Sydney Swans AFLW midfielder Tanya Kennedy has been withdrawn from Ireland’s squad for the AFLW NAB Australia v Ireland game on Saturday, August 1.

A conservative approach will be taken with Kennedy, who has been managing a back injury.

“We were extremely proud of Tanya when she was initially selected, so it’s disappointing that she won’t be able to represent Ireland alongside her teammate Paris McCarthy and coach Colin O’Riordan,” Sydney Swans Executive General Manager AFLW Football, Kate Mahony said. 

“However, she is an important player for us, and the positive news is we expect her to be available for our Round 1 match against Adelaide.”

The Swans will still have four representatives involved in the Australia v Ireland match at North Sydney Oval, with Zippy Fish and Chloe Molloy representing Australia, and Paris McCarthy and senior coach Colin O’Riordan representing Ireland.

The sold-out 2026 NAB AFLW Australia v Ireland match will be played under Australian Football rules, using a classic Sherrin football, and bring together some of the competition’s biggest stars and emerging talent to celebrate the continued growth of women’s football and the strong connection between AFLW and Ireland.

Following the strong demand for the match, the AFL is also pleased to confirm a limited number of additional tickets will be released at 2pm AEST on Tuesday, 28 July via Ticketmaster.

Starting at 4.15pm AEST, the match will be broadcast live nationally on Fox Footy, Kayo Sports, Kayo Freebies and Binge.