Orla O'Dwyer

Orla O'Dwyer
Personal information
Date of birth (1998-07-15) 15 July 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth Sydney, Australia[1]
Original team(s) Tipperary (Camogie/ladies' Gaelic football)
Draft 2019 rookie signing
Debut Round 1, 2020, Brisbane vs. Adelaide, at Hickey Park
Height 175 cm (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current club Brisbane
Number 9[2]
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2020– Brisbane 55 (21)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2023 season.
Career highlights
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Orla O'Dwyer (born 15 July 1998) is an Irish Australian rules footballer playing for Brisbane in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW).

Early life

O'Dwyer was born in Sydney, Australia[1] where her parents stayed for 4 years until they moved Orla to Ireland at the age of 1 and raised in Killenaule in County Tipperary.[3] At school she participated in soccer, basketball and cross country running.[4]

As a junior between under 8 and under 12 she played in the boys Gaelic Football competition before switching to women's football at the age of 12. Orla played open age camogie and ladies' Gaelic football, representing Tipperary GAA in both and captaining in the former.[5]

Intending to use her Australian citizenship as a means to return to her country of birth, O'Dwyer signed up for the Crosscoders program which identified talented athletes to try out for professional clubs in Australia and signed by the Brisbane Lions as an other sport rookie 2019.[4]

AFLW

O'Dwyer made her AFLW debut in the Lions' round 1 game against Adelaide at Hickey Park on 8 February 2020.[6] She was named as the Irish Times/Sport Ireland Sportswoman for April 2021.[7] O'Dwyer had a breakout 2022 season 6 and was named in the All-Australian honorary team at the end of the season, the first Irishwoman in the competition's history to achieve the feat.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b 'Australia Was Always On My Mind. I Was Actually Born In Sydney' by PJ Browne for Balls.ie 19 April 2023
  2. ^ a b "Orla O'Dwyer". Brisbane Lions. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  3. ^ Orla O'Dwyer becomes first Irish All-Australian since Jim Stynes from the Irish Examiner 5 April 2022
  4. ^ a b "'For a multi-talented athlete like Orla, I don't think it's going to be much of a stretch to pick up a third sport'". The42. 11 May 2019. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  5. ^ Crossing Codes: Orla O’Dwyer by Madeline Irwin for The Inner Sanctum 22 April 2023
  6. ^ Davis, Greg (7 February 2020). "Fearless Lion Cathy Svarc will make her AFLW debut in Round 1". PerthNow. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Amy Hunter named Irish Times/Sport Ireland Sportswoman for October". The Irish Times. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  8. ^ Eoin Ryan (5 April 2022). "Orla O'Dwyer first Irishwoman to make AFLW All-Australian selection". RTE Sport.


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