at 7:15am Irish time on August 1 at the North Sydney Oval 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.

The squad 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. An ACL injury ruled out Kerry native Julie O'Sullivan, who plays for Sydney Swans, while Down's Clara Fitzpatrick, who plays for Gold Coast, and Offaly's Kate Kenny, who is on the books at Geelong, were unlucky to miss out.

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. Former Mayo and GWS player Cora Staunton, the first Irish player to line out in the AFLW, is the chair of selectors for the Irish team. 

Australia will be coached by Darren Crocker. They have so far named eight players, including reigning best and fairest winner Ash Riddell. 

"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."

Ireland 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)

Australia AFLW squad

Kate Hore (Melbourne); Georgie Prespakis (Geelong); Courtney Hodder (Brisbane); Jasmine Garner (North Melbourne); Ash Riddell (North Melbourne); Monique Conti (Richmond); Matilda Scholz (Port Adelaide); Zippy Fish (Sydney)