ORLA O’DWYER HAS helped her Brisbane Lions side into another Australian Football League Women’s [AFLW] Grand Final.
The Tipperary multi-sport star played a central role as Brisbane enjoyed a 7.4 (46) to 3.5 (23) win over reigning champions Adelaide Crows in the first preliminary final at Metricon Stadium this morning.
Mayo’s Niamh Kelly and Ailish Considine of Clare were on the losing side, but there was no questioning Brisbane’s dominance on this occasion.
Kelly battled hard among the half forwards, while Considine was absent once more with a hamstring injury. O’Dwyer kicked a behind and impressed overall, as the pair of recent champions and fierce rivals went head-to-head for a coveted Grand Final ticket.
She’s now one of five Irish players still in the running for AFLW glory, with a 2022 Irish Premier guaranteed. North Melbourne (Vikki Wall and Erika O’Shea) and Melbourne (Sinéad Goldrick and Blaithin Mackin) face off in tomorrow’s other preliminary final.
G'day O'Dwyers 👋 https://t.co/xjbDqeN2Ae
— Brisbane Lions AFLW (@lionsaflw) November 18, 2022
Meath All-Ireland winner Wall, Dublin great Goldrick and Armagh star Mackin are all named to start, though Cork youngster O’Shea has been ruled out once again with an eye injury.
O’Shea was officially marked absent by coach Darren Crocker on Thursday; the 20-year-old sustaining the setback in the final round of the regular season and subsequently missing North Melbourne’s elimination and semi-final victories.
Up to that point, O’Shea had excelled through her debut AFLW season and had not missed a match since signing in May. Should the Roos progress to next week’s Grand Final, O’Shea could return to the team.
“Erika’s going okay,” Crocker said yesterday. “She’s not up for selection this week, but she was very, very close.
“We’re just trying to get the tick from her specialist, and then our medical team will come together.
“She’s keen as mustard to get back out there, but she’s not quite there yet.”
“From my understanding she had some bleeding to the back of the eye, which had to be corrected,” he added. “Just so (her specialist) could get into the back of the eye and make sure there’s no long-term damage.
“Now it’s just a matter of giving her time to get past that, without too much exertion.
“Hopefully, she can fully train next week.”
Goldrick and Mackin feature among the half-backs and centres respectively in an unchanged Dees’ team, while Wall is named at half-forward for North.
O’Dwyer is just one of two AFLW winners to have hailed from these shores. She won with Brisbane in 2021, while Considine was successful with Adelaide in 2019 and earlier in 2022. The Crows won their third title in five seasons in April.
22 Irish players in total were involved the seventh season of the league, which culminates in next Sunday’s Grand Final. It will take place at Brighton Homes Arena.
