Darragh Joyce ends hopes of Kilkenny return with new AFL contract

New contract: Darragh Joyce

The 29-year-old has joined North Melbourne.

DARRAGH JOYCE HAS ended any hopes of him returning from the AFL to appear for Henry Shefflin’s Kilkenny in 2027 by joining North Melbourne.

The 29-year-old former Kilkenny minor hurling captain has been picked up as a delisted free agent by the Kangaroos.

Rower-Inistioge clubman Joyce played 14 times for the Brisbane Lions before being cut loose after the season ended.

It followed 13 appearances for his previous club St Kilda – meaning he can break new ground as the first Irish player to play competitively for three different AFL clubs.

Joyce is expected to provide North Melbourne with an extra option in defence after the club missed out on landing the signature of Adelaide’s Nick Murray.

Joyce’s manager Liam Pickering confirmed the news and told SEN that he thinks it’s a ‘great move’ for the club.

“When you’re in the best 26 of the best team in the comp, I think it’s a great move by North,” said Pickering, referencing the fact that Joyce’s former club Brisbane won the 2026 Grand Final.

Joyce will turn 30 next April, meaning he may have missed his last potential window to enjoy a senior career with Kilkenny. The younger brother of former Kilkenny senior defender Kieran, he captained the Kilkenny minors to All-Ireland success in 2014, overcoming Limerick.

The AFL’s delisted free agency window opened today with Joyce’s paperwork set to be completed this week.