Kate McCarthy
Australian rules footballer (born 1992)
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Kate McCarthy (born 24 October 1992) is a former Australian rules footballer, media personality and sports commentator who played for the Brisbane Lions, St Kilda Football Club, and Hawthorn Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW).
| Kate McCarthy | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Nickname | Cathy Freeman[1] | ||
| Born | 24 October 1992[2] | ||
| Original team | Yeronga South Brisbane (QWAFL)[2] | ||
| Draft | No. 82, 2016 AFL Women's draft | ||
| Debut | Round 1, 2017, Brisbane vs. Melbourne, at Casey Fields | ||
| Height | 164 cm (5 ft 5 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Midfield/small forward[4][5] | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2017–2019 | Brisbane | 23 (16) | |
| 2020–2022 (S6) | St Kilda | 16 (2) | |
| 2022 (S7) | Hawthorn | 3 (0) | |
| Total | 42 (18) | ||
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 2017 | The Allies | 1 (0) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2022 (S7). 2 Representative statistics correct as of 2017. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Source: AustralianFootball.com | |||
Early and personal life
McCarthy grew up in Brisbane where she initially pursued a career in cricket and represented Queensland in the process. She later switched to play Australian rules football for Yeronga South Brisbane in the QWAFL before signing for the Brisbane Lions. She has represented Australia for touch rugby league to at least as high as the under-20s age group.[6] As of 2017, she works as a mathematics and physical education teacher at Clairvaux MacKillop College.[7] She has required an implanted pacemaker since the age of ten.[8][9]
AFL Women's career
McCarthy was taken with the number 82 pick by Brisbane in the 2016 AFL Women's draft.[2] She made her debut in the Lions' inaugural game against Melbourne at Casey Fields in the opening round of the 2017 AFL Women's season.[10] McCarthy is noted for her speed and ability to kick the ball accurately while sprinting.[11][12][13]
At the end of the season, McCarthy was listed in the 2017 All-Australian team.[14]
Brisbane signed McCarthy for the 2018 season during the trade period in May 2017.[15]
In April 2019, McCarthy joined expansion club St Kilda, along with fellow Brisbane player Nat Exon.[16]
In May 2022, McCarthy was delisted by St Kilda to allow her to explore her options.[17] Following her delisting, she was signed by expansion club Hawthorn as a delisted free agent.[18] At the conclusion of the season, on January 12th 2023 McCarthy retired from the sport after 7 seasons at the highest level.
Post-playing career
In February 2026, McCarthy launched a football-focused podcast on the iHeartRadio network called AL, Kate & All Their Mates with musician and football aficionado Alex Lahey.[19]
Statistics
G |
Goals | K |
Kicks | D |
Disposals | T |
Tackles |
B |
Behinds | H |
Handballs | M |
Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2017 | Brisbane | 9 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 38 | 11 | 49 | 9 | 21 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 4.8 | 1.4 | 6.1 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 0 |
| 2018 | Brisbane | 9 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 37 | 9 | 46 | 14 | 13 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 4.6 | 1.1 | 5.8 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 0 |
| 2019 | Brisbane | 9 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 32 | 8 | 40 | 7 | 20 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 4.6 | 1.1 | 5.7 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 0 |
| 2020 | St Kilda | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 10 | 36 | 6 | 8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 9.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 0 |
| 2021 | St Kilda | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 8 | 34 | 7 | 3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 5.7 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0 |
| 2022 (S6) | St Kilda | 9 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 37 | 5 | 42 | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 6.2 | 0.8 | 7.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2022 (S7) | Hawthorn | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0 |
| Career | 42 | 18 | 11 | 207 | 53 | 260 | 54 | 76 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 4.9 | 1.3 | 6.2 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 0 | ||
Honours and achievements
Team
Individual
Media career
McCarthy joined the Seven Network as a media personality supporting shows including Armchair Experts for the 2024 AFL season alongside Kane Cornes and the 2024 AFL Grand Final broadcast alongside Jude Bolton.[20][21]
