Over the weekend Geelong's Aishling Moloney starred with a haul of six goals against West Coast, while her fellow Irish teammates, defenders Rachel Kearns and Anna-Rose Kennedy, held the fort down back.

It's a sight AFLW fans are growing more accustomed to seeing: Irish talent flourishing across the AFLW.

Hawthorn's excitement machine Aileen Gilroy admitted she couldn't kick a Sherrin when she first arrived on Australian shores in 2020 to play for North Melbourne.

Now, you'd think she would be in contention for an All Australian blazer after the season she's had.

And one of the latest newcomers from Gaelic football, GWS' Eilish O'Dowd started her AFLW career with the quickest goal in competition history this season.

She scored in just 12 seconds in the Giants' opening match of the season — a moment that made the national news back in Ireland.

They are part of a contingent of 36 Irish players across clubs in the AFLW. But how are they shaping the competition? And why do they want to come?

The appeal of playing in Australia

The main draw card for Irish players to come over is the professionalism of AFLW, as Gaelic football is still amateur, both for the men's and women's competitions.

O'Dowd said they put in the same hours and work commitment in the Irish competition, but don't get paid or are able to have elite professional lifestyles.

She'd been following a lot of the Irish players who'd made the switch on social media — including Fremantle's Aine Tighe who she grew up 10 minutes down the road from and Brisbane's Jennifer Dunne who she played with at Dublin Ladies — and found their set-ups in Australia quite attractive.

"I'm a teacher back at home and normally I'd do like, my nine to three or four teaching, and then come home, have dinner and then get ready for training," said O'Dowd.

"And that's your whole day. And you'd kind of repeat [that every day] … so it's lovely to be able to wake up and going to work is training and playing with the girls."

Gilroy echoed that it wasn't just about the pay cheque but the professional environments AFLW afforded compared to Gaelic.

"We don't get that at home. Like, we don't have, you know, doctors, physios on the ready for you," Gilroy said.

"So to come out here and be able to be a full-time athlete is a massive opportunity."

However, O'Dowd said there was mixed feelings back home about the influx of Irish players in the AFLW, particularly as the Irish domestic competition has lost a lot of top players to Australia.

"Some people are really supportive of Irish players coming over, because it's a professional set-up and you're getting to experience the professional athlete life and to develop yourself as a footballer," O'Dowd said.

"But then there are some that would be against it, that you're not continuing to play Gaelic football for your club and your county … So, there's mixed opinions about it."

Injecting the game with 'attacking flair'

The influx of Irish talent has increased from just one player in the inaugural 2017 AFLW season to now 36 players in 2024.

Four of these players are on Geelong's list, after Kate Kenny joined Moloney, Kearns and Kennedy this year.

Cats AFLW operations and recruiting manager Ben Waller said they naturally play with "such attacking flair", which brings a lot of energy to the game of AFLW.

"Things that for them are just so natural in their game, that they've been playing since they were young, they're able to bring that skill set into AFLW and it has a real impact," Waller said.

He added that AFLW has a lot more physicality, whereas Gaelic utilises a lot more uncontested possessions and run and carry.

For example, Rachel Kearns, who he said started in Australia "as a chaotic half-forward" has now found a home at half-back, where she can utilise her running attack.

"And now Anna-Rose Kennedy's learning that role as well. So I think they've been able to fit into our systems and structures really well, but from their own unique skill set, which really adds to the game," said Waller.

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A reason for this, Irish AFLW talent ID and elite skills coach Mike Currane explained the AFLW is more 'stop-start' and congested — due to the nature of stoppages and certain game styles or plans — whereas Gaelic is more free-flowing.

"Gaelic the game is more fluid and constant and the Irish players natural instincts will always be to play on and move the ball faster," Currane said.

"Step and go and use their natural agility and speed as you see so often with the likes of Niamh Kelly, Niamh McLaughlin, and even some of the taller players like O'Dowd and Moloney."

With AFLW being far more tactical and game plan based, Currane said you will often hear the Irish players initially frustrated that the play doesn't switch to the open side or to space more often.

That is because their natural instinct would be to switch and get the ball away from congestion, instead of playing back into traffic and contests.

However Waller added this more free-flowing instinct could also be why Irish players are more willing to "have a ping" at goal. He said in Australia there's a pressure applied to having a shot at goal and missing, starting from when you pick up a ball as a kid.

"Whereas they seem to have such a freedom when it comes to scoring. I know they laugh about it sometimes that they can't believe you actually get a point for missing," Waller said.

"But they just don't seem to feel that same pressure … and they're willing just to have a ping."

The push for an International Rules series

When Collingwood star Sarah Rowe threw her support behind an International Rules series, similar to what the men's competition held in 2017, she said the Gaelic influence of AFLW would be on full show.

"Hopefully that comes to fruition," Rowe said on AFL.com.au's podcast Tagged, whether it was the AFLW All Australian side against the Irish stars in the Australian competition or a new team created out of Gaelic players back in Ireland.

"I know for a fact if us Irish players played against the Australian players we would play the game differently.

"We would try to play it a lot more uncontested, we'd move the ball, we wouldn't play the mark, we would want to move the ball really quickly like we do in Gaelic football."

O'Dowd agreed: "I'd be definitely interested in that. I think it'd be amazing.

"When you look at all the Irish players, we have a good mix of a few midfielders, wingers, back sorts, so we probably would have a strong side. So, it would be really interesting to do, especially if the numbers are as high as they are."

Sun, sand and coffee: the added benefits

There are added benefits, which help being so far away from home. For O'Dowd, it's the sun and sea, living right beside the beach at Bondi. And for Geelong's slew of Irish talent, the coffee.

Waller joked before their Irish recruits come over, before they want to get to the club, they are "hanging out" for an Australian brew.

"We all do take a little pride in that coffee," he said.

But more than anything, it's the support from the crowd that helps with homesickness.

For Gilroy's 50th game this year against Collingwood in week two, she said there were about 25-30 people there in support of her, Irish flags in tow.

"That's really special so far away from home. And to be able to have that effect on the other side of the world, it's not even the country, the other side of the world is massive," Gilroy said.

"You have so much pride as well when you see, because you're just like, you just remember where you came from and what you've done."