Dublin’s All-Ireland winning captain Carla Rowe has expressed concern with the talent drain on women’s Gaelic football because of the increasing number of players attracted by offers to play Aussie Rules.
Seven Irish players could be involved in Saturday’s AFLW Grand Final between North Melbourne and Brisbane Lions, with Vikki Wall (Meath), Erika O’Shea (Cork), Amy Gavin Mangan (Offaly) and Bláithín Bogue (Fermanagh) playing for North Melbourne and Jennifer Dunne (Dublin), Orla O’Dwyer (Tipperary) and Neasa Dooley (Kildare) playing for Brisbane.
There were a record 39 players from Ireland in the AFLW this season.
And five were named on the 21-strong All-Australian AFLW team of the year earlier this week: Dunne, Bogue, Niamh McLaughlin (Donegal), Áine McDonagh (Galway) and Dayna Finn (Mayo).
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“I understand why players are going over to Australia, absolutely, I can see why. But I am worried about the impact on ladies’ Gaelic football as a whole, to be honest,” says Rowe.
Since the inception of the AFLW in 2017, it has been possible for most Irish players to juggle both Gaelic football and Aussie Rules as the respective season schedules allowed for such.
However, this year the AFLW season was extended from 10 to 12 rounds – starting on August 14th rather than the end of August/start of September. The 2024 season started on August 30th. The 2026 season will follow the same schedule as 2025, with a mid-August start.
With the LGFA All-Ireland finals now taking place at the start of August, the earlier commencement date Down Under means players, depending on the success of their county team, would miss most if not all the AFLW preseason or even be forced to choose between the codes.
“I suppose conversations are happening in the LGFA and I see them starting to happen as well in the GAA, which hopefully will bring it to the forefront even more that they’re losing younger players to going over to Australia and is there anything we can do to try to help them stay here,” adds Rowe.
“Look, it’s an amazing achievement for the girls. I see Jen Dunne is on it [All-Australian team]. It’s fantastic for her to be in a final as well, you want the girls to go over and you wish them all the success they can have.
“But still, the underlying thing for me is the worry, not just for Dublin, but across the country, about the top players in the counties are being brought over to Australia.”
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Rowe, who teaches in Balbriggan Community College, turned down an opportunity to try her hand at Aussie Rules in 2018. She has since become one of the most recognisable and successful players in Women’s Gaelic Football.
And although the 30-year-old hasn’t fully committed to the Dublin cause for 2026, the Clann Mhuire player is edging towards another season in blue.
“The club season only finished two weeks ago. I’m taking a bit of time just to have a bit of reflection on the year and see where next year is looking. But for now, it’s definitely not a no. It’s not 100 per cent yes, but it’s closer to yes than it is no.”
