Kilkenny's Joyce to depart Brisbane Lions
Darragh Joyce will not be offered a new contract by the Brisbane Lions, ending his tenure with the AFL club. Meanwhile, fellow Irish athlete Finbarr Roarty is set to join Collingwood on a two-year rookie contract.
Why it matters
This reflects the ongoing trend of Irish Gaelic football and hurling players transitioning to professional Australian Rules Football.
Kilkenny's Darragh Joyce's AFL future is up in the air as Premiership champions Brisbane Lions confirmed that they will not be offering him a new contract.
The Rower–Inistioge hurler joined St Kilda as a category B international rookie and played 13 AFL games for the Saints over six years.
Joyce then joined the Lions through the AFL pre-season supplemental selection period ahead of the 2023 season.
The 29-year-old played five games in his first season and six the next as he became an important member of their defensive roster.
Having failed to make an AFL appearance in 2025, Joyce featured three times in 2026 as the Lions completed a remarkable AFL Grand Final turnaround against Freemantle ; Joyce failed to earn selection for that showpiece at the MCG.
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