While much is made of Irish sports stars setting sail for the professionalism of faraway lands, often little is made of just how difficult it can be for Irish players to settle in abroad, something AFLW coach Sam Wright was brilliantly aware of in a recent debut announcement.
Since Ballyboden's Jim Stynes first took Australian Rules Football by storm, young hopeful GAA stars have been heading Down Under to try their hand at making it in the AFL.
Former Monaghan Ladies Football captain Muireann Atkinson is no different. Having penned a two-year deal with AFLW side Collingwood last November for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Atkinson is ready to make her professional debut and the club couldn't have chosen a better way to announce it.
In fairness, it's not Collingwood's first rodeo in this arena, with former Mayo and Bohemians star Sarah Rowe, and Cavan footballer Ashling Sheridan both already on the roster and doing well at the Melbourne-based club.
15 November 2020; Muireann Atkinson of Monaghan in action against Leanne Coen of Galway during the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship Round 3 match between Galway and Monaghan at Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada in Carrick-on-Shannon, Leitrim. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
READ ALSO: Pat Spillane Explains Why Mickey Harte Offaly Appointment Will 'End In Tears'
AFLW coach surprised Muireann Atkinson with heart-warming debut video
Obviously aware of just how difficult making the adjustment from GAA to Australian Rules can be, Collingwood's women's coach Sam Wright came up with a brilliant plan to incorporate a touch of home in Atkinson's debut announcement.
During the team's pre-training meeting Wright had asked the team to tune into some Tik-Toks about togetherness, however, in reality, the video was a heartwarming take on the popular 'Where's my Money' TikTok by Atkinson's family, with her father calling for her debut.
AFLW Senior Coach Sam Wright brought some home made videos to show the squad in Tuesday's pre-training meeting, but little did Irish recruit Muireann Atkinson know one was from her family announcing her debut 🥰 pic.twitter.com/ptUwNQjJds
— Collingwood AFLW (@CollingwoodAFLW) August 27, 2024
Having seen her former housemates and Irish Collingwood teammates also making an appearance in the video, it's clear how much the whole affair meant to the Monaghan Lady and her teammates, with coach Sam Wright summing it up nicely in his speech:
You're everything we want in an AFLW Collingwood player, we speak about the kind of people we want in this environment and that is you.
Atkinson first moved to Australia with the hope of making it in the AFL back in 2023, where she began training with Sydney, before being picked up by Collingwood.
Just one year later, Muireann Atkinson is set to make her professional debut in an entirely new sport against the Sydney Swans this Friday the 30th of August.
SEE ALSO: Oasis' Croke Park dates appear to confirm 2025 All-Ireland final schedule
