PROSPECTIVE Irish talents Mary-Kate Lynch and Aoife (ee-fa) Horisk lit up the track at last week's Telstra AFLW Draft Combine, catching the eye in the athletic testing.
Along with men's players Ruairi Forbes and Cillian Bourke, the pair were invited by the AFL after being talent spotted showing their wares playing Gaelic football.
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Horisk, from County Tyrone, was the fastest woman in the 20m sprint, and finished 10th in the 2km time trial around the athletics track at the AIA Centre.
She has been likened to a high half-forward, given her ability to hit the scoreboard and workrate, with Tyrone having taken out the title in the second division this year.
Lynch – who played in Meath's All-Ireland Grand Final loss this year alongside Vikki Wall and Aoibhin Cleary – was a heartbeat slower than her countrywoman, finishing in second in the 20m sprint.
She traditionally plays a lockdown role for Meath, and came face to face with Geelong and Tipperary star Aishling Moloney earlier this year.
The pair are likely to nominate for the Telstra AFLW Draft at the end of the year, with a number of sides interested.
In other Combine results, Gold Coast Academy prospect and forward Alannah Welsh ran the second-fastest official 2km time trial time, just behind now-Western Bulldog Sarah Poustie's record set last year.
Fellow Sun Mikayla Nurse – who has improved her ranking considerably after a strong year of football – finished second in the 2km and third in the sprint, the fastest of the 18-year-olds behind the Irish duo.
Eastern Ranges wing Asher Fearn-Wannan, who stands at 177cm, set the second-fastest time ever in the agility test (behind now-Dog Zimmie Farquharson), as well as finishing first in the running vertical jump and fifth in the standing vertical jump.
Sydney Academy key forward Alex Neyland also impressed with a well-rounded performance, finishing second in the agility, standing and vertical jumps, and fifth in the 2km time trial.
2km time trial
|
Name |
State |
Clubs |
Time (min:sec) |
|
Alannah Welsh |
QLD |
Gold Coast Suns Academy/Southport |
7:07 |
|
Mikayla Nurse |
QLD |
Gold Coast Suns Academy/Southport |
7:18 |
|
Juliet Kelly |
WA |
Claremont/Marist |
7:21 |
|
Chloe Bown |
VIC M |
Oakleigh Chargers/Kew Comets |
7:33 |
|
Alex Neyland |
NSW |
Sydney Swans Academy/Singleton |
7:40 |
|
Georja Davies |
QLD |
Gold Coast Suns Academy/Southport |
7:43 |
|
Mia Anderson |
TAS |
Tasmania Devils/Clarence |
7:49 |
|
Mischa Barwin |
TAS |
Tasmania Devils/Lauderdale |
7:50 |
|
Olivia Wolmarans |
WA |
Subiaco/Mt Hawthorn Cardinals |
7:50 |
|
Aoife Horisk |
IRE |
County Tyrone/Errigan Ciaran |
7:51 |
20m sprint
|
Name |
State |
Clubs |
Time (sec) |
|
Aoife Horisk |
IRE |
County Tyrone/Errigan Ciaran |
3.148 |
|
Mary-Kate Lynch |
IRE |
County Meath/Summerhill |
3.169 |
|
Mikayla Nurse |
QLD |
Gold Coast Suns Academy/Southport |
3.207 |
|
Lucy Waye |
SA |
West Adelaide/Goodwood Saints |
3.209 |
|
Asher Fearn-Wannan |
VIC M |
Eastern Ranges/Blackburn |
3.227 |
|
Alicia Blizard |
WA |
East Fremantle/Willetton |
3.237 |
|
Josephine Bamford |
VIC M |
Eastern Ranges/Ferntree Gully Eagles |
3.243 |
|
Eloise Mackereth |
SA |
Glenelg/Plympton |
3.250 |
|
Madeline Quinn |
NSW |
Sydney Swans Academy/UTS Bats |
3.258 |
|
Scarlett Johnson |
VIC M |
Northern Knights/Eltham |
3.286 |
Agility
|
Name |
State |
Clubs |
Time (sec) |
|
Asher Fearn-Wannan |
VIC M |
Eastern Ranges/Blackburn |
8.300 |
|
Alex Neyland |
NSW |
Sydney Swans Academy/Singleton |
8.500 |
|
Scarlett Johnson |
VIC M |
Northern Knights/Eltham |
8.538 |
|
Alicia Blizard |
WA |
East Fremantle/Willetton |
8.549 |
|
Priya Bowering |
TAS |
Tasmania Devils/Lauderdale |
8.569 |
|
Lucy Waye |
SA |
West Adelaide/Goodwood Saints |
8.594 |
|
Mikayla Nurse |
QLD |
Gold Coast Suns Academy/Southport |
8.632 |
|
Lily Baxter |
SA |
South Adelaide/Victor Harbor |
8.660 |
|
Nalu Brothwell |
VIC C |
Dandenong Stingrays/Balnarring |
8.660 |
|
Mia Russo |
WA |
West Perth/Wanneroo |
8.666 |
Vertical jump
|
Name |
State |
Clubs |
Height (cm) |
|
Priya Bowering |
TAS |
Tasmania Devils/Lauderdale |
59 |
|
Alex Neyland |
NSW |
Sydney Swans Academy/Singleton |
57 |
|
Josephine Bamford |
VIC M |
Eastern Ranges/Ferntree Gully Eagles |
55 |
|
Dekota Baron |
QLD |
Gold Coast Suns/Southport |
55 |
|
Asher Fearn-Wannan |
VIC M |
Eastern Ranges/Blackburn |
55 |
|
Lucy Waye |
SA |
West Adelaide/Goodwood Saints |
55 |
|
Mia Anderson |
TAS |
Tasmania Devils/Clarence |
53 |
|
Mizuki Brothwell |
VIC C |
Dandenong Stingrays/Balnarring |
51 |
|
Olivia Wolmarans |
WA |
Subiaco/Mt Hawthorn Cardinals |
51 |
|
Mikayla Nurse |
QLD |
Gold Coast Suns Academy/Southport |
50 |
Running vertical jump
|
Name |
State |
Clubs |
Height (cm) |
|
Asher Fearn-Wannan |
VIC M |
Eastern Ranges/Blackburn |
73 |
|
Alex Neyland |
NSW |
Sydney Swans Academy/Singleton |
73 |
|
Priya Bowering |
TAS |
Tasmania Devils/Lauderdale |
66 |
|
Josephine Bamford |
VIC M |
Eastern Ranges/Ferntree Gully Eagles |
65 |
|
Dekota Baron |
QLD |
Gold Coast Suns/Southport |
65 |
|
Madeline Quinn |
NSW |
Sydney Swans Academy/UTS Bats |
64 |
|
Mizuki Brothwell |
VIC C |
Dandenong Stingrays/Balnarring |
63 |
|
Georja Davies |
QLD |
Gold Coast Suns Academy/Southport |
63 |
|
Scarlett Johnson |
VIC M |
Northern Knights/Eltham |
63 |
|
Lucy Waye |
SA |
West Adelaide/Goodwood Saints |
63 |
