KATE Hore will make history this weekend, becoming the first AFLW Demon to play 100 games.
It’s a fitting moment for a player who is so important to the red and blue.
Hore first joined Melbourne in 2017 and has since become one of the most decorated Demons in the club’s history as a four-time All Australian and a four-time club best and fairest.
In 2023, she took over captaincy honours from retired club hall of famer Daisy Pearce and has since led her team to two finals campaign.
As we prepare to celebrate the iconic Demon, let’s take a walk down memory lane and look back at the moments that led to her history-making milestone.
2017 | Signs with the Dees
In May of 2017, Melbourne signed Hore as a rookie ahead of the 2018 NAB AFLW season. An already established athlete in basketball, playing for the Sandringham Sabres in the SEABL, the 22-year-old had recently made the move back to football. While playing for the St Kilda Sharks in the VFLW, Hore impressed the Demons list manager and it wasn’t long before she entered Melbourne’s doors as an AFLW player.
2018 | AFLW Debut
Hore made her AFLW debut in Round 1 of the 2018 season, quickly becoming a consistent Demon in the best 21. She kicked her first goal in her debut game at Casey Fields, helping Melbourne to a six-point win. She finished the season having played all possible games, averaging 11 disposals and one goal.
2020 | Inaugural All Australian jacket, Goal of the Year
The 2020 season was the year that put Hore on the map. Despite COVID compromising the fixture, the Melbourne forward’s individual campaign was one to remember. She won goal of the year for her running major in Alice Springs and was honoured with an inaugural All Australian selection.
2022 | Premiership
The 2022 year was historical in more ways than one for Hore and the Demons. The league opted to bring season seven forward to August, resulting in two seasons being played within the space of 12 months.
After a heartbreaking grand final loss in season six, Hore was then part of a history-making premiership in season seven. Melbourne won its inaugural AFLW flag, and Hore’s standout season was acknowledged with All Australian honours and the AFLW leading goal kicker title.
2023 | Captaincy
It was a year of change for Hore in 2023, the Demon taking the Melbourne captaincy honours following the retirement of former skipper Daisy Pearce. In her inaugural season as captain, Hore led the Dees to another finals campaign and although the team bowed out in the semi-final, it was a campaign to be proud of.
2025 | Second AFLW player to kick 100 goals
During Melbourne’s 2025 finals campaign, Hore became the second player in AFLW history to kick 100 career goals, behind Port Adelaide’s Gemma Houghton.
After a stellar season in the red and blue, leading her side through another finals series, she was awarded her fourth All Australian jacket and was given the title of vice-captain.
2026 | First AFLW Demon to play 100 games
Friday night will see Hore run out for 100th time in Demon colours, the first player to do so in the AFLW. The milestone match is set to be one of the biggest games of the 2026 fixture, with the top two sides battling it out at IKON Park.
North Melbourne and Melbourne have developed a heated rivalry over the last few seasons, and this match will no doubt be another spectacle in a history already coloured with iconic moments.
