FIVE TO WATCH
Cora Staunton
Club: Greater Western Sydney Giants
County: Mayo
Age: 40
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Still pushing the boundaries. This will be her sixth season in the league and she’s as much a figurehead for GWS Giants as she was for Mayo. Leading goalscorer on the team for the past three seasons — Giants management have set out their stall in preseason to try not to be so reliant on her.
Vicki Wall
Club: North Melbourne
County: Meath
Age: 24
Arguably the biggest transfer in advance of the new season, Vicki Wall has been crucial to Meath’s success over the last two years. The 2021 footballer of the year joins North Melbourne fresh after All-Ireland success, travelling to Australia just five days after the final. Wall is set to be thrown straight into the action as a forward, with her manager Darren Crocker praising her performances in preseason games.
Clara Fitzpatrick
Club: St Kilda
County: Down
Age: 31
The Down defender makes her return to the AFLW after visa issues and injuries seen her kept out of the game for over two years. A return to full fitness has seen her perform well in practice games, with St Kilda looking to strengthen in defence this season, and Fitzpatrick keen to prove that she still has plenty to offer.
Orla O’Dwyer
Club: Brisbane Lions
County: Tipperary
Age: 24
At just 24, O’Dwyer has achieved huge success in Australia, becoming a key midfielder in Brisbane. The Tipperary dual star will look to build on last season’s success as she became the first Irish woman to be named in the AFL Women’s All-Australian team. This season, she will hope to help Brisbane to another AFLW title after tasting premiership success in 2021.
Áine Tighe
Club: Fremantle
County: Leitrim
Age: 30
It has been a difficult journey for the 30-year-old in Australia so far, after two knee ligament knee injuries, Tighe had to wait two years to make her debut in the AFLW. However, last season showed her strong determination to succeed as Tighe became a key player for Fremantle as they reached the semi-finals of the competition. Tighe was not only a rock in defence but got among the scores in an impressive debut season.
CLUB-BY-CLUB
Adelaide Crows
Ailish Considine (Clare): Two-time AFLW champion. Turned 30 last month, this will be her fifth season in the league.
Niamh Kelly (Mayo): In the league since 2020, she moved from West Coast Eagles at the end of last season.
Brisbane Lions
Orla O’Dwyer (Tipperary): see 5 To Watch above
Collingwood
Sarah Rowe (Mayo): All-rounder who has been at Collingwood since 2018. Initially a goalscoring forward, her speed and agility make her a big midfield asset now.
Aisling Sheridan (Cavan): Goalscoring forward entering her fourth season. Won Best First Year Player at Collingwood in 2019 and has gone from strength to strength ever since.
Essendon
Joanne Doonan (Fermanagh): Back for a second stint in the AFLW after her first season with Carlton was cut short because of Covid. Athletic midfielder/forward.
Fremantle Dockers
Orlagh Lally (Meath): First season, came straight over from winning the All-Ireland final. Only just turned 21, will surely take time to settle in.
Amy Mulholland (Armagh): Came through the AFLW draft, having moved to Australia for non-football reasons pre-pandemic. Made a big impression at amateur level as a goalscorer.
Áine Tighe (Leitrim): see 5 To Watch above
Geelong Cats
Rachael Kearns (Mayo): One of only four Irish players to have played intercounty this summer, she is heading into her second season having been Geelong’s first international recruit last term.
Greater Western Sydney Giants
Bríd Stack (Cork): Her first spell with the Giants was cut short due to a serious neck injury but she was ever-present last season and will be a big force in the GWS defence.
Cora Staunton (Mayo): see 5 To Watch above
Hawthorn
Aileen Gilroy (Mayo): Hawthorn pulled off a bit of a coup signing her from North Melbourne in the off-season. Tough defender, she hasn’t missed a game since joining the league in 2019.
Áine McDonagh (Galway): National Cup basketball champion with NUIG Mystics, she heads Down Under for her first season in the AFLW.
Melbourne Demons
Sinead Goldrick (Dublin): Richly-decorated player at club and county level, she has been a stalwart defender for Melbourne since joining at the end of 2019.
Bláithín Mackin (Armagh): Rookie forward who scored in her first ever game of Aussie Rules last week, at the MCG no less.
North Melbourne
Vikki Wall (Meath): see 5 To Watch above
Erika O’Shea (Cork): The youngest Irish player in the AFLW at just 20 years old. Despite her eye-catching pace, it may take a while for her to cope with the physicality of her new sport.
St Kilda
Grace Kelly (Mayo): Sister of Adelaide’s Niamh, she also moved club in the off-season, leaving West Coast Eagles to join St Kilda. Leading scorer last season for her former club.
Clara Fitzpatrick (Down): see 5 To Watch above
West Coast Eagles
Aisling McCarthy (Tipperary): Last season was cut short after she fractured her wrist. Back in harness now, a reliable force in the Eagles midfield playing her fifth AFLW season.
