THREE IRISH PLAYERS have declared for the upcoming NAB AFLW draft which is currently scheduled for Tuesday, 27 July.

The42 understands that four internationals have been nominated. One is a German player and three are Gaelic footballers. They are Meath star Vikki Wall, Roscommon’s Jennifer Higgins and Fermanagh’s Joanne Doonan.   

The move is part of a quest to join an AFLW list for next season. On Friday nominations closed for the 2021 draft. Each club has at least three selections.

Tipperary star and current West Coast Eagles player Aisling McCarthy was previously selected by Western Bulldogs with pick 23 in the 2018 edition. She entered the draft after impressing at a combine attended by VFL players and other draft hopefuls.

McCarthy was unable to sign for a club at the time as all rookie spots were filled. She entered the draft after learning several outfits were interested. The 25-year-old later became the first Irish woman to move AFLW clubs when she signed for West Coast Eagles in August 2020.

Fermanagh native Doonan was a 2019 international rookie signing for Carlton. She played two games in 2020 but was not offered a new contract.

Joanne Doonan at an AFL camp in 2019. Tommy Dickson / INPHO Tommy Dickson / INPHO / INPHO

Meath’s Vikki Wall impressed scouts after travelling to Melbourne for the NAB AFLW Combine in September 2019. Saoirse Noonan (Cork) and Olivia Divilly (Galway) also participated in that event.

Wall has been a superb operator in the Meath forward line and was named Intermediate Players’ Player of the Year after helping the Royals to success in the 2020 All-Ireland intermediate final.

Roscommon’s Jennifer Higgins was named at midfield on the Intermediate Team of the Championship. She has played over 100 games for her county.

Currently, 11 Irish players are signed on for 2021/22. The three other contenders can add to that total if selected later this month. The draft is an annual event, post season, when players are picked by AFLW clubs for the following campaign.

The recruitment of Gaelic footballers is set to boom in the coming years. By 2023, it is expected that all 18 AFL clubs will have a women’s team. Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney Swans do not currently have representation in the competition. This would mean an additional 120 lists spots.

2022 will continue with the existing 14 teams although its start date has been pushed back to December to avoid any overlap with the AFL. After that, the AFLW collective bargaining agreement is up for renegotiation. Therefore, a longer calendar and improved terms will soon come onto the agenda.

While there has been interest in several Irish prospects for this coming season, Covid complications have proved a significant issue. Australia’s borders remain closed while currently two states are in lockdown and state borders are also closed. Arranging flights, travel exemptions and quarantine costs is an added difficulty when it comes to recruiting international players.