It's a ripper: The Irish players seeking to have a big impact on the AFL this season
Declan Bogue
SUDDENLY, AFTER THE winter we had with AFL stars routinely turning out for their clubs in the local county championships, Australia does not seem a faraway land.
But it’s back to porridge for that crew as the Australian Football League begins on Thursday, with Sydney Swans hosting Carlton Blues at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The headlining act of the AFL close season was Mark O’Connor’s strange kind of homecoming, when he went back home with the vague notion of kicking some ball for Dingle in the Kerry championship.
One win bled into the next. A county title was secured, ending a 77-year wait. A Munster title followed and many felt he was pushing his luck by playing such a punishing game in the depths of winter on spongy pitches.
While he returned to Australia after the Munster final win over St Finbarr’s, he soon re-emerged back home and scored a point in that incredible All-Ireland club semi-final win over Ballyboden St Enda’s in Pairc Uí Chaoimh.
With pre-season looming at Geelong, they gave him further dispensation to remain with his home club and sport, as they won a sensational decider against St Brigid’s on 18 January.
Mark O'Connor celebrates his All-Ireland club win with Jack Henry and Mark Blicavs. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Some of his Geelong team mates had arrived for the occasion, charming the locals and wearing the club colours. Back in Australia, the rest of the Cats hosted a ‘Watchparty’ where they cheered on An Daingean, some wearing the famous ‘Old Comrades’ jersey.
The official website of Geelong even made a short video of the significance of the achievement, with an accompanying written piece. Jack Henry described how nothing beats being there; “The tension in the crowd, you could feel it,” Henry said.
“Nobody could really speak for a while there, it was just eerily quiet and we were waiting for those last few minutes to unfold.
“Then the way it happened and how quickly it happened, it was just amazing to watch and it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.
“The finish, that goal from Mikey Geaney on the left was amazing. To be there and watch it live with all the people from Dingle, it was just an experience I will never forget.”
With Henry was Mark Blicavs and Patrick Dangerfield, along with former Cats players Cameron Guthrie and Zach Tuohy.
“Once Mark got the win in the semi-final, it almost started out as a bit of a joke and a bit of a passing comment saying we would love to get there,” added Henry.
“Then the more we thought about it, the more we thought how special it would be to go and support one of your best mates over the past 10 years.
“I was surprised how grateful people were who we sat with from the town, how grateful they were that we had come over. But obviously, how grateful we were to be over there was just as much the case, it was a bit of a mutual respect from both sides.”
We’ve come a long way from when Tadhg Kennelly would return home from Sydney Swans duty and try to sneak in some games in the north Kerry championship undetected, clandestine as a moonshine distiller.
It wasn’t just O’Connor that tasted the one-time illicit thrill of getting your hands on an O’Neill’s ball.
The Brisbane Lions hopeful Ben Murphy, played against O’Connor in the Kerry county final for Austn Stacks.
Liam O’Connell of St Kilda, played in the Cork senior semi-final for Ballincollig.
And Conor McKenna, who played for Collingwood in his first spell down under, returned to win an All-Ireland with Tyrone in 2021 and then won a Premiership with Brisbane Lions, got involved in Eglish St Patrick’s run in the intermediate championship in Tyrone.
With 14 players on the rosters AFL clubs, there is nothing like the Irish invasion that affects ladies’ football. And with the season scheduling and ease of transport, it has never been easier for players to have a foot in both camps, gaining that latitude from their professional clubs, to play for their home clubs.
Here, we look at what is ahead for the Irish in the AFL.
Mark Keane
(Adelaide Crows, Mitchelstown, Cork, 25)
Mark Keane. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
The defender has suffered wretched luck in pre-season, breaking his leg in a training ground mishap. Initially with Collingwood where he didn’t get a look-in, he returned after a year away to get a foothold at the Crows, where he has flourished.
