O'Dowd & Tighe link up with Ireland squad for historic AFLW international
Leitrim duo involved with Ireland team for historic NAB AFLW Australia v Ireland match at North Sydney Oval on Saturday, August 1
Leitrim’s Eilish O’Dowd and Aine Tighe will both be involved with the Ireland squad for the first professional international women’s Australian Rules Football match after the Irish squad was revealed ahead of the historic clash.
An All-Ireland LGFA SFC winner with Dublin, Ballinamore’s Eilish O’Dowd has been selected on the 25 strong squad which features nine All-Australian representatives, five premiership players, three club best and fairest winners and a club captain
Aine Tighe, who misses the game after being placed on Fremantle’s inactive list for the entire 2026 campaign after experiencing pain in her recently reconstructed knee, has been named on Ireland’s coaching panel having taken up a coaching role with Freemantle as she recuperates from her injury.
Tighe will be a member of a team under Ireland head coach Colin O’Riordan, a Munster SFC winner with Tipperary in 2020, while former Kerry All-Ireland winner Tadhg Kennelly, who is an academy coach at O’Dowd’s GWS Giants, is also on the coaching ticket alongside two-time Brisbane Lions AFLW premiership coach Craig Starcevich and Geelong assistant coach Elise Coventry.
Cora Staunton, who was the first Irish player recruited to the AFLW, has been appointed chair of selectors following a decorated cross-code career, which included 50 AFLW games for the GWS Giants.
Ireland will face Australia in the historic NAB AFLW Australia v Ireland match at North Sydney Oval on Saturday, August 1, with Ireland’s squad packed with players who have won titles at home and in Australia. All-Australian representatives Orla O'Dwyer, Dayna Finn, Niamh Kelly, Aisling McCarthy, Aine McDonagh and Aishling Moloney were aselected in the initial squad announcement, along with two-time North Melbourne premiership player Erika O'Shea and Collingwood trailblazer Sarah Rowe.
Among the additions to the Ireland squad are Gold Coast Suns co-captain Niamh McLaughlin, North Melbourne premiership teammates Blaithin Bogue and Vikki Wall, Brisbane Lions' All-Australian Jennifer Dunne and Melbourne premiership defender Sinead Goldrick. The strong connection within the Ireland team will be bolstered by the inclusion of a sister pairing, with Grace Kelly set to line up alongside younger sibling and Adelaide Crows teammate Niamh.
O'Riordan, who played played 34 AFL games for the Swans from 2016 to 2022, before becoming the first Irish-born senior coach in AFL/ AFLW history, said “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. 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."
NAB AFLW Australia v Ireland will bring together some of the competition's biggest stars and emerging talent to celebrate the continued growth of women's football and the strong connection between AFLW and Ireland. The match will be played under Australian Football rules, using a classic Sherrin football, and will mark the first AFLW representative fixture since the one-off contest between Victoria and the Allies in 2017.
Tickets for the 2026 NAB AFLW Australia v Ireland match are on sale from Wednesday, June 24 via Ticketmaster. Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for youth (aged 15-17), $5 for children (14 and under), while a family of four can attend for $50. The match will start at 4.15pm AEST on Saturday, August 1 and will be broadcast live nationally on Fox Footy, Kayo Sports, Kayo Freebies and Binge.
For more information, visit AUSVIRL.AFL.
Ireland squad
- Blaithin Bogue AFLW Club: North Melbourne; County: Fermanagh
- Amy Boyle-Carr AFLW Club: Adelaide Crows; County: Donegal
- Kayleigh Cronin AFLW Club: Adelaide Crows; County: Kerry
- Neasa Dooley AFLW Club: Brisbane Lions; County: Kildare
- Jennifer Dunne AFLW Club: Brisbane Lions; County: Dublin
- Dayna Finn AFLW Club: Carlton; County: Mayo
- Erone Fitzpatrick AFLW Club: Carlton; County: Laois
- Amy Gavin Mangan AFLW Club: North Melbourne; County: Offaly
- Sinead Goldrick AFLW Club: Melbourne; County: Dublin
- Rachel Kearns AFLW Club: Geelong Cats; County: Mayo
- Grace Kelly AFLW Club: Adelaide Crows; County: Mayo
- Niamh Kelly AFLW Club: Adelaide Crows; County: Mayo
- Tanya Kennedy AFLW Club: Sydney Swans; County: Donegal
- Orlagh Lally AFLW Club: Fremantle; County: Meath
- Niamh Martin AFLW Club: Hawthorn; County: Tipperary
- Aisling McCarthy AFLW Club: Fremantle; County: Tipperary
- Paris McCarthy AFLW Club: Sydney Swans; County: Kerry
- Aine McDonagh AFLW Club: Hawthorn; County: Galway
- Niamh McLaughlin AFLW Club: Gold Coast SUNS; County: Donegal
- Aishling Moloney AFLW Club: Geelong Cats; County: Tipperary
- Eilish O'Dowd AFLW Club: GWS Giants; County: Leitrim
- Orla O'Dwyer AFLW Club: Brisbane Lions; County: Tipperary
- Erika O'Shea AFLW Club: North Melbourne; County: Cork
- Sarah Rowe AFLW Club: Collingwood; County: Mayo
- Vikki Wall AFLW Club: North Melbourne; County: Meath