The Irish national Australian rules football team represent Ireland in Australian rules football and is selected from the best Irish born and raised players primarily from the clubs of the Australian Rules Football League of Ireland but also playing abroad.
The men's team formed in 2001, going through the Atlantic Alliance Cup undefeated in 2001 to become European champions before also taking the 2002 AFL International Cup where it has made the finals ever since including a 2011 championship. In the early 2010s it was a European powerhouse, winning back-to-back AFL Europe championships in 2010 and 2013 and Euro Cup championships in 2011 and 2012. In 2022 it won the AFL Europe championship and 2023, the EU Cup. It has formed intense international rivalries with Papua New Guinea and New Zealand and European rivalries with Great Britain and Denmark and remains in the top five nations in the sport.
The women's team formed in 2011 for its International Cup debut and is equally successful, being crowned European champions in 2019 and 2022 (the most of any women's side) in addition to a record 6 Euro Cup championships. It has made the final in every International Cup with 2 International Cup forming a strong rivalry with Canada.
The performance of the Irish team is often influenced by the availability of experienced players from Gaelic games, especially Gaelic football, due to the similarities between the two sports. While the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Australian Football League maintain a long-standing relationship through International Rules matches, Ireland's Australian Rules team is typically composed of club-level Gaelic footballers. This cross-sport familiarity contributes to Ireland's competitive standing at the international level.
The team was first nicknamed "Fianna na hÃÂireann" (Irish for "Fianna of Ireland") after a band of heroic warriors in Irish mythology. In 2005, it was renamed the "Green Machine" however in 2014 it reverted to "Ireland Warriors" and has retained this nickname since.
The team wears a green (one of the national colours of Ireland) guernsey with a Celtic strip featuring the Irish harp symbol. For the 2022 AFL European Championships, both men's and women's teams adopted a darker green, ditching the harp for a more traditional Australian rules guernsey consisting of a white and orange chevron across the chest.
The Irish team won the Atlantic Alliance Cup in 2001 to become the Northern Hemisphere champions.
In the following year, the team participated in the inaugural Australian Football International Cup and finished first, leaving the competition as international champions. The team benefited from the availability of several Gaelic football players.
In 2005, Ireland finished fourth. An increasingly competitive New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the United States of America finished ahead of Ireland and the team suffered from injury and the Gaelic Athletic Association discouraging the use of Gaelic players.
The Green Machine's best and fairest player (from the 2005 International Cup) is Mike Finn.
Recently the national team played a curtain raiser at the West Coast Eagles vs Fremantle exhibition match at the Oval in London where they beat the British Bulldogs.
The Warriors finished fourth again at the 2008 Australian Football International Cup and the best and fairest player was once again Mike Finn. Three Irish players were selected in the All-International team.
The Warriors won the inaugural European Championships in 2010 defeating Denmark in the final 11.2(68) to 8.3(51). Warriors captain Cian Quigley was named Best on Ground in the final. Three Irish players were named on the Team of the Tournament.
In 2011 the Warriors won the fourth International Cup beating PNG 8.5 (53) to 5.5 (35). Mike Finn was named Best on Ground in the final. Three Irish players were selected in the All-International team.
The Warriors returned to the International Cup in 2014 fielding a strong team.