OVER the six seasons of AFLW’s existence, we have seen a number of Irish players come to Australia and make their mark in the competition.

One of the more recent arrivals in the AFLW is Brisbane’s Orla O’Dwyer, who may just be having a breakout season in 2022.

The 23 year old is originally from County Tipperary in southern Ireland. Not only is she a premiership Lion, but she has also been a multi-code star back home since she was a teenager.

In Gaelic football, she won an Under 18 All Ireland (equivalent of a premiership here in Australia) B Final with Tipperary in 2015 before joining the senior team the following year. She then went on to win three straight league titles with Tipperary and an All Ireland Intermediate Final in 2017.

Not only is she a star in the Gaelic Football circles, but she is also a star at Camogie, which is the female equivalent of hurling but with a few rule changes.

She won All Ireland titles at Under 16 and Under 18 level before joining the Senior side in 2015. She was named captain of that senior side only three years later.

In 2016 she won the player of the match honours at both the Under 18 All Ireland Final and in the Munster Intermediate Final. She also won it against in the senior quarter final in 2018.

With all those achievements behind her, she was signed as a cross code rookie in 2019 and made a statement from her first training session, where she smashed Brisbane’s AFLW 2km time trial record. She made her debut for Brisbane in its Round 1 clash against Adelaide that year and has not missed a game since.

Since her debut, the midfielder has grown and grown as a footballer and was a member of the Lions’ premiership last season. She is also having a fine season in 2022 and some might argue it’s her breakout season.

In 2020, she was only registering an average of 7.6 disposals a game. By the end of the 2021 season, that figure has grown to an average of 13.5 disposals a game. That figure has already increased again in only two games this season, and O’Dwyer is now averaging 20.5 disposals a game.

She is also averaging more clearances per game this season already then in both her previous seasons, which is an absolutely crucial stat to have as a midfielder, and indicative of her inside-outside balance.

In 2020, she was only averaging one clearance a game. By 2021, that figure had risen to 1.3 and in 2022 that figure is already at two, only two games into the season.

Hopefully for Lions fans, O’Dwyer continues this good build up of form and is able to help propel the side into yet another Grand Final and maybe onto yet another premiership.