Irish cross-coder and second-year Geelong forward Aishling Moloney earns maiden All Australian selection

Irish forward Aishling Moloney has committed to a new deal with Geelong less than a day after earning her first AFLW All Australian blazer — an honour shared with a childhood best friend.

Geelong’s Aishling Moloney with her leading goal kicker award at Monday’s W Awards. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

With lights dimmed at Monday’s W awards, Aishling Moloney initially didn’t register the other all-Australian selections.

Told to head backstage to collect her first all-Australian jacket, it was there the Geelong forward was joined by Tipperary clubmate and Fremantle midfielder-forward Aisling McCarthy, having just earned her first all-Australian nod too — the pair a long way from the small Irish town Cahir where they grew up.

“We had a little moment between ourselves because we would have grown up best friends from our hometown in Cahir, would have played in a lot of teams together, would have won a lot together, and probably we both could say we’ve both driven each other in terms of standards and expectations and we’d always been stubborn enough in our sport and in our ways and we’d always be competitive with each other,” Moloney said.

“It’s absolutely humungous, it’s an incredible achievement for a small club in Ireland, Cahir, maybe 400 or 500 members, to have two girls representing the stage.”

All Australian selections Aishling Moloney of the Cats and Aisling McCarthy of the Dockers. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Aishling Moloney and Aisling McCarthy celebrate winning the TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies Football Championship final for Tipperary in 2017. Picture: Instagram

Posting a photo of the all-Australian pair to her Instagram story, McCarthy captioned it: “small town, big dreams … Hon Cahir & Tipperary”.

Moloney followed McCarthy’s AFLW career early on, the latter drafted in 2018 to Western Bulldogs before moving to West Coast in 2021.

A further trade cross-town to Fremantle this year saw McCarthy come into All Australian form, with a career-high eight goals, alongside disposals (avg. 21.8), clearances (4.3) and tackles (8.2).

For Moloney, the rise to all-Australian has been much steeper after arriving in Australia in mid-2023 and continuing to balance AFLW and Gaelic commitments year-round.

Proud of the all-Australian recognition in just her second season, the 26-year-old said her focus had already snapped to 2025 and where she could improve following her 21-goal season.

“It’s kind of just taking one element at a time and trying to improve that,” she said.

“For me there is definitely loads (to improve on), I’m definitely not where I want to be in terms of playing.

“That’s why I’m kind of half surprised I won an All Australian — to me I think I have another bit to go before I’d think I’d be deserving of one.”

It’s a similar mindset Moloney had when it came to signing her new three-year deal with Geelong, announced on Tuesday.

“Hopefully at the end (of my first two years), Geelong wanted me back,” she said with a laugh.
“That was my initial kind of goal the last two years, that was in back of my head, I need to put myself in a position Geelong will want to re-sign me, so I was absolutely stoked they had offered me three years.”

‘Pull and push’

Moloney may be committed to a further three seasons in hoops, but the various sacrifices Irish players make to play in the AFLW is no secret.

Six months at home and six months abroad, it saw Cats defender Anna-Rose Kennedy make the decision earlier this month to return to Ireland for the 2025 season.

“There definitely is the pull and push,” Moloney said.

Anna-Rose Kennedy and Aishling Moloney both arrived at Geelong in 2023.

Moloney, who is a teammate of Kennedy’s at Tipperary, knows how seriously her 24-year-old friend takes both her sport and her career as a teacher.

“Anna-Rose, she’s very mature … she would have made that decision on behalf of herself for personal reasons and I’d support her in whatever she wanted to do,” she said.

“I’m delighted for her either way, she’s an incredible athlete and sportsperson and incredible human, no matter where she ends up in the world she’s going to give it 100 per cent.

“Hopefully next year, the year after she might decide that this (AFLW) might be for her, so definitely keeping the lines of communication open there.”

Moloney, who will return to Ireland in late December, is taking some time to rest her body before getting stuck into another Gaelic pre-season with Tipperary.

“I’m raring to go, I want to keep going and I want to go back running and whatnot but I know it’s just best to give myself a rest, even though I don’t really like resting, I like to be on the go all the time,” she said.

Earlier

Irish star Aishling Moloney has committed her future to Geelong and the AFLW after inking a new long-term deal.

The Cats announced the three-year contract extension for Moloney less than a day after the 26-year-old earned a maiden All Australian jacket following her record-breaking season in front of goal.

Named centre half forward in the 21-player All Australian team at Monday night’s W Awards in Melbourne, Moloney also picked up her first league leading goal kicker medal alongside Brisbane’s Taylor Smith.

The 2024 AFLW All Australian team, excluding four absent Brisbane Lions players. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Geelong Cats assistant football boss Brett Johnson said the club was thrilled to secure Moloney’s talents until the end of 2027, labelling her a “key piece of our future”.

“She’s been a game-changer since joining the Cats and has quickly established herself as a key part of our forward ­structure,” Johnson said.

“To achieve what Aishling has in such a short time is remarkable ... her development has been outstanding.

“We are incredibly excited to see Aishling continue to grow and reach new heights with us.”

Moloney became the first Irish talent to win the league’s goalkicking award, with her and Smith’s 21 majors a league record for most goals scored in a season.

Speaking on the broadcast, Moloney said she was “delighted” to be involved in the night, before shouting out her parents watching on back home in Ireland.

“You have to commend everyone from the AFLW for welcoming us Irish here with all our craziness,” Moloney said.

It’s been a big 2024 for Moloney, who was also nominated for an All Star award back in Ireland for her Gaelic season with Tipperary, while a later pre-season arrival at Geelong did little to hamper what was just her second season playing with a Sherrin.

Her most eye-catching performances in front of goal included a four-goal effort against Gold Coast and six-goal haul against West Coast, while she was also the Cats’ best in their defeat against Richmond.

Averaging 14.2 disposals and five score involvements a game, Moloney finished runner-up to Nina Morrison in the Cats’ best and fairest earlier this month.

Moloney was one of three Irish cross-coders in this year’s All Australian team, with Tipperary teammate and friend Aishling McCarthy earning her first blazer for an impressive season with Fremantle.

All three Irish players – including Hawthorn’s Aileen Gilroy – featured in the forward line. Meanwhile, Adelaide’s Emily Marinoff took home her first AFLW league best and fairest, with Port Adelaide’s Matilda Scholz named Rising Star before beating out Geelong’s Rachel Kearns for mark of the year.

Moloney, along with ­Morrison and Julia Crockett-Grills have also been nominated from Geelong for AFL Players’ Most Valuable Player award, which was crowned at the AFLW MVP awards on Tuesday night.

Originally published as Irish cross-coder and second-year Geelong forward Aishling Moloney earns maiden All Australian selection