There will be a Tipperary native lifting the AFLW title tonight.
Two former Tipperary ladies footballers square off in the Grand Final in Melbourne at 3.30am (Sunday morning).
Orla O’Dwyer’s Brisbane Lions take on Niamh Martin’s North Melbourne Kangaroos in this year’s showpiece.
Whilst it’s a first final for Niamh Martin in her debut season, this year’s decider will be O’Dwyer’s third since she joined the Lions in 2020.
Speaking on Friday night’s Across The Line, Mike Currane from AFLW Ireland says Orla has had another great season in Australia:
“It has been a brilliant year for Orla O’Dwyer and for the Brisbane Lions, they’re definitely the more experienced team going in to the final.
“Orla has played in three finals, she has won one final already but she knows what it’s like to lose finals as well but she’s been huge across the season for the Brisbane Lions.
“She’s played in all twelve games so far this season and she’s scored eight goals for the Lions this season to bring her career goal total to 20.
“Three of those goals were in very important games across the Finals series, across the last couple of games when it really mattered most.”
O’Dwyer will be taking on a former teammate with Tipperary in Niamh Martin who will be lining out for the Kangaroos.
Mike says the Sliabh na mBan clubwoman’s rise this year has been impressive:
“This is another incredible story, one of the stories of the year.
“Niamh has played six games so far, the final will be her seventh game but if you think back to earlier this year, she went out to preseason quite late.
“I was up in Tipperary at the end of July doing a skill session with Niamh and she was flying out a few days later.
“That’s only four months ago and now she’s going to be playing in a Grand Final, her first Grand Final in her first season and a first Grand Final for her club which is incredible.”
