Tara Murray
One day Maeve Chaplin was training with Essendon’s Victorian Football League Women’s side, the next she was signing on with Melbourne’s AFLW list as a replacement player.
It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for Chaplin, as she finally realised her dream of becoming an AFLW player.
After being overlooked in two drafts, the former Northern Knights player put her head down and continued to work hard in the hunt of her dream.
It all came together when Demons decided to select her to fill the void on the list with Isabella Simmons put on the inactive list due to injury.
“It was pretty surreal,” Chaplin said. “I don’t think it has hit me yet.
“I was training with Essendon VFLW and really enjoying it there and working hard. Melbourne randomly gave me a call to come to a training session.
“The next day they signed me. I don’t think they’d sign me, I was going there for the experience.”
Chaplin said she had been trying to take in as much as possible at her time at Melbourne, one of the original women’s sides.
She said while she would love to make her debut this season, she was still happy if she didn’t get the chance.
“It has been awesome and I’m sucking up as much as I can,” she said.
“I’ve embraced everything at the club.
“Everything we do at training is done really well and the girls put in the hard work and everyone has a really high skill level.
“If I could play a game that would be amazing.”
Chaplin said the level had been a step up from what she had done before, but felt she would be ready if the opportunity arose.
“I feel really confident where I’m at.”
She recently played in a practice match for the Demons against Essendon, to get some game time in case she was called upon.
The excitement of being on an AFLW list is a long way from the last two drafts, when Chaplin has been left disappointed.
She said missing out on 2020 was harder than missing out last year.
“In 2020, it was my first ever draft year and I felt confident,” she said. “You shouldn’t expect too much, so it was more of a let down.
“I was happy with my season [last year]. I’d worked hard and I knew it was going to happen, it was a matter of when.”
Chaplin said she hadn’t put too much thought into where she would play VFLW this year, with her focus firmly on making the most of her opportunity at the Demons.
