Twelve months ago a football career was the last thing on the mind of Chloe Molloy.
A talented basketballer, Molloy was set to head to America on a basketball scholarship.
The Whittlesea resident though wasn’t content and another sport had started to take her interest and she was soon changing sports.
“I wanted to play football and it was a pretty easy to make the call,” she said.
“I felt like I lot of people down, but I wanted to play football.
“I messaged my old team manger and she mentioned the Calder Cannons. It’s strange how quickly things have changed.”
It was the start of football journey that no one including Molloy expected.
The decision proved to be the right one and on Wednesday, Molloy was drafted by Collingwood with pick three.
As a Collingwood supporter, it’s a dream come true. Her uncle Jarrod Molloy placed 49 of his 169 games at the Magpies.
“Excited doesn’t do it justice,” she said.
“Collingwood had kept their cards to close their chest. I knew they were interested.
“It’s pretty surreal. Twelve months ago I had just accepted a scholarship, now today I’ve been drafted.”
Having not played football since juniors, Molloy had no idea what to expect returning to the football field.
She was joint winner of the TAC Cup best and fairest award and led the competition’s goal kicking as the Cannons claimed the premiership.
The experiences left her prepared for a shot at the VFLW competition.
“It was a boost of confidence,” she said,
“I was well prepared. The physicality and footy IQ with the older girls are more obvious, but I had a lot of confidence.
“I exceeded expectations.”
Molloy didn’t look out of place at VFLW level and shared the leading goal kicker with Western Bulldogs star Katie Brennan.
She was also named in the team of the year in the forward pocket.
Molloy’s determination in the grand final earnt her another group of supporters. After hurting her shoulder, she kicked a goal while in obvious pain.
After having the shoulder looked at she returned to the ground despite clearly struggling.
The shoulder injury prevented Molloy from testing, but she says it won’t stop her once preseason starts.
After a whirlwind 12 months, Molloy said she’s looking forward to what comes next.
“Take is as it comes,” she said.
“I’m expecting another level of elitism up from the VFL. I’ll take whatever challenges are thrown at me. They’ll test my character how I deal with them.”
