Jack Gunston and Luke Breust unlocked Áine McDonagh's AFLW potential
Áine McDonagh rebuilt her confidence after Hawks legends gave her an impromptu goal-kicking lesson early in her Hawthorn AFLW career.
McDonagh came from Galway, Ireland, where she excelled at Gaelic football and basketball before joining the AFLW in 2022. Suddenly playing an unfamiliar sport, she struggled.
McDonagh was honest about hiding her unhappiness during those early months and felt out of place among teammates who had grown up with AFL. Early on, she was practising goal-kicks on the Hawthorn shed floor when Breust and Gunston spotted her and spent half an hour teaching her technique.
She didn't know they were three-time premiers. "They were just nice guys just trying to help me out," she said later.
That kindness rebuilt her belief. Now 28, McDonagh has become a dynamic forward who scores every match and draws fans to Hawthorn games.
She credits that impromptu lesson with changing everything.
- Moycullen, Galway, Ireland
- Hometown
- 2022
- AFLW debut year
- Luke Breust, Jack Gunston
- Mentors
- 28
- Current age
Why it mattersShows how experienced players mentoring newcomers unlocks potential in athletes making a major sports transition, strengthening the AFLW community.
AustraliaHawthorn's nurturing of international talent like McDonagh demonstrates how the AFLW is building depth and attracting global athletes to Australian footy.
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