Since the Melbourne Demons recruited Sean Wright, the first Irishman to feature on a VFL/AFL list, in 1982, 62 more Irishmen have made their way onto a list.
Of those 63, 21 have played an AFL game, a number that is set to grow further with an impressive 12 Irishmen currently on an AFL list.
The “Irish Experiment” is the popular term to describe the interest in bringing Irish Gaelic footballers over to Australia to try their hand at our great game.
It is an experiment that has had great success over its 35-year lifespan, headlined by Melbourne’s Jim Stynes winning the Brownlow Medal in 1991 and Tadhg Kennelly winning a premiership with the Sydney Swans in 2005.
Melbourne and Carlton are the greatest advocates of the Irish connection, with both clubs having given debuts to four Irish players over the course of the last three and a half decades.
Read: Swans plan to face former teammate Tom Mitchell
On Saturday night, Hawthorn became the 10th club to debut an Irishman, when Conor Glass ran out in the brown and gold against Fremantle.
Hailing from County Derry, Glass became the first man of Irish descent to be listed by Hawthorn when they called his name with pick 62 in the 2016 Rookie Draft.
Yet to turn 20 years of age, Glass has thrived in the Hawks’ system, quickly looking comfortable on a half-back flank for the Box Hill Hawks in the VFL.
On Saturday night, the attributes that first piqued the interest of Hawthorn recruiters were on show, with Glass putting his exhilarating leg speed and strong level of composure on display for all excited Hawks fans.
Glass finished with 15 disposals, five marks and two tackles in what was a promising debut for the red-headed youngster.
Glass has a way to go in reaching the heights that some of his fellow countrymen have realised, but Saturday night was nevertheless a thrilling step for both club and player.
