The AFLW journeys for Fremantle’s two pre-season Irish recruits will begin at the Gabba on Sunday with Amy Mulholland and Orlagh Lally to pull on the purple for the first time.
The Irish pair join Megan Kauffman and Madi Scanlon as Fremantle’s third and fourth debutants for their season opener against Brisbane this weekend.
Mulholland and Lally had the good news broken to them on Wednesday via a video link-up with AFLW Senior Coach Trent Cooper, AFLW Manager Darryn Fry, Irish teammate Aine Tighe, and each of their parents back home in Ireland.
However, the initial request for an all-in video call with their parents seemed a daunting prospect.
“They called us to see if we would do a Teams call with our parents back home and initially, we thought ‘ok this is their way of explaining how the system works and they are going to break the bad news that we are not travelling’ and that they were going to have our parents on to explain to them why we’re so devastated,” Mulholland said.
“All of these different scenarios were going through our heads!
“It was a surreal moment (to find out the news), and with Orlagh living with me - I can’t believe it’s been only three weeks that she has been in Australia, because I feel like I’ve known her a lifetime.
“That makes it extra special for both of us, to do this journey together.
Mulholland fell in love with the sport after starting out her football career with Wembley Amateurs last year in a premiership winning season, before joining Subiaco for a season in the WAFLW competition earlier this year.
18 months since first learning the basic skills of the game, Mulholland now finds herself on the verge of an AFLW debut for Fremantle.
“I can’t believe it’s already been six or seven weeks since I’ve been at Freo,” Mulholland said.
“I’ve enjoyed every minute and getting that news yesterday topped draft night to be honest, and the way Freo delivered it with our families on the call was extra special.
“I want to soak up this opportunity, you are only ever going to play your first game once and I want to take it all in and enjoy it,”
It’s been a whirlwind month for Lally, with the star midfielder in Gaelic Football winning back-to-back championships with her country Meath in front of 46,440 fans at Dublin’s famous Croke Park in late July.
She then celebrated her 21st birthday only days after, before flying out to Australia to embark on her AFLW career.
Lally said she also enjoyed having her parents back home on the call when Tighe broke the good news.
“It’s been pretty hectic, I was at home in Ireland at the end of July playing in the All-Ireland final…and now I’m on the other side of the world to start my AFLW career,” Lally said.
“(Our parents) were delighted for us, they have been really supportive, so it was lovely for them to hear the news and for each other’s parents to meet each other."
The pair had high praise for the guidance and leadership of Tighe since joining the Club this pre-season.
“I think I can see it in Aine how much she is enjoying having us around, and I suppose it also showcases her leadership skills - we would’ve been lost in the last couple months if we didn’t have Aine there. She is amazing,” Mulholland said.
“I think the journey Aine has had when she came over…she has showed huge resilience and is a true leader. She has been really good to us,” Lally said.
