Aisling McCarthy

Aisling McCarthy
Personal information
Date of birth (1996-02-24) 24 February 1996 (age 28)
Draft No. 23, 2018 national draft
Debut Round 2, 2019, Western Bulldogs vs. Geelong, at Whitten Oval
Height 172 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Forward/midfielder
Club information
Current club Fremantle
Number 7
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2019–2020 Western Bulldogs 12 0(7)
2021–2023 West Coast 31 (10)
2024– Fremantle 12 0(8)
Total 55 (25)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2024 season.
Career highlights
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Aisling Louise McCarthy[1] (born 24 February 1996) is an Irish Australian rules footballer playing for Fremantle in the AFL Women's (AFLW), having previously played for the Western Bulldogs and the West Coast Eagles. She became an Australian citizen in July 2022.

Early life

From Cahir, County Tipperary in Ireland, McCarthy began playing Gaelic football from the age of seven.[2] She also played camogie, captaining her club Cahir to victory in the 2016 All-Ireland intermediate finals. In 2017, she was the player of the match in Tipperary's victory in the All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies' Football Championship, scoring one goal and four points. She was also named the TG4 Intermediate Player's Player of the Year.[3]

McCarthy's interest in Australian football began in 2015 when Colin O'Riordan, a Tipperary footballer, moved to the Sydney Swans.[4] In September 2018, she was among 18 international prospects to attend the CrossCoders program, a week-long Australian football camp held in Melbourne.[5]

AFLW career

McCarthy was drafted by the Western Bulldogs with pick 23 in the 2018 AFLW national draft.[6] She debuted in round 2 of the 2019 season against Geelong at Whitten Oval, kicking her first goal in the third quarter.[7] At the season's conclusion, she re-signed with the Bulldogs for the 2020 season; she played six matches and kicked five goals in her first year.[8] After a second year with the Bulldogs playing more as a midfielder and kicking two goals from six games, she finished 4th in the Bulldogs Best and Fairest. She and the Bulldogs' 3rd pick in the 2020 AFL Women's draft were traded to West Coast in exchange for picks 2 and 16.[9] She came second in the West Coast best and fairest voting in 2021, with 37 votes, three behind first-placed Isabella Lewis.[10] She signed a two-year contract with the Eagles on 26 June 2021, keeping her with the team until the end of the 2023 season.[11]

Following the 2023 AFLW season, McCarthy was traded to the Fremantle Football Club.[12] Round four of the 2024 AFLW season saw McCarthy kick a goal after the siren to win the match against the Melbourne Demons at Fremantle Oval.[13] She finished her first season at the Dockers as their leading goalkicker, having kicked eight goals across twelve games.[14] She was also selected for a spot in the 2024 AFL Women's All-Australian team.[15]

Statistics

Statistics are correct the end of the 2024 season.[16]
Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2019 Western Bulldogs 15 6 5 1 41 20 61 11 15 0.8 0.2 6.8 3.3 10.2 1.8 2.5 0
2020 Western Bulldogs 15 6 2 3 57 24 81 20 24 0.3 0.5 9.5 4.0 13.5 3.3 4.0 0
2021 West Coast 11 7 2 2 69 30 99 10 32 0.3 0.3 9.9 4.3 14.1 1.4 4.6 3
2022(S6) West Coast 11 4 1 0 118 32 150 19 53 0.2 0.0 11.8 3.2 15 1.9 5.3 0
2022(S7) West Coast 11 10 3 4 21 20 41 5 10 0.3 0.4 5.3 5.0 10.3 1.3 2.5 0
2023 West Coast 11 10 4 6 112 46 158 16 53 0.4 0.6 11.2 4.6 15.8 1.6 5.3 1
2024 Fremantle 7 12 8 6 184 77 261 31 98 0.7 0.5 15.3 6.4 21.8 2.6 8.2 10
Career 55 25 22 602 249 851 112 285 0.4 0.4 10 4.4 14.4 2 4.6 14

References

  1. ^ Aisling McCarthy [@aish_mac] (21 July 2022). "Officially an Aussie 🇦🇺" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Di Pietro, Kavisha (12 November 2018). "Q&A — Aisling McCarthy". AFL Players. AFL Players' Association. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  3. ^ Duffy, Emma (23 October 2018). "Tipperary star becomes latest Irish player to join AFLW by signing with Western Bulldogs". The42. Distilled Media. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  4. ^ Duffy, Emma (22 September 2018). "'This opportunity is mad. It'll be a great experience, a once-in-a-lifetime thing'". The42. Distilled Media. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  5. ^ Fowler, Michael (8 February 2019). "Who needs an agent? Instagram brought this Bulldogs debutant to Australia, and there's more coming". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  6. ^ Duffy, Emma (23 October 2018). "'It hasn't even hit, I don't think it's real' - Tipp ace McCarthy relishing dream move to AFLW". The42. Distilled Media. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  7. ^ "Tipp star Aisling McCarthy kicks goal on Women's AFL debut". RTÉ. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Moody, McCarthy re-sign". westernbulldogs.com.au. Telstra Media. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  9. ^ Woodcock, Mitchell (4 August 2020). "West Coast complete first AFLW trade of 2020, recruiting Irish speedster Aisling McCarthy". The West Australian. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Your club's B&F: Second-year Saint claims top gong again". AFL Women's Media. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  11. ^ Henderson, Emma (23 June 2021). "AFLW: McCarthy a mainstay in Eagles' midfield". West Coast Eagles Media. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  12. ^ Barrett, Jackson (21 September 2024). "AFLW: Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles agree to trade for Aisling McCarthy and Roxy Roux". The West Australian.
  13. ^ Guelas, Joanna (21 September 2024). "Knee injury to Freo star Tighe sours AFLW win over Dees". The Canberra Times.
  14. ^ "All Australian Team: Three's a charm!". fremantlefc.com.au. 3 December 2024.
  15. ^ Bolch, Dylan (3 December 2024). "ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM: Star mids grab seventh blazers, 12 first-timers". afl.com.au.
  16. ^ "Aisling McCarthy – Player Stats By Season". Australian Football. Retrieved 8 May 2021.