Melissa Kuys (born 9 December 1987) is an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood and St Kilda in the AFL Women's (AFLW).

Melissa Kuys
Kuys playing for Collingwood in February 2018
Personal information
Full name Melissa Kuys
Date of birth (1987-09-12) 12 September 1987 (age 37)
Original team(s) Knox (VWFL)
Draft No. 118, 2016 national draft
Debut Round 2, 2017, Collingwood vs. Melbourne, at IKON Park
Height 166 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Ruck rover
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2017–2019 Collingwood 15 (2)
2020 St Kilda 00 (0)
Total 15 (2)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2020 season.
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Early life and state football

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"It's all about actions, more than words. You're leading by example and you're doing what you want your team to do, they'll follow."

—Kuys speaking in 2017 about her appointment as captain of Box Hill Hawks.[1]

Kuys started playing football at the age of eight, playing in the junior boys' competition with Rowville. During her football journey she played for the Eastern Lions, Scoresby, and Knox.[2] In 2016, she captained Knox[3] and won the best and fairest award in a season in which the club only won one game.[4]

Before the inaugural AFLW draft, Kuys was expected to be considered as a marquee player by Carlton.[5]

During the off-season between the 2017 and 2018 AFLW seasons, Kuys was selected as the inaugural captain of Box Hill Hawks, after they assumed the VFL Women's license of the relegated Knox.[1]

AFL Women's career

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Collingwood

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Kuys was selected