The Irish connection that helped Blues snag AFLW star
Anna Harrington |
When Erone Fitzpatrick received a life-changing offer to leave Ireland for an AFLW contract, she knew exactly who to turn to.
Ahead of the 2023 season, Carlton scouted Fitzpatrick during her All-Ireland intermediate final win, then met with her four days later.
Soon enough, the Gaelic football star from County Laoise was on the phone to another local in former Carlton and Geelong defender Zach Tuohy.
“I got verbally offered the contract. It wasn’t officially in writing yet,” Fitzpatrick, 24, told AAP.
“And that’s when I contacted Zach Tuohy, because I knew he was here before.
“I remember ringing and being like, ‘what are they gonna ask me? Like, what’s the process gonna be like?’ He was a huge help.
“I even went down to visit him in Geelong after I’d done my knee as well
“Just to see the player that he is over here and the impact that he has on the younger generation at home in Portlaoise, with it being such a small town, is really cool.”
If Tuohy put Laoise on the map then Fitzpatrick, one of 39 Irish players on AFLW lists this season, is making her own mark.
The dynamic forward, affectionately nicknamed ‘Ronnie the Rocket’, has starred in Carlton’s charge to Saturday’s AFLW preliminary final against Brisbane.
“The interest is growing at home because people at home are starting to see how well the Irish actually are doing out here,” she said.
“We just bring a different flair. We just bring something different. We bring speed to the game.
“When Irish players do play, they put on an exhibition, which is really cool.
“We all support each other a lot and it is a hard transition coming over and not having much family and stuff here. So there is a good support system amongst the Irish here.
“The Irish are slowly but surely dominating.”
Slowly but surely sums up Fitzpatrick’s own path to AFLW stardom.
Fitzpatrick impressed in her debut season while working in the club’s cafe and shop alongside Irish teammate Dayna Finn.
But she tore her ACL in the final game of 2023 and had to wait 648 days for her next AFLW appearance – round one this year.
Heading home was an obvious option.
Instead, Fitzpatrick put homesickness to the back of her mind, stayed in Melbourne and got to work.
She was always an explosive athlete but worked on her nutrition to change her body composition, while taking up a role on Carlton’s bench last season.
Fitzpatrick has kicked 13 goals and averaged 17.5 disposals while becoming one of the league’s most exciting players, earning selection to the extended All-Australian squad.
“I’m faster, I’m stronger, I’m more explosive, I’m more powerful,” she said.
“I’m happy with the decision that I made. Because I feel like if I’d went home, it could have been a very different story. I’ve come out a better player.
“You’re so envious of everybody else when you’re sitting on the sidelines that I was like, ‘this is my opportunity now’, and I just wanted to take it.”
Now, the young, exciting Blues have every reason to believe they can overhaul the Lions at Brighton Homes Arena.
“We’re going to go in really confident, because we have beaten them already, and we’ve beaten them in Brisbane as well, which is really good,” Fitzpatrick said.
And with her parents to make the long trip over if Carlton reach the grand final, she is daring to dream of something even bigger.
“Why not go all the way?” she said.
AAP
