Kildare's Neasa Dooley to represent Ireland this week
Athy’s Neasa Dooley playing for AFLW side, Brisbane Lions.
A new contract quickly followed which sees the 26-year-old competing in the AFL for the second year in a row.
If that wasn’t enough Neasa has been selected on the Ireland team to face Australia in the first ever women’s game under AFL Rules before a sell-out crowd of 10,000 at North Sydney Oval on Saturday next, August 1st.
Speaking to the Kildare Nationalist as she prepared for the international game this week Neasa reflected positively on her rookie season with Brisbane Lions in the AFLW.
“It was really good. I’m just going into my second season now and I’m a lot more confident and knowing the game a lot more”, she explained.
Despite appearing in the AFLW for the first time in 2025, Dooley wasn’t nervous citing a 12-to-15-week preseason as being helpful before she made her League debut in Round 2 and scored two goals as an interchange player.
She enjoyed the change in lifestyle from a full-time job and playing football in Ireland to playing and training full time Down Under.
“In Ireland you’re out very early for work and home very late at night but here there’s so much more free time,” she told us.
“You’re still working essentially for your five days a week but in a much more professional environment where you can focus a lot on yourself and make sure you’re getting the best out of what you’re doing in training and recovery to allow you to play quite well in games,” she said.
The former Athy player scored many crucial goals for her club and county but her first two goals in her debut game with Brisbane Lions gave her equal enjoyment.
“There was a buzz to get the two goals my debut game, yeah, definitely, it’s good scoring goals in the net,” she said excitedly.
Being involved with Brisbane Lions allows for plenty of recognition from the fans but Neasa is able to take all that in her stride. Winning an All-Ireland with Kildare was special for the former Lilywhite sharpshooter.
“Obviously, the All-Ireland with Kildare was huge. It’s your hometown and it’s your your county. I really loved playing with Kildare and our achievements. The Grand Final result here was a disappointment last year but I’m looking forward to what’s ahead and hopefully we can get there again this year,” she said.
Unlike playing in Ireland where the closed season is short Neasa Dooley enjoyed a long closed season in the AFLW running from December last year to mid-May of this year, which allowed her to do some travelling.
“I got to the United States and visited New York, New Orleans and Nashville,” she explained.
“I got to go home for three weeks which was very nice as well. When I got back to Australia, I visited the likes of Sydney and Melbourne. You have those six months off to travel and make good use of it. We had our first practice two weeks ago; that’s the first time I’ve played since the Grand Final. Back home I was playing 365 days a year.”
Pre-season in the AFLW is a mixture of the hard slog and skills training while a great emphasis is placed on S&C.
“They’re very big on the skills over here so it’s always included within the sessions but the hard slog and the hard running is paying off now towards the end of the preseason, as we’re only a couple of weeks away from Round 1. It’s a lot more of a contact sport, more physical, so you want to keep the strength up and keep that extra bit of cushioning on for the hard tackles,” Neasa explained.
The Kildare county player is delighted to have been included along with two of her Brisbane Lions team mates, Jennifer Dunne (Dublin) and Orla O’Dwyer (Tipperary) on the Ireland team to face Australia on Saturday.
Three other Lions team mates are on the Australia team which gives rise to plenty of banter between the six players. New Swans Coach, Colin O’Riordan (Tipperary) is part of the Irish Management Team along with Dooley’s Brisbane Lions Coach, Craig Starcevich.
“We assemble in Sydney early next week and we get together on Thursday and Friday. There are a couple of activities and events planned for us around the game,” Neasa told us.
“We want to be able to show off what we can do as an Irish team. We want to play the same and use our weapons such speed and our skills to hopefully come away with a couple of scores of the board. At the end of the day, we were not going there just to show up,” Dooley said defiantly.
“To put on the green jersey, something I thought I’d never do and we’re making history is pretty cool. Representing Ireland but also your family at home is a is pretty special feeling,” she added proudly. Being a coach herself is not something Neasa would rule out.
“It’s always nice to help out, especially with the younger generation in the home club that I’ve been a part of myself and show my appreciation for all the years they gave me.”
Before all that, Neasa is concentrating on playing for Ireland on Saturday next and with Brisbane Lions in the season ahead.
“To go out there and make history (on Saturday) and hopefully get a bit of silverware at the end of it is what I’m looking forward to. Beyond that I’m looking forward to the new season with the club. Hopefully we’ll make a good start but we’ll take it game by game and see how we go,” she concluded.
Kayleigh Cronin, Jennifer Dunne.
Erika O'Shea, Grace Kelly, Sinead Goldrick.
Niamh Kelly, Aisling McCarthy, Dayna Finn.
Sarah Rowe, Vikki Wall, Orla O'Dwyer.
Aishling Moloney, Aine McDonagh.
Eilish O'Dowd, Erone Fitzpatrick, Niamh McLaughlin.
Blaithin Bogue, Amy Boyle-Carr, Neasa Dooley, Amy Gavin Mangan, Rachel Kearns, Tanya Kennedy, Orlagh Lally, Niamh Martin, Paris McCarthy.
