Tipperary dual star Orla O'Dwyer starred for Brisbane Lions as they won the AFLW final against Adelaide Crows today.
In the small hours of Saturday morning Irish time, O'Dwyer lined out for the Brisbane Lions in the AFLW Grand Final while their opponents Adelaide Crows have Clare’s Ailish Considine in their ranks.
And the 22-year-old impressed in the showcase as her side recorded a 6.2 to 3.2 win at the Adelaide Oval.
On front of almost 23,000 fans down under, O'Dwyer was central for her side as she racked up six tackles and 16 disposals.
And as Ireland awoke this morning, salutes came pouring in from the Tipperary and wider GAA community - including Premier hurling boss Liam Sheedy.
The pair are two of 14 Irish players in the competition, with O’Dwyer having already been named as the AFL Ireland Women’s Player of the Year.
“I think the physical attributes that Orla has are very conducive to Aussie rules,” said Shane Ronayne, who managed Tipperary to All-Ireland intermediate titles in 2017 and ‘19, ahead of the game.
“I think the players who are going over from Ireland are doing very well but Orla is very physically strong, she’s very, very fast, very athletic.
“Orla would admit it herself, she wouldn’t be the best kicker of a ball, even in Gaelic football. She would have had to spend a lot of time working on it. I think the game plays to her strengths because of her athleticism and her speed and her strength.”
