The Tipperary woman is starting for the Brisbane Lions in the AFLW Grand Final, looking to become the first Irish player to ever win three titles.
The Lions take on the North Melbourne Kangaroos in the decider with Tipperary ladies footballer Niamh Martin named as an emergency replacement on the Kangaroos matchday squad.
Mike Currane from AFLW Ireland says a win for the Lions would mean history for O’Dwyer.
“If she gets to three, she will be the first (Irish) player to win three premierships.
“She’s on two at the minute, tied with Ailish Considine from the Adelaide Crows who’s the only other multiple premiership winner at the minute.
“It would be historic for Orla to go in there and win that third one and she has been phenomenal, she’s played 66 games now already coming into the final and she’s the most capped Irish player ever in the AFLW.”
For O’Dwyer’s former Tipperary ladies football teammate Niamh Martin, there will be a sense of disappointment ahead of the final as she’s listed as an emergency, meaning she can replace a squad player who gets injured/can’t compete right up to the start of the game so it is unlikely she will see the pitch.
This is despite the Tipp native featuring 9 times for the Kangaroos in the season so far.
However, Mike Currane says with Martin only in her second year in Australia, the omission from the squad is through no fault of her own:
“She has been making an impact it’s just she’s a victim of North Melbourne being such a good squad and a few very important players have coe back into the fold in the last couple of weeks and unfortunately that is the nature of it.
“You have your squad of 21 and your three emergencies and Niamh just misses out but I don’t think it’s through any fault of her own only she is playing with one of the best teams in the competition by far.”
The Grand Final takes place on Saturday morning at 8.45am Irish time and can be watched live on on the TG4 player and App or on the deferred broadcast which will air on TG4 television at 5.15pm on Saturday.
