Legendary status awaits Irish AFL contingent as Premiership race hots up
Two former GAA players have made a massive leap forward this year in Australian Rules football, while others continue to progress and others will be concerned about their futures.
It's crunch time for the Irish players in the AFL with the contenders for the top eight play off places emerging - and the race for the title taking shape.
This time two years ago, Zach Tuohy and Mark O’Connor were powering Geelong Cats towards a Premiership crown, following in the footsteps of Tadhg Kennelly.
Just three Irishmen have ever won a Premiership title, but Tyrone All-Ireland winner Conor McKenna came periliously close to making it four last year.
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The Eglish man flew the Irish flag, reaching the Grand Final with Brisbane Lions, but losing out in heartbreaking fashion at the MCG to Collingwood.
Derry’s Callum Brown forced his way into the Great Western Sydney (GWS) side last year, playing in 19 of their 25 games.
Brown helped GWS to a surprise semi-final (preliminary final) place, where they lost out to Collingwood by a single point.
This year there are 13 Irish players in the AFL, with four off them rookies, who are yet to play a senior game.
The highest flying Irish men in the AFL ladder are Brown, Geelong trio Zach Tuohy, Mark O’Connor and Oisin Mullin, with their sides joint third, and McKenna’s Brisbane, in fifth spot.
Last year McKenna played all 26 games for the Lions, but this year he has played just 13.
Brown has featured 12 times this year, building on a breakthrough 2023 where he played 19 times.
Former Mayo Young Footballer of the Year Mullin has played 10 times for Geelong in 2024, while Laois man Tuohy, at 34 and Kerry’s O’Connor (26) continue to be key men for their side.
Tuohy, defying father time, has played in 286 games, lining out 16 times this year.
Dingle’s O’Connor has now played in 122 games for Geelong, figuring 13 times this year.
The other Irish player in contention for a top eight play off place is Meath man Conor Nash. His Hawthorn outfit are seventh in the ladder.
Nash’s figures in terms of tackles, disposals, clearances and handballs have all risen again this year according to AFL statisticians, and he was listed in the top three players at Hawthorn last year.
The former Leinster rugby prospect, in his seventh season with Hawthorn, has played all 22 games this year - after playing 23 and 21 games in the last two seasons respectively.
Nash appears to be a player on the rise. The other major Irish success story this year to date is Mark Keane.
Keane has played 21 out of 22 games to date for the Adelaide Crows after his return to the AFL last year following a spell at home with the Cork hurlers.
His former club, Collingwood, who he spent five years with before returning to Ireland, were reported to be keen to tempt him back, but Adelaide Crows are anxious to hold onto the player.
Adelaide are 15th of the 18 teams in the ladder and out of contention for a play off place.
Former Kilkenny minor hurler Darragh Joyce has played five times this year for Brisbane Lions after signing for the club in late 2022.
The Rower Inistiogue man has made 23 senior appearances across eight seasons in the AFL, but his latest one year contract expires at the end of this year.
James Madden (Dublin/Brisbane) has yet to feature this year in the senior ranks. Of the others, three are ‘International Rookies’: Liam O’Connell (Cork/St. Kilda), Rob Monahan (Kerry/Carlton), Matt Duffy (Longford/Carlton).
The final player is Karl Gallagher, who featured for Monaghan in their run to last year’s All-Ireland semi-final. He signed for Adelaide late last year, but has yet to play a senior game.
Eoin McElholm (Tyrone) had a second round of trials last month, going to Port Adelaide, who currently top the ladder and are in pole position with the play offs fast approaching.
IRISH IN THE AFL: (listed by senior games played this year).
CONOR NASH (Hawthorn/Meath): 22 GAMES
Nash has played all 22 games this year. He played 23 and 21 games in the last two years respectively. The Simonstown club man, who turned 26 last week, has played 95 games in total and scored 17 goals.
Last year he finished in the top three in Hawthorn’s ‘Best and Fairest.” His disposals are up 8.5 per game this year to 24 per game. His tackles (5.4), clearances (5), handballs (10.9) are all rated ‘above average’ by AFL statisticison. Nash is ticking all the boxes.
