Irish Watch: AFLW Grand Final Review

A record crowd saw Ailish Considine and the Adelaide Crows win the 2019 AFLW Grand Final in commanding fashion over Carlton.

53,034.

This incredible figure will be a talking point for many years to come, as South Australian’s flocked to the Adelaide Oval on Sunday afternoon to witness a history-making AFLW Grand Final.

In a match riddled with incredible stories from both Adelaide and Carlton, Irish pioneer Ailish Considine would make her mark on the biggest stage as she became the first European AFLW premiership player.

With five Irish girls beginning this incredible AFLW journey, Considine would fly the Irish flag fittingly to the end as after just eight weeks of professional football she managed to achieve the ultimate goal.

After obliterating the Cats in the preliminary final last weekend, the Crows came into the Grand Final red hot favourites to overcome a Carlton side that built solid momentum throughout the back end of the season.

Typical of all grand finals, it was on from the first bounce as a fired-up Carlton outfit pressured the Crows into mistakes early and managed to hit the scoreboard first.

Despite the best efforts of the Blues early, the Crows machine would eventually kick into gear as they began to match Carlton around the contest and burn them on the outside.

In a dazzling first-half display, the Crows skipped away to a huge 42-point lead at the main break, with the Blues simply unable to match their class.

After a couple of solid weeks upon returning to the side, Ailish Considine continued to thrive in her role as a pressure forward with her attack on the ball and relentless ferocity critical in causing Carlton mistakes.

She would also contribute a crucial first quarter goal to get the Crows rolling, with the Irishwoman saluting to the 50,000 strong crowd in what turned out to be a memorable moment.

As the siren sounded, the Crows would see themselves 45 points ahead as they claimed a very well deserved second AFLW premiership.

The only downside from the afternoon would be ACL injuries to forward Chloe Scheer and superstar Erin Phillips, with the latter claiming best on ground honours despite being stretchered off in the third term.

So, with the AFLW season now finished it has been truly incredible to see the growth of the Irish players with all five making solid contributions to their respective clubs.

With Ailish fortunate enough to taste the glory of a premiership, it is amazing to think how far these girls can come in future years and the talent they will inspire to come over and participate in the great game of Australian Rules Football.

By Zac Standish.