THERE will be stars on every line of the stacked Australian squad of 25 named to face Ireland in the NAB AFLW representative match on August 1.
Another 10 premiership players have been added to the initial reveal of eight players: North Melbourne trio Tahlia Randall, Libby Birch and Emma Kearney, unsung Melbourne favourites Tyla Hanks, Maeve Chaplin and Tahlia Gillard, and decorated quartet Ebony Marinoff, Chelsea Biddell, Sophie Conway and Maddi Gay.
The Essendon defender will be on return from an ACL strain that ruined her 2025 campaign.
Mim Strom will unite with Matilda Scholz in the ruck, while Chloe Molloy and Ella Roberts will cause headaches wherever they line up.
St Kilda quiet achiever Tyanna Smith has made the cut, as has Ellie McKenzie, who is a strong chance to play as a permanent forward, such is the midfield depth on offer.
Last year's All-Australians Gab Newton, Indy Tahau, Serene Watson and Cambridge McCormick were all overlooked, as were Ally Anderson, Belle Dawes, Charlie Rowbottom, Tilly Lucas-Rodd and Laura Gardiner.
In a marked generational shift, veteran players who would normally have made up a team like this – including Kiara Bowers, Chelsea Randall, Tayla Harris, Ellie Blackburn and Paxy Paxman – weren't selected, with Kearney the nod to the old guard, given her sustained excellent form.
The Western Bulldogs do not have a single player selected in either of the Australian or Irish teams.
The Australian team has also announced its wider support staff:
Coach: Darren Crocker (North Melbourne)
Assistants: Daisy Pearce (West Coast), Ben Brown (Essendon head of AFLW development), Courtney Cramey (Adelaide assistant), Tanya Hetherington (Sydney assistant)
Chair of selectors: Debbie Lee
Football operations: Michelle Cowan (West Coast)
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Chelsea Biddell (team: Adelaide, home state: South Australia)
Libby Birch (North Melbourne, Victoria)
Maeve Chaplin (Melbourne, Victoria)
Monique Conti (Richmond, Victoria)
Sophie Conway (Brisbane, Queensland)
Harriet Cordner (Carlton, Victoria)
Zippy Fish (Sydney, Western Australia)
Jasmine Garner (North Melbourne, Victoria)
Maddi Gay (Essendon, Victoria)
Tahlia Gillard (Melbourne, Victoria)
Tyla Hanks (Melbourne, Victoria)
Courtney Hodder (Brisbane, Western Australia)
Kate Hore (Melbourne, Victoria)
Emma Kearney (North Melbourne, Victoria)
Ebony Marinoff (Adelaide, South Australia)
Ellie McKenzie (Richmond, Victoria)
Chloe Molloy (Sydney, Victoria)
Georgie Prespakis (Geelong, Victoria)
Tahlia Randall (North Melbourne, Queensland)
Ash Riddell (North Melbourne, Victoria)
Ella Roberts (West Coast, Western Australia)
Matilda Scholz (Port Adelaide, South Australia)
Tyanna Smith (St Kilda, Victoria)
Mim Strom (Fremantle, Western Australia)
Charlie Thomas (West Coast, Western Australia)
"We're excited by the group of players we've assembled to represent Australia," coach Crocker said.
"Selecting just 25 players was an enormous challenge given the depth of talent across the competition, but we believe we've put together a well-balanced squad with the experience, leadership and attributes to be more than competitive and showcase how far our game has come. We can’t wait to see them come together against Ireland.
"Representing your country is a special honour, and we know the players selected will embrace the opportunity to be part of this historic clash."
The game will be played at 4:15pm AEST on August 1 at North Sydney Oval, with a Sherrin under Australian Rules. It will be broadcast live nationally on Fox Footy, Kayo Sports, Kayo Freebies and Binge.
Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, June 24 via Ticketmaster. Club and AFL members will have access from 10am AEST, with the general public at 12pm.
Adult tickets are $25, youth aged 15-17 are $15, children aged 14 and under are $5, with tickets for a family of four for $50.
