DAYS after she helped North Melbourne to back-to-back AFLW Grand Final victories, Bláithín Bogue is set to undergo major surgery for a shoulder injury which she’s carried through the season.
The 25-year-old from Tempo etched her name into the history books on Saturday when she played a key role as the ‘Roos’ overpowered Brisbane Lions to win the biggest prize on offer in the sport.
Bogue has been in tantalising form this season, scoring 25 goals for North Melbourne, the most goals ever scored in a season by an Irish player.
It’s even more remarkable that the Fermanagh star has achieved her unprecedented success while carrying a serious injury, which she’s set to undergo surgery for today (Wednesday).
“I dislocated my shoulder back in March. I was meant to be getting a labral repair done at the start of the season, but it would have left me out for six months,” Bogue told the ‘Herald.
“I asked could I try and rehab it and see if it stayed in and thankfully it did. Once I got the first couple of trainings over me after I came back, it was fine.
“The physios told me that if it’s going to come out, it’s going to come out so there’s no point being fearful of it. I didn’t train or play any differently and I wasn’t pulling out of any tackles because I was scared of it.”
Gearing up for surgery didn’t affect Bogue’s celebrations following the Grand Final win though, with the Fermanagh star embracing the ‘Mad Monday’ culture Down Under, with her North Melbourne teammates.
“’Mad Monday’ is a tradition with Australians. After your season ends, regardless of whether you make a final or not, they always do a ‘Mad Monday’ so we had that yesterday,” explained Bogue.
“They’re all lovely girls and I’m very lucky that I get on with them so well. I live with two girls that play for the club, Amy Gavin Mangan and Ella Slocombe, and they’re my best friends in the club.
“It’s nice when you’re coming over and leaving your family that you have a family over here as well.”
Bogue was key for North Melbourne in their run to the AFLW Grand Final, with her three goals against Melbourne at Ikon Park in the semi-final securing their spot in the decider.
Reflecting on the season, Bogue feels that her North Melbourne teammates learned a lot during the course of their campaign.
“We haven’t lost a game in two seasons. There’s probably a lot of teams that want to beat us so there were a lot of targets on our backs this season,” she explained.
“We got a scare against Melbourne and I think we needed that test to push on then in the final. We were losing the whole game and then we kicked off in the last quarter.”
Bogue signed for North Melbourne in 2023, although she had to wait until 2024 to make her debut, as she recovered from injury and adjusted to life Down Under.
The Fermanagh star recognises that a lot of hard work had to be put in to earn her place as a regular for North Melbourne.
“It was tough. I was coming from playing every game in Fermanagh and it was about knowing how to play the sport,” said Bogue.
“Being at the bottom of the pile, you have to try and work your way into the side.
“There were no injuries last season and I never really got the chance, so I made sure when I got the chance this year, I took it.”
Prior to the Grand Final, Bogue was one of five Irish players who were named on the All-Australian team at the prestigious ‘W Awards’, recognising the best of the AFLW.
The ‘Roos’ number 10 said it was “a shock” to be named on the select side.
“I never expected an All-Australian. I knew that North [Melbourne] was so good and there was the potential to go back-to-back and I just wanted to be playing on the team,” Bogue said.
“It was never in my sights to be thinking anywhere near an All-Australian. To be told on the night I was on it was a shock.”
While Bogue now looks forward to returning home to Tempo for Christmas, she’s already setting her sights on some more success with North Melbourne.
“At the start of this year, I just wanted to make the North Melbourne side and thankfully I stayed in it all year,” added Bogue.
“I was happy to be playing at the weekend and being part of the team that made it back-to-back for the first time.
“I wasn’t playing last year but I was part of the panel and it was nice, knowing what it was like on the sidelines last year, to be playing this year.”
