A BANGED-UP Canada will be aiming for back-to-back titles when it meets Ireland in the women's Grand Final of the AFL International Cup at Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Honours are even between the two nations, after the Irish won the inaugural tournament in 2011 and Canada took the title in 2014.
Northern Lights captain Aimee Legault, player of the tournament in 2014, said the road to the final has been far bumpier this time around.
"Fiji, Great Britain and USA [which Canada beat in the semi-final] have improved a lot, and it has definitely been a been a more physical tournament this time," she said. "We have lost two girls to knee injuries, but we are a tight-knit group."
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Legault, who last year tore an ACL and missed the AFL Women's competition trials, has played in both Grand Finals – in stark contrast to Ireland captain Onóra Mulcahy, who only picked up the game a year ago.
"Nobody is more surprised than I am," said Mulcahy. "It was a pretty fast transition and I am immensely proud to be pulling on the green, white and orange on the biggest stage in international women's footy."
Mulcahy was trying something different to stay fit for Gaelic Football. "Our natural game is evolved from Gaelic," said Mulcahy. "And we'll stick to what we do best on Saturday."
It worked in the semi-final against the Great Britain Swans, as the Banshees came from behind in the fourth quarter to kick two goals and secure a place in the Grand Final.
"Gaelic has its similarities, so the Irish players have an advantage having grown up with a sport where the ball movement is familiar," said Legault ahead of the clash.
"Nine of our girls only pulled on the Maple Leaf for the first time two weeks ago, but we work hard and we never give up."
"I watched an AFLW exhibition match at Etihad in 2015," she added. "It was pretty epic to see women running out on that turf and I remember thinking that it could be us some day. Now that dream has finally come true."
AFL INTERNATIONAL CUP GRAND FINALS
Men's division one
11.15am Saturday, August 19
New Zealand v Papua New Guinea, MCG
Women's competition
4.30pm Saturday, August 19
Canada v Ireland, Etihad Stadium
Go to AFL.com.au/internationalcup for scores, live streams of selected matches, feature stories and news from the tournament, and worldfootynews.com for reports on all matches.
