AS AIMEE MACKIN traversed the globe to pursue her Aussie Rules adventure last summer, she was rather apprehensive.
The Armagh star had been on the radar Down Under for quite some time, and she finally followed her younger sister, Blaithin, to Melbourne ahead of the 2023 season.
“When you’re flying over on the plane and you’re passing every other country in the world, you’re like, ‘Where am I going?’” she tells The 42, back on home soil and in the orange jersey for the foreseeable.
“Before it, I forced myself maybe to push myself out of my comfort zone. I’ve always been a home bird. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone in terms of moving away. But I loved the experience. When you get over there, it’s like you’ve known these people all your life.
“They’re all so nice, and they have your interests [at heart] as well. They understand what you’re willing to sacrifice, coming over and trying to learn a new sport. That sort of makes it easier when you have that environment around you.”
Blaithin’s previous experience and the presence of another Irish player in Dublin legend Sinéad Goldrick also helped.
The duo had tasted AFLW glory with Melbourne in 2022, and knew the lay of the land.
“When your sister is there, it sort of makes it that wee bit easier. And Goldie has been there for five years now so she knows the run of it. She was always there to help us if we had any questions. She’s been brilliant. She’s flying over there. You’d swear she was Australian, playing all her life, the way she plays.”
What about her own transition to the oval ball? How does it compare to Gaelic football? “It is very different,” Mackin says. “There’s a few similarities in the game, you think, when you’re watching it, but then when you’re in the thick of it, it’s quite different in terms of tackling and obviously the shape of the ball.
“When you’re over there, because it’s semi-professional, you have that bit of time to get extra skills or work in that you maybe wouldn’t have if you were working. You need to keep building on it.
“We’ve been playing from six-years-old over here. At 26, learning new skills are definitely harder when you’re older. It took time to adapt. But once you put the effort in, you’re willing to learn and going in with an open mind… I think that was the most important thing for me. The coaches put in a lot of effort and time, so you can only give that back. If you give that back, hopefully you get some rewards out of it.”
It all came together nicely for Mackin on an individual basis. Collectively, Melbourne suffered a shock premature exit to Geelong Cats, but the Camlough forward excelled after overcoming injury setbacks and finished fifth in the AFLPA Best First Year Player award.
She’s been home since the beginning of December, and it feels like nothing has changed.
The Mackin family enjoyed Christmas together, with no shortage of lost time made up for with their nephews and niece, who was born just before Aimee and Blaithin left for Australia. “We missed that part of it, but it sort of makes it better when you get home!”
In terms of football, the plan was always to line out for Armagh in 2024.
“When you’re playing Gaelic so long, it’s very hard to say no to everybody,” Mackin, who is currently working as a coach in primary schools, says.
“It’s hard enough not being able to play club football. Obviously, you want to get back and play. The club in Melbourne are so supportive of playing Gaelic. That’s probably the biggest thing that attracts you — they care so much about what you’ve been playing for so long and they understand that that’s the sport you’ve grown up playing all your life, and you’re playing for your family over here and stuff like that.
“They’ve been great in supporting us with that transition as well. There was never any doubt that they were putting in our mind that we couldn’t do it.”
Returning to the round ball wasn’t exactly straightforward — “You maybe have to hold back on tackling” — but Mackin has undoubtedly found her groove once more. She has starred through the opening rounds of the league, helping Armagh maintain a 100% record through their return to Division 1 thus far.
All going well, she’ll see the year out with the Orchard county, before returning to her new Australian base. Same applies for Blaithin, the pair recently named vice-captains though the younger Mackin is currently injured.
With former Dublin manager Gregory McGonigle at the helm, Armagh are looking to fulfil their potential this year. Their bright start to life in the top-flight, after a hiatus since 2016, has certainly set the tone.
“It’s been brilliant,” Mackin says ahead of next weekend’s top-of-the-table clash against Meath.
“New manager, new coaches. All the girls have took to them really well and it’s going good so far. It’s a fresh slate for everyone. There’s no guarantees for any starting spot, everyone has to work hard and show why they should be getting a number of the back of the jersey and I think that’s just competitive for the team environment.”
A certain Caroline O’Hanlon encapsulates that. The dual star doctor is back for her 23rd consecutive season of inter-county football, and the 2020 Footballer of the Year can’t finish up without a word for the 2014 title holder.
“She’s still flying! It’s great to have her. The experience she has, especially with the mix of the younger girls coming in with us this year, they can only learn off the likes of Caroline. I learn a lot off her still.
“She’s phenomenal. You see her in training and it’s just like, she’s been doing this for so long and she’s not letting up at all.
“It’s her commitment too, her love for Armagh. She’s just such a figurehead for us.”
Aimee Mackin was speaking at a STATSports event on technology in Ladies Gaelic football. Clubs can enter a competition to win access to their cutting-edge GPS technology here.
