Team Ireland primed for Easter as Jake and Jasmine hit form

Date: 9th March 2026

There is a quiet confidence about Team Ireland this season.

Based out of Ringwood and led by long-time coach Todd Ireland, the stable has built a reputation for consistency, family loyalty and producing athletes who peak when it matters. This year, two names sit firmly in the conversation heading towards the Stawell Gift – Jake Ireland and Jasmine Rowe.

Todd Ireland has coached for decades, but when it comes to his son Jake, the assessment is measured rather than sentimental.

“He trains hard and prepares well,” Todd said. “He doesn’t leave anything to chance. He doesn’t go away and have fat years or bad years like some guys do. He fronts up every year in good nick. That gives you a chance.”

Jake arrives at Stawell likely a metre further back than the 5.5m he had when he finished second two years ago, and Todd believes improvement is the key variable.

“You hope you’ve improved a metre in a couple of years,” he said. “It’s never easy. You need everything to fall your way. But he’s in good shape. That’s all you can control. You can’t control other people’s handicaps or what they’re doing.”

Jake’s season has built steadily. A string of Gift finals laid the platform before he won the 100m at Frankston, locking in his mark and turning his focus squarely towards Easter.

“It’s been a nice build-up,” Jake said. “I felt I had a strong year last season and was eager to get started. Winning at Frankston meant I could set my sights on Stawell and give myself the best opportunity to perform.”

Already a two-time Stawell finalist, in 2021 and again in 2024, Jake believes those experiences – one Covid-affected, the other delayed by wild weather – have taught him a lot.

“I learnt a lot from both finals. They were very different years, and I had to be adaptable. I feel I’ll be well prepared this Easter.”

For Jake, professional running is both competition and family inheritance.

“It’s a unique sport that not everyone understands,” he said. “The Stawell weekend is probably the best opportunity to show it off to the country. I was brought into it through Dad and it’s given me some of my fondest sporting memories.”

Jake gave up football to chase sprinting at the highest level but remains connected to the game, coaching women’s football at North Ringwood and having worked with the Hawthorn AFLW program.

Alongside Jake, Jasmine Rowe shapes as one of the leading female contenders this year.

“Jazzy’s running really well,” Todd said. “She won the Rye Women’s Gift this year and that was probably the best she’s ever run. And she made the Stawell final last year off 11 metres.

“She just keeps improving to offset her handicap coming back,” Todd said. “She won Wangaratta off 12 a few years ago, and she keeps coming back but keeps improving. That Rye win was a big one.”

Jasmine agrees winning the Rye Gift was definitely the highlight of her season so far. “Being the 50th anniversary made it extra special, especially knowing that some important members of Team Ireland have won the race over the years. My partner Burls (Matt Burleigh) winning it earlier in his pro career made it even more meaningful for me, and it means a lot to now share that achievement with him.”

“Being in the final of the Stawell Gift, let alone winning it, would be a dream. Last year was so unexpected that the excitement probably got the better of me. If I were lucky enough to make it again, I’d love the chance to run a stronger final and be more competitive,” she said.

“Running against world class athletes will create an electric atmosphere. I hope I can use that energy to get the nerves going and run fast.”

Jasmine comes from a 400m hurdles athletics background, and she says pro running has made competing enjoyable for her again. “It takes away a lot of the internal pressure and expectations and brings the fun back into racing.”

She joined Team Ireland four seasons ago after transitioning from her beloved hurdles team. “The pedigree across Team Ireland is incredibly inspiring, and having close teammates who push you to work hard, support you and keep you accountable motivates me every session. Team Ireland is my happy place. Toddy has had an incredible pro running career and I’m really grateful for his insight and openness when it comes to preparation throughout the season,” said Jasmine.

Rowe’s training partnership with 18-year-old teammate Kylee Drew has also sharpened both athletes. “Jasmine and Kylee, the Seymour Gift winner this season and Maryborough 400m winner, should have a similar handicap,” said Todd.

In fact, both were on the podium last Saturday for the Bendigo Gift 70m, Jasmine 2nd and Kylee 3rd behind Jemma Stapleton.

“There’s not much between them,” Todd said. “They’ve been good for each other. Similar ability, similar handicaps. It’s been good for both of them.”

Jake agrees. “I was so proud to see Jassy make the final last year after all the hard work she put in,” he said. “Hopefully she can be closer again this year. And Kylee Drew is a super hard worker, she’d be a deserving finalist.”

Beyond the headline chances, Team Ireland carries depth across the programme. David Haigh returns after finishing second in the 550m last year and has been in strong form again. Michelle Dean, a finalist in the Bendigo Gift 120m, looms as a contender in the new women’s Masters 300m. Youngster Sam Blennerhassett, grandson of Ricky Dunbar, is building towards junior finals, while Matthew Stanfield – last year’s Stawell 400m Frontmarkers winner and a recent 70m winner at Beachside, adds experience.

Todd himself hopes to run, hamstring permitting, though his focus is firmly on his athletes. As president of the VRTA, president of the Waverley Gift committee and a Victorian Athletic League board member, his investment in the sport runs deep.

“I still love it,” he said. “I probably enjoy the training side as much as competing now. It’s a great sport for families and generations. You see the kids of runners from my era running now and it’s amazing.”

For Team Ireland, Easter is not just about one race but about collective performance, celebrating each other’s successes in a sport that may be individual on paper but rarely is in practice.

“As a group, we’re driven and determined,” Jake said. “You can’t excel without a supportive team around you.”

This year, that team believes it has at least two athletes right in the mix, one chasing redemption from 4.5 metres, the other determined to convert steady improvement into something historic at Central Park.

 

Headline image: Jake Ireland takes out the Frankston Gift, photo by Neil Jameson, Jamesons Photography

Below: Team Ireland celebrates at the 2025 Powercor Stawell Gift; Jasmine Rowe with Matt Burleigh at the Rye Gift, photos supplied by Team Ireland

 

 

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