MARK KEANE (Adelaide Crows/Cork) 21 GAMES
Keane has played 31 games in total after debuting in 2020 with Collingwood. He is the other big Irish success story of 2024, along with Nash, playing 21 out of 22 games.
Keane played five games in three years for Collingwood (2019-21). He stayed at home at the end of 2021 to play for Cork hurlers despite having a contract for the 2022 season.
Signed for Adelaide last year and has a deal until the end of 2025. Rated an ‘elite kicker.’
ZACH TUOHY (Geelong/Laois) 16 GAMES
Tuohy has played an astonishing 286 AFL games for Carlton and Geelong, and has hit 100 goals. His 265th appearance in Round 17 last year broke the late Jim Stynes’ record for an Irish player.
Stats people have his kicking as “elite.” The 34 year old half back has played 16 games this year.
MARK O’CONNOR (Geelong/Kerry) 13 GAMES
Mark O’Connor has played 122 senior games in total over eight years with Geelong and scored nine goals. That’s an impressive average of just over 15 games per year. He has a contract until the end of the 2026 season.
The Dingle man was drafted in 2016 and made his debut in 2017. The 26 year old is rated an ‘elite’ tackler, averaging 3.1 tackles per game this year. He’s played 13 times to date in 2024, and 22 times apiece in 2022 and 2023.
CONOR MCKENNA (Brisbane Lions/Tyrone) 13 GAMES
McKenna has played 118 senior AFL games, hitting 27 goals. The 28 year old first came to Australia back in 2013 and made his debut with Essendon in 2015.
The Eglish man played 79 games (2015-20 for Essendon) before returning home and winning the All-Ireland with Tyrone in 2021.
He returned to Australia with Brisbane for the 2023 season on a one year deal and played all 26 games in their march to the Premiership final, which they lost narrowly. Latest deal runs out at the end of the 2025 season.
CALLUM BROWN (Great Western Sydney/Derry) 12 GAMES
Breakthrough 2023 for the Derry All-Ireland minor finalist (2017). Brown played 19 games last year, helping his side to the semi-final (preliminary final), where they lost by a point.
The Limavady man is different from other Irish AFL players with his eye for goal. He’s played 41 games and scored 42 goals. Signed in October 2018, he made his senior debut in 2021.
Brown (24) kicked five goals against Collingwood in the opening round this year.
OISIN MULLIN (Geelong/Mayo) 10 GAMES
The former Young Footballer of the Year signed in 2021 and has a deal until the end of the 2025 season. This is his third year in the AFL, where he is valued for his pace and athleticism.
Ex-Mayo star Mullin (24) played six games last year and impressed on his debut, making 15 disposals against GWS in Round 1. The Kilmaine man has played a total of 16 senior games.
DARRAGH JOYCE (Brisbane Lions/Kilkenny) 5 GAMES
Joyce’s time with the AFL looked to be done, but Brisbane picked him up in the preseason supplementary signing period in 2022. The big defender was an important player in the club’s run to last year’s VFL final.
The 27-year-old has played five senior games this year to go with five last year and 13 across six years for St. Kilda. That’s 23 games in eight seasons since he made his debut in 2018.
JAMES MADDEN (Brisbane Lions/Dublin) 0 GAMES
Madden played twice last year and twice in 2022 but hasn’t featured this year. His best year was 2021, when he played nine times. His senior games total is 13 in six seasons. Debuted in 2021. Suffered an injury last year.
He broke the AFL draft combine all time record in the 20 metre sprint at the European Combine in December 2017.
NEW: 4 ROOKIES YET TO MAKE THEIR DEBUT
Matt Duffy (Longford, Carlton), Rob Monahan (Kerry, Carlton), Liam O’Connell (Cork, St. Kilda), Karl Gallagher (Monaghan, Adelaide).
ON TRIAL: Eoin McElholm (Tyrone, Port Adelaide)
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