Vikki Wall and Erika O'Shea's AFLW moves officially confirmed

Meath’s Vikki Wall and Erika O’Shea of Cork are both confirmed signings for AFL side Tasmanian Kangaroos ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

North Melbourne have confirmed the official signings of Cork’s Erika O’Shea and Meath’s Vikki Wall.

As reported in May on these pages, the pair head Down Under to the Tasmanian Kangaroos off the back of strong seasons recently in Ladies Football.

O’Shea has quickly become one of the most exciting young talents in Gaelic football in her first two years playing at senior level and was named as an All-Star last year.

The 19-year-old has shown strong potential in the defensive side of the game in her homeland, Harwood believes her talents can lend themselves to a multitude of positions in AFLW.

"We've been really impressed with the traits and impact Erika has shown with Cork. Her speed, agility and ability to cover the ground stand out, as well as her capacity to find a balance between defending and attacking in Gaelic and we think her attributes will give her scope to play through a variety of positions for us," said the Kangaroo’s AFLW talent and performance manager, Rhys Harwood 

"At just 19 years of age, Erika has plenty of upside and is a player who we feel can grow with us over a period of time. She can’t wait to arrive in Melbourne and begin her journey.

"Erika’s work ethic and drive to get the best out of herself will serve her well as she transitions across to AFLW. To have achieved an All-Star team selection at her age is particularly impressive, and speaks to her level of talent.” 

Speaking to Examiner Sport in May, O’Shea was ‘excited’ by the idea of playing professional sport.

“The idea of being able to play a professional sport at 19 and be the youngest girl to ever go over from Ireland, it really excited me and is something I want to give a go,” said the Macroom native.

“To get the offer, I was over the moon. It is going to be a big leap and it won’t be easy, but it is something I felt I had to do because it was a dream of mine for so long.

She added “The club want me over in June as I haven't had anything to do with Aussie Rules. They want me over as soon as possible for gym work, as well, because I am obviously a bit petite compared to some of the other girls.” 

Wall heads to Melbourne as one of the most athletic Gaelic players to leave these isles. The 24-year-old was part of the Meath side who were defeated by Dublin in Saturday’s Leinster final. Harwood said Wall was a significant addition the squad.

"Vikki is a player we've been keen to get to North Melbourne for a while, and she obviously had a great deal of interest from AFLW clubs. We're delighted that she's committed to playing at North,” Harwood said.

"Vikki is a highly credentialed player whose work-rate and desire set her apart. We've been really impressed with her power and speed, as well as the intensity and physicality she plays with.

"The impact she has on games with Meath is outstanding, her ability to create attacking opportunities and break the game open in Gaelic are significant. She has a number of assets we think will allow her to become a highly impactful player in AFLW.” 

Harwood added “We are delighted to have both Vikki and Erika come into our program, and we can’t wait to work with them over the coming seasons.” 

It is understood that O’Shea does not fly to Melbourne until the latter end of this month, while Wall won’t head out until Meath are knocked out of the All Ireland series.

Earlier this week, the Kangaroos lost their inaugural Irish player has Aileen Gilroy made the last minute shock move to new expansion side, Hawthorn.

The Hawks swooped the Mayo woman after changing her mind about staying at Arden Street over the past weekend and the paper work was lodged to the AFL House headquarters in Melbourne hours before the expansion signing deadline closed at 5am on Monday morning.

Hawthorn AFLW List Manager Mitchell Cashion said Gilroy’s commitment was crucial to the Hawks’ list build.

“Aileen is one of the premier defenders in the AFLW and we’re thrilled to have her in the brown and gold in Season Seven,” said Hawthorn AFLW List Manager Mitchell Cashion.

“She has grown in leaps and bounds since entering the competition as a rookie in 2019 and we can’t wait to see her continue to develop her game under Bec Goddard’s leadership.

“The standards and expectations Aileen provides will be really important to the growth of our group.” 

The AFLW pre-season for 2022 will start on June 13th, while Round 1 of the new season kicks off on weekend August 25th-27th.