Get to know AFLW’s fresh faces from the Emerald Isle
LÁ Fhéile Pádraig Daoibh! Or for those of you not familiar with Gaelic, happy St Patrick’s Day! Today is St Patrick’s Day, the national day of the Republic of Ireland, and to celebrate, let us take a look at the latest AFLW coups from the Emerald Isle set to grace our footy fields in 2023.
It has been a big few days for new Irish signings, with four fresh faces as confirmed and plenty more on their way.
The first announcement was made by Brisbane, with Dublin star Jennifer Dunne set to trade the blue of the Dubs for the blue, gold and maroon of the Lions.
Dunne is a big name in the Dublin side and has been a staple there for some time, so her signing is a huge one for the Lions.
Dunne is not the first Dublin star to make the trek out to AFLW, with Brisbane no doubt hoping Dunne can emulate the feats in AFLW of the likes of fellow former Dub, Sinead Goldrick.
The next signings were out of Sydney, with the Swans announcing that they will be signing three new Irish players.
Paris McCarthy is out of Kerry, and is already a dual code athlete playing both Gaelic footy and basketball. She may be young but has already achieved a lot, not only making the All Ireland Final last year with Kerry, but also playing college basketball for East Tennessee State University on a scholarship.
McCarthy will have a familiar face out on the track at the Swans, with Kerry teammate Julie O’Sullivan also signing with the Swans.
The third Swans signing is Jennifer Higgins. Higgins is from County Roscommon and is a well experienced Gaelic star with over 130 senior appearances to her name.
As exciting as the four new Irish signings are, they may not be the extent of the international AFLW recruits
Carlton is expected to announce the signing of Mayo dual code star Dayna Finn and Laois’ Erone Fitzpatrick in the coming days, with as many as four other Irish stars potentially on their way over before the start of season 2023.
AFLW fans have already seen what flair and speed the Irish players have brought to the AFLW, so fans of more clubs can get excited by the potential that these new stars can bring to the competition.
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