MAYO STAR RACHEL Kearns is set for a surprise return to AFLW action this weekend, having recovered from a nasty shoulder injury faster than expected.

Kearns is named to start in attack for Geelong’s Round 9 clash against Adelaide Crows on Friday, a little under two months after suffering an AC joint injury in their season-opening win over Richmond.

“Rachel underwent surgical repair of her AC joint this morning,” Geelong’s head physio Erin Nelson told the club’s website in late August. “This will most likely be a season-ending injury.”

But the 25-year-old multi-sport star — also a talented soccer player and boxer — has defied that prognosis to make it back.

“Rach Kearns is breathing down my neck to try to get back into the team. She’s fit, firing and ready to go for this weekend,” as Cats head coach Dan Lowther said in recent days.

Kearns is the Cats’ only Irish representative, while the Crows have two: her fellow Mayo woman, Niamh Kelly, is set to start her 26th AFLW game in the midfield, while Ailish Considine is currently out with a hamstring injury. The Clare native’s estimated return is three weeks.

Meanwhile, Meath All-Ireland winner Orlagh Lally has seen her season come to a premature end, after suffering a shoulder injury in training last week.

Her club, Fremantle Dockers, said in a statement this week that she “won’t return until 2023″ amidst a lengthy injury list.

“Orlagh had a mid-week incident where she ‘subluxed’ her shoulder,” senior physio Gabby Charlton added.

“Orlagh’s had previous surgery on this site so we’ve consulted specialists. We’re getting a few scans and deciding on the best path for Orlagh at the moment.”

Orlagh Lally in action for Meath in July's All-Ireland final. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO

Down’s Clara Fitzpatrick, who plays her footie for St Kilda, is sidelined with a jarred knee for a week, but all other Irish players are understood to be fit and firing as the season hits its business end.

Dublin great Sinéad Goldrick is in line for a welcome return for Melbourne against Essendon on Sunday. “Goldie had some hamstring tightness late last week and as a precaution didn’t make the trip to the Gold Coast,” Dees’ Performance Manager Sam Batterton told Melbourne Media. This has resolved and we expect Goldie to be available for selection this week.”

And Cavan’s Aishling Sheridan made her comeback from a knee setback for Collingwood last weekend.

The 22 Irish players and their AFLW clubs and counties

Adelaide Crows

Ailish Considine (Clare)

Niamh Kelly (Mayo)

Brisbane Lions

Orla O’Dwyer (Tipperary)

Collingwood

Sarah Rowe (Mayo)

Aishling Sheridan (Cavan)

Essendon

Joanne Doonan (Fermanagh)

Megan Ryan (Tipperary)

Fremantle

Orlagh Lally (Meath)

Áine Tighe (Leitrim)

Amy Mulholland (Armagh)

Geelong

Rachel Kearns (Mayo)

GWS Giants

Cora Staunton (Mayo)

Bríd Stack (Cork)

Hawthorn

Aileen Gilroy (Mayo)

Áine McDonagh (Galway)

Melbourne

Sinéad Goldrick (Dublin)

Blaithin Mackin (Armagh)

North Melbourne

Vikki Wall (Meath)

Erika O’Shea (Cork)

St Kilda

Clara Fitzpatrick (Down)

Grace Kelly (Mayo)

West Coast Eagles

Aisling McCarthy (Tipperary)

For this week’s fixtures, see here, and the AFLW ladder is available to view here.