Niamh McLaughlin

Niamh McLaughlin
Personal information
Born (1993-08-31) 31 August 1993
Original teams County Donegal (LGFA)
Moville (Donegal GAA)
Debut Round 1, 2023, Gold Coast vs. Carlton, at Princes Park
Height 157 cm (5 ft 2 in)
Position Medium defender
Club information
Current club Gold Coast
Number 11
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2023– Gold Coast 33 (6)
International team honours2
Years Team Games (Goals)
2026 Ireland 1 (1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2025.
2 Representative statistics correct as of 2026.
Career highlights

Niamh McLaughlin (born 31 August 1993) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Gold Coast Suns in the AFL Women's (AFLW).[1] A tri-code athlete, she has previously played Gaelic football for County Donegal in the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association as well as association football in her younger years.[2]

LGFA career

McLaughlin captained County Donegal. In 2022, she helped Donegal to the semi finals of the 2022 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship and runners-up of the 2022 Ladies' National Football League.[3]

In 2022, she received her first Ladies' All Star Award. She is also a three-time Irish News Ulster GAA All-Star, and in 2022 won the LGFA Footballer of the Year.[4]

AFL Women's career

McLaughlin was signed by the Gold Coast Suns in the AFL Women's in March 2023.[3][5] She made her debut for the club in round one of the 2023 AFL Women's season against Carlton, and helped the club qualify for an elimination final. In 2024, she was the runner-up in Gold Coast's Club Champion award.[2]

Ahead of the 2025 season, she made history as the first Irish captain of a professional Australian rules football club, being named co-captain alongside Lucy Single.[4][6] In 2025, the Suns finished last to win the wooden spoon, but McLaughlin was named in the All-Australian team for the first time.[7] She was also named in the Irish representative squad to take on Australia in the 2026 AFL Women's Australia v Ireland match prior to the 2026 season.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Niamh McLaughlin | AFL". goldcoastfc.com.au. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 Whiting, Michael (12 August 2025). "'I wrestled with it': The tough call that cleared the path for new Suns skipper". AFL Media.
  3. 1 2 "Niamh McLaughlin: Donegal captain and Player of the Year makes Aussie Rules move". British Broadcasting Corporation. 21 March 2023.
  4. 1 2 Grimley, Liam (12 August 2025). "Donegal star Niamh McLaughlin ready to make history as the first Irish captain in the AFL". The Irish News.
  5. ↑ "Niamh McLaughlin: Moves to Aussie Rules 'too good to turn down' says Donegal captain". British Broadcasting Corporation. 22 March 2023.
  6. ↑ McMullan, Michael (15 July 2025). "McLaughlin appointed as Gold Coast joint captain". Gaelic Life.
  7. ↑ Madden, Jack (25 November 2025). "Bláithín Bogue and Niamh McLaughlin amongst five Irish on All-Australian AFLW side for 2025". The Irish News.
  8. ↑ Craig, Frank (23 June 2026). "Donegal trio all make Ireland panel for historic AFLW clash with Australia". Donegal Live.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.