ARMAGH sisters Blaithin and Aimee Mackin are on a mission to win an AFLW premiership together for the Melbourne Demons.
The close-knit siblings are set to embark on their first Australian rules season together starting on Friday after Aimee followed in her sister’s footsteps by securing a move Down Under in the off-season.
Just four months into her debut season in Australia last year, Blaithin was part of a Melbourne team that won the club’s first AFLW Premiership, alongside Dublin’s Sinead Goldrick.
Blaithin memorably kicked Melbourne’s opening goal in their grand final victory over the Brisbane Lions in November last year and was also nominated for Best First Year Player.
Fast-forward to season 2023, and Blaithin has her feet firmly on the ground in her quest for more AFLW glory this time around.
“It was a perfect first year for me but it’s all been done and it’s in the past,” Blaithin told the Irish News.
“This is a new season so I am going to take it game by game and try to improve every week.
“I wanted to win the premiership for seven or eight girls, who have moved on as all-time greats after giving so much to the club since the competition started.
“Daisy Pearce (retired premiership captain) was one of my heroes and I wanted to win the premiership more so for her and the other great players than for myself.”
Blaithin, 24, will be playing on the wing again for the Dees this season. It’s an attacking role that the Allstar midfielder believes suits her Gaelic footballing attributes
“It’s really a midfield role and just like in Gaelic I have to run up and down the ground, create chances, and try to kick goals,” she explained.
“There is a lot of off-ball running and instead of being central on the pitch, I have to try to widen the pitch by moving the ball outside as well as inside the contest.
“The biggest difference between Australian rules and Gaelic football is he physical contact in AFLW, and this means having to adopt a mindset in which you have to protect your opponent as well as yourself.”
Blaithin’s definition of success in AFLW this year is to avoid focusing on mere wins and losses alone. Her team first approach mirrors her GAA mentality, which is to improve both as a team and individually and let the results take care of themselves.
“Success for me this year is to improve my skills and my knowledge week by week,” Blaithin explains.
“I try not to focus on results or think too far ahead.
“It’s about the team and us improving as a collective.”
When Aimee, 26, decided to move 10,000 miles across the other side of the world to join her younger sister at Melbourne, Blaithin believes a sense of normality returned to her life following her meteoric rise as an AFLW premiership player.
“Aimee and I have played Gaelic football together for all of our lives so it feels normal to have her as a teammate in AFLW,” Blaithin said.
“There’s no better environment to be in and everyone at the club has gone out of their way to make us feel welcome.
“I personally love it here, but everyone is different, so the lifestyle and being so far away from home won’t suit every GAA player back home.”
Read More on the Mackin sisters:
Armagh's Aimee Mackin ‘couldn't say no' to Australian opportunity
Mackin magic guides Armagh to Division Two title and promotion top flight
Blaithin Mackin helps Melbourne Demons to a famous victory
Blaithin and Aimee are both available for a full GAA season next year to boost Armagh’s prospects of winning silverware.
In April, Aimee scored a hat-trick and Blaithin shot 0-2 as The Orchard defeated Laois to be crowned Division 2 league champions at Croke Park.
The two sisters proudly lifted the trophy with their young nephew Eoin with beaming smiles across all three of their faces.
“Fortunately, the two seasons don’t overlap so we will be able to return to the GAA for a full programme of matches,” Blaithin explained.
Big sister Aimee admits that the opportunity to play in AFLW alongside Blaithin at Melbourne was an offer she couldn’t refuse but equally it wasn’t an easy decision.
The four-time Allstar turned down previous offers to play Australian rules, preferring to stay home, but this time she decided to take the plunge.
“It was a tough decision to be so far away from home so I said ‘No’ for a while but you are a long time retired so I decided to move knowing that Melbourne was the right club for me,” Aimee said.
“Having my sister here has definitely made the transition easier because we have played Gaelic football together all of our lives so playing for Melbourne together feels like home.
“The club have been absolutely brilliant, the players and staff have done everything for us, and that has also helped my transition to AFLW.”
As a first-year rookie player, Aimee accepts she will have to bide her time before she is thrust into Melbourne side alongside Blaithin in the forward line.
Unfazed by the challenge, she is confident that her Gaelic football skills will stand her in good stead for Australian rules after swapping the size five for an oval ball.
“I think my GAA background is helping me to adapt to my new role in Melbourne’s forward line,” Aimee said.
“I have to find gaps, kick instinctively, and back myself in, like I do in Gaelic.
“I know I have a lot to learn but I am like a sponge soaking everything up around me and my immediate goal is to get into the team and play as many matches as I can this season.”
Aimee also believes she has unfinished business back in the GAA next year for The Orchard.
In May a late Ciara McGarvey goal in a 1-10 to 0-9 win gave Tír Chonaill Ulster Championship glory over Armagh last year. Aimee was devastated having to leave the field with injury in the second-half and to miss out four-in-a-row, but is optimistic that Armagh can return to the winners podium next time around.
“After a full pre-season we will definitely improve next year,” Aimee said.
“Every year is a new opportunity to win silverware and we will back in 2024.”
Before then, Aimee’s sole focus is making an impact for Melbourne in her maiden AFLW season.
“I want to repay the club for everything they have done for me and Blaithin,” Aimee said.
“I know I have joined the right club because there’s no way I could play against my sister!”
