MACROOM native Erika O’Shea and her North Melbourne team-mates will be in action in the Australian Football League Women’s (AFLW) Grand Final this Saturday.
The North Melbourne Kangaroos face off against 2023 champions Brisbane Lions in Ikon Park, Australia at 8.45am Irish time. The game is shown live on the TG4 player and app from 8.30am with full deferred coverage shown at 5.15pm that evening on TG4 television.
Former Cork footballer O’Shea is one of four Irish players involved with North Melbourne along with Meath’s Vikki Wall, Tipperary’s Niamh Martin and Fermanagh’s Blaithin Bogue. Brisbane have two Irish players: Tipperary’s Orla O’Dwyer and Dublin’s Jennifer Dunne.
O’Shea (22) moved Down Under in 2022, and won the club’s best young player award in her first season. So far this year, O’Shea has played 12 games for the Kangaroos as a medium defender.
North Melbourne beat Port Adelaide in last weekend’s preliminary final by 78-21, outscoring their opposition by 71-6 after the first three quarters. The team unbeaten so far in this season, only drawing to the Geelong Cats in week two.
The Roos did beat the Lions in the first match of the campaign by 78-34 which will give them confidence going into the big finale. Brisbane are coming into this weekend on the back of a 50-32 victory over the Adelaide Crows.
