MAYO NATIVE NIAMH Kelly has become the second Irish player to be voted onto the AFLW All-Australian team, the sport’s equivalent of the All-Stars. 

Kelly was one of six players with Adelaide Crows to be named on the 42-player shortlist, and is one of four to make the final selection. The 28-year-old Moy Davitts clubwoman has been central for Adelaide across the season, in which they finished top of the regular-season ladder and were narrowly edged in yesterday’s semi-final by North Melbourne. 

Kelly is only the second Irish player ever to earn such recognition, following Orla O’Dwyer, who made the team last year for her heroics with Brisbane Lions. 

O’Dwyer’s Brisbane will compete in the AFLW Grand final on 3 December, where they will face a North Melbourne side featuring Niamh Martin (Tipperary), Erika O’Shea (Cork), and  Ailish Considine (Clare.) Dubliner Jennifer Dunne is also part of the Brisbane roster. 

 With reporting by Emma Duffy