Australia and Ireland are set to meet in a historic, representative clash of Australian rules football.
The AFL announced the game, to be played under Australian rules with a Sherrin football and not the hybrid International rules men’s internationals have been played under in recent years, will held on Saturday, August 1 at North Sydney Oval.
The match is the first representative fixture in the AFLW era since the one-off contest between Victoria and the Allies in 2017.
There are currently 46 Irish players across the competition, while more than 30 more Irish players have previously played at AFLW level.
Back-to-back reigning premiers North Melbourne had four Irish players in its 2025 grand final squad: Erika O’Shea, Bláithín Bogue, Vikki Wall and Amy Gavin Mangan.
Five Irish players were named in last year’s All-Australian team: Jennifer Dunne (Brisbane/Dublin), Dayna Finn (Carlton/Mayo), Áine McDonagh (Hawthorn/Galway), Bogue (North Melbourne/Fermanagh) and Niamh McLaughlin (Gold Coast/Donegal).
Dayna Finn plays for Carlton via County Mayo and the Ireland women’s basketball team. (Getty Images: AFL Photos/Russell Freeman)
“The inclusion of representative football in the AFLW calendar is a significant moment for our game and another example of continuing to be bold with AFLW, with the Australia versus Ireland match-up,” said AFL executive general manager of AFLW Laura Kane.
“The match will highlight not only the incredible depth of talent across the competition but will also serve as celebration of culture and how far the women’s game has come as we approach its 11th season.
“To see the game’s biggest stars and emerging talent come together to represent their countries will be a truly special occasion and build plenty of excitement ahead of the 2026 AFLW season.”
In the lead-up to the AFLW grand final last year, North Melbourne’s former Cork GAA star Erika O’Shea told AAP that the players would “love” to have an international series against Australia.
“The Irish would absolutely love it. The Australians would too,” O’Shea told AAP.
“It [the All-Australian selections] just shows how much the girls are putting into the game. We’d love to have an Irish side take on Australia.
“It would be funny. It would be chaotic. The Irish girls have definitely spoken about it, saying we’d love to do it.
“Hopefully, if someone’s listening, they can make it happen.”
International Rules has not been played by the men since 2017. (Getty Images: Sportsfile/Ray McManus)
The International Rules series between Ireland and Australia has not been played on the men’s side since 2017, after matches in 2020 and 2022 were shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The AFL this year did reintroduce a State of Origin match, with Victoria overcoming a late Jesse Hogan onslaught to post a 24-point win over Western Australia in front of 58,141 fans at Perth Stadium in February.
Former Geelong, Carlton and Laois player Zach Tuohy has led the charge for a revival of the international rules concept that was first officially played in 1984, with earlier matches taking place in the 1960s.
“Unless there’s some logistical issue that I’m not aware of, I can’t see why you wouldn’t bring the men’s and women’s series back in tandem,” Tuohy said earlier this year.
“Go and play it in the [United] States. You’ll have all the best players putting their hands up.
“I loved it, absolutely loved it. You don’t get many opportunities to represent your country playing AFL, so I’d go for it.”
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