Hawthorn forward Áine McDonagh has been selected to represent Ireland in the upcoming NAB AFLW Australia v Ireland representative match on Saturday 1 August at North Sydney Oval.
McDonagh’s selection to represent her country comes off the back of her career-best season in 2025, as Hawthorn’s reigning Best and Fairest winner and a maiden All-Australian blazer.
She featured in every game in 2025, averaging 1.6 goals, 12.1 disposals, 5.4 score involvements, 2.4 tackles and 2.2 marks per game, with a career-best 22 goals total for the season.
The 28-year-old hails from Moycullen, Galway, where she played Gaelic football and basketball before making the move to Australia in 2022 to try her hand at Australian Rules football.
Two teams working together 🙂↕️ pic.twitter.com/su422oJgZO
— Hawthorn FC AFLW (@hawthornaflw) June 16, 2026
She made her debut in Round 4, 2022 (Season 7) against the Western Bulldogs, with 44 games to her name over four seasons with the Hawks.
The remaining players set to represent Australia and Ireland will be announced in the coming days.
The 2026 NAB AFLW Australia v Ireland match will start at 4.15pm AEST on Saturday 1 August. It will be broadcast exclusively around the country on Fox Footy, Kayo Sports, Kayo Freebies and Binge.
Hawthorn members and fans can snap up their tickets to the highly anticipated match on Wednesday 24 June, with members given access from 10am, while the general public can snap up their tickets from midday (AEST).
