Photo Credit: James Wiltshire
Tonight is a historic night in the history of Melbourne’s AFLW team as a pair of fan favourites are both set to hit milestone matches against North Melbourne.
Captain Kate Hore will become the first Demon to reach the 100 game milestone, while defender Maeve Chaplin is set to reach 50 games.
Both of these players had humble beginnings in the AFLW, which many would forget looking at them now and their standings within the team and within the competition.
Let us take a look back at both of their careers, and the key moments that made them the players they are today.
The beginnings
Despite the natural footballer she is today, Hore did not have a normal drafting process to the AFLW.
Fans would be forgiven for forgetting that Hore was actually a crosscoder rookie, signed from basketball at the conclusion of the 2017 season after she had just made a return to football with the St Kilda Sharks in the VFLW.
Chaplin’s drafting experience was also a unique one.
Initially signed as an injury replacement player for Isabella Simmons in early 2022, she ultimately could not break into the senior side and was delisted at the end of the season.
However it was not long before she was given a second chance, redrafted by the Dees in the 2022 AFLW draft. She has certainly made the most of that second chance, only missing a handful of games in the four and a half seasons since.
Position change?
One thing that Dees fans may have also forgotten about Chaplin is that in her footballing career, she was not always the dashing half backer that fans know her as and love her for being these days.
For much of her junior career, Chaplin was actually an inside midfielder, building a reputation as someone who was “stronger than most opponents, Chaplin not only won plenty of contested ball and clearances, but was able to hit the scoreboard on occasions too.” (Peter Williams, Rookie Me Central). She had played a bit off half back like she does these days, but had more commonly been playing as that inside midfielder.
The race to 100 goals
Even from early on last season, the race to be the first player in the history of the AFLW to kick 100 career goals was on, and Hore was very much in the mix.
After Round 2 last season Hore was equal second in that race, one goal behind Jasmine Garner and equal with Danielle Paredes (nee Ponter), with Gemma Houghton and Katie Brennan not far behind.
Although Hore ultimately was not the first to reach the milestone – Houghton beat her by a week – what Hore achieved was still impressive for one important reason. Hore was not in the league in the inaugural season, whereas Houghton, Paredes, Garner and Brennan all were, so Hore has reached the tally much quicker than anyone else.
Plenty of accolades
If there is one thing these two are not short on, it is well deserved individual accolades.
There is very little that Hore has not won, from multiple All Australian blazers to multiple club best and fairest awards and even the AFLW Goal of the Year in 2020 for a stellar goal on the run against Carlton in Alice Springs.
Chaplin meanwhile does not quite have the same number of individual accolades as her skipper, but is starting to build up her collection including finally earning a well deserved All Australian blazer in2025 after making the initial 42 player squad in 2024 but not making the final team.
Dees fans will certainly be hoping that both players will be adding a few more accolades to their collection by the time 2026 is over.
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