Vikki Wall of Meath in action against Danielle Caldwell of Mayo during the Lidl Ladies Football National League Division 1 Semi-Final match between Mayo and Meath at St Tiernach's Park in Clones, Monaghan.
By Paul Keane
All-Ireland winning Meath ladies manager Eamonn Murray has said he expects star performer Vikki Wall to play in the AFLW next season.
The reigning senior Player of the Year, and 2020 intermediate Player of the Year, is a powerful performer whose hard running and high skill set appears to have won over Australian scouts.
Dunboyne star Wall hasn't spoken publicly about her future though boss Murray said at a press event ahead of Sunday's Lidl National League Division 1 final between Meath and Donegal that it is his belief that the versatile forward will be snapped up.
There were 14 Irish players contracted to AFLW clubs in the 2021/2022 season and Wall now looks set to add to that number.
"Of course that's going to happen," replied Murray when asked if he expected Wall and her club and county colleague Emma Duggan to command the interest of Australian teams. "That is going to happen, yeah. I'd say we're losing Vikki now in September and I don't know how many more we'll lose."
Four new teams will join the AFLW next season, bringing to 18 the number of clubs that will participate in the semi-professional game. If Wall does sign up, she will become the first player from Meath to do so.
It is unclear if that would affect her future with Meath though manager Murray agreed that, in general, it is important that the group make the most of the current opportunities with the squad they have.
"Oh God yeah, these days won't last forever," he said, describing it as a special period for the county. "We want to take advantage of that, and we will."
