News has broke this morning that Sinead Goldrick and Niamh McEvoy, two stalwarts of the Dublin's three-in-a-row, will be joining the ever-expanding cohort of Irish players in women's Aussie Rules. The pair have signed with Melbourne for the upcoming 2020 season, and are the first international players the club has signed.
“This is a significant announcement not only for our women’s program, but for our football club in its entirety,” coach Todd Patterson told Melbourne Media.
“Over the past six to eight years, Sinead and Niamh have created impressive on-field profiles through their hard work and team success, and as a result, have become two of the best-credentialed female athletes in the country.
“They are terrific people, who we think will truly align with the values of our club, and with Dublin GAA being the closest thing you can get to a professional sporting organisation in Ireland, we have full confidence they will be well prepared for the demands of AFLW.”
From Cora Staunton to Sarah Rowe, we've seen a number of gaelic fotoballers thrive down under in the past two years, but no one from the Dublin team has made the switch. Goldrick spoke to Melbourne's website about how excited she was about the move.
“To be able to have the chance to join a team, and live and train in a professional environment in a sporting city like Melbourne, is something that I’m extremely fortunate to be able to try," she said.
There are now 18 Irish ladies playing Aussie Rules.
Dublin GAA has famous links to the Melbourne club as Jim Stynes played there for 11 years.