Darragh Joyce
(Brisbane Lions, Rower-Inistioge, Kilkenny, 28)
A rarity in that he was a hurler and a brother of another Cat, Kieran. Signed initially for St Kilda before the 2017 season, he is coming up on a decade in Australia. Has spent the last three seasons in Brisbane where his appearances are fleeting.
Ben Murphy
(Brisbane Lions, Austin Stacks, Kerry, 19)
Just starting out on his journey, he was nonetheless listed on a medical report as having a chest problem and unable to take a part in Saturday’s season-opener against the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba.
Conor McKenna
(Brisbane Lions, Eglish St Patrick’s, Tyrone, 29)
Conor McKenna. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Signed another one year deal recently with Lions, after he won a Premiership in 2024.
Arrived like a comet on the scene by scoring a goal with his first touch in his debut for Essendon and quickly became one of the most watchable players for his inventiveness.
He played fewer games last year (5) than he had previously.
Rob Monahan
(Carlton Blues, Ardfert, Kerry, 21)
Went straight from school at Mercy Mounthawk to Melbourne, he has been learning his trade in the second-tier Victorian Football League, playing almost every single game, 35 out of 36 last year.
Will hope to break into the plans of head coach Michael Voss this season.
Matt Duffy
(Carlton, Dromard, Longford, 22)
Despite suffering an ACL injury in 2023, was drafted in 2024 as an International rookie. Has been mainly cutting his teeth in the VFL and will hope to finally make an impact this season.
Cillian Bourke
(Essendon Bombers, Tullamore, Offaly, 19)
Cillian Bourke in action for Tullamore. Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
Only drafted last winter, the talented Tullamore man was in action over the winter as they won an Offaly title before bowing out of Leinster with a defeat to Ballyboden St Enda’s.
Mark O’Connor
(Geelong Cats, Dingle, Kerry, 29)
After a serious 2025 season with the Cats, he returned home to play a starring role in Dingle’s march through Kerry, Munster and to the Andy Merrigan Cup.
Currently on 147 appearances and seems set to join the five Irish players to make 150 appearances in the AFL, he is an integral part of the club.
Oisin Mullin
(Geelong Cats, Kilmaine, Mayo, 26)
Oisín Mullin. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Twice the Young Footballer of the Year, Mullin’s loss to Mayo is severe and profound.
Made his AFL debut after just three games of the sport. Played six times in 2023, 12 times in 2024 and was a regular last year.
Played and scored a goal in the Grand Final last year when they were beaten by Brisbane Lions.
Cillian Burke
(Geelong Cats, Milltown/Castlemaine, Kerry, 22)
Joined while nursing a knee injury, he made his debut in the VFL last June, kicking a left-footed goal against the Gold Coast Suns.
Living with Mark O’Connor, he continues to develop as a player.
Callum Brown
(GWS Giants, Limavady Wolfhounds, Derry, 25)
Born in Luton to an English mother and Jamaican father, Brown moved to Limavady when he was five and established himself as a serious talent in Derry underage squads before making the move to Greater Western Sydney in time for the 2019 season.
Has grown in importance to GWS, making 22 appearances last year and kicking vital goals.
Conor Nash
(Hawthorn, Simonstown Gaels, Meath, 27)
Recently acquired Australian citizenship, to add to his Irish and American citizenships as he was born in America.
Conor Nash. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Last year he became the first Irishman to play 100 games for Hawthorn and is an integral part of their team heading into his ninth season.
Liam O’Connell
(St Kilda, Ballincollig, Cork, 22)
Selected as a Category B rookie in the 2023 draft and made his debut in the first game of the 2025 season against Adelaide.
He made seven appearances in total and the club have been pleased with his appetite for the physical stuff and the improvement in his ball skills.
Eamonn Armstrong
(St Kilda, Duleek-Bellewstown, Meath, 19)
Still a teenager, Armstrong is widely-talented, having featured for Irish underage soccer teams and playing U20 football for Meath when he was just 17.
Hopeful of making an AFL debut this season, although a spell in the VFL looks likely.
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