LEADING LADIES GAELIC football players have warned of the “threat” of the Australian Football League Women’s [AFLW] as the Irish exodus continues.
There are currently 40 Irish stars on lists ahead of the 2025 AFLW season, with that number set to rise in the coming weeks.
Some of the biggest names in inter-county ladies football have made the move to Aussie Rules in recent years, including Dublin and Meath All-Ireland winners Sinéad Goldrick and Vikki Wall, and Armagh and Tipperary sharpshooters Aimee Mackin and Aishling Moloney.
A record high of 33 Irish players featured in the Australian league last season, with Wall, among a quartet that helped North Melbourne to Premiership glory.
The scheduling of the AFLW season and the ladies football championship has previously allowed players to participate in both competitions. While some split their commitments, others opted to focus solely on the oval ball.
With the AFLW season moving towards earlier start dates, Irish stars may now be faced with a difficult choice. The 2025 campaign will begin the week of 11 August, just days after the LGFA All-Ireland final, on Sunday 3 August. Pre-season gets underway in May, with most new players expected to report to duty then, and in turn, miss the business end of the ladies football year.
Dublin captain Carla Rowe, Kerry’s Síofra O’Shea and Nicola Ward of Galway all addressed the situation at yesterday’s 2025 Lidl Ladies National Football league launch.
“Look, I understand the opportunity, can see the want for players to go over,” said Rowe. “Players are getting that experience of a professional/semi-professional sport, they are not juggling work and training in the evenings, even the cost that comes with playing inter-county is probably a big factor for young girls.
“But it is going to have an impact on our game and that is where my worry is with it, because their season is now encroaching on our season.
“It was fine when it was county season and Australia had their season, but now the AFL have the numbers and the backing, they can now move the season, which they have done. And that will make our players make choices, and that is not nice for players.
“We have Jen Dunne over there and we will wait and give time but you don’t want someone to make a choice, they don’t want to make a choice but that is what it is coming down to.”
While Goldrick has been in and out of the Dublin panel of late, Dunne has balanced both since signing for Brisbane Lions in 2023. Grace Kós is another from the capital to have made the move this winter, the Kilmacud Crokes youngster joining Greater Western Sydney Giants.
Rowe herself was offered an AFLW trial days before the 2019 All-Ireland final against Galway, but has “no regrets” since turning it down. She has happily thrown her lot in with Dublin, though fears that rising numbers will have a detrimental effect on the quality of the championship here.
“You would be foolish to say that you are not worried because at this point, they have so many players and so much backing, and it is the top players on every single team that are going over. And we just don’t want that, don’t want it in senior, don’t want it in intermediate or in junior.
“I don’t know what the solution is to that challenge but maybe it is something we need to have a conversation around to lessen the impact, because we don’t want that, we don’t want the standard after so many years of work, dropping.”
Like Rowe, O’Shea and Ward are somewhat conflicted. All-Ireland champions Kerry are in the spotlight after the headline capture of Kayleigh Cronin.
The star defender signed for Adelaide Crows in December. Cronin is training with the Kingdom currently, but like Rowe with Dunne, O’Shea is uncertain on what the future holds for her team-mate.
Asked by The 42 how she views the AFLW — an opportunity for players or a threat for the LGFA — O’Shea said:
“I suppose it’s a bit of both. It’s a threat if the seasons start clashing. There’s talks of the AFLW season expanding and, if the dates start clashing then that is a threat if players start to choose AFLW over LGFA.
“When players are playing both I suppose it’s a big opportunity and, they get to train and play in a professional environment and that can only improve them and then when they come back to their county teams they’re improving everyone around them but, you know, if the seasons start clashing and choices have to be made, it’s going to be tough for both the players and then the LGFA in general as well.”
2024 LGFA Players’ Player of the Year Ward also sees it as a double-edged sword.
“I know I’d be disappointed if a top player was taken from my team, but I think it’s a great opportunity for the girls over in the AFLW to get a different perspective,” the Galway defender said.
“It’s a professional sport, I think it’s a great opportunity for them. But I know from my own perspective, if a top player was taken from my team, I wouldn’t be happy.
“The main driver for me anyway would be winning senior final, so I think maybe a lot of girls are in the same boat and feel there’s unfinished business there before they think of doing anything else.”
Division 4 of the Lidl National League commences next Sunday 19 January, while Kerry v Armagh on Saturday 25 January, will be the first of 13 live TG4 fixtures throughout the 2025 Lidl National League campaign. Read more>
The GAA thing to do would be to double down and force the women to choose between the 2 sports but I think the world and it’s mother knows there is no real choice. Unless you’ve a good job and settled her the opportunity, especially for young people, to go and get paid to play sport in good facilities,in great weather is a no brainer.
I hope they look at compromises because if you keep removing good players from the competition it won’t improve the standard or the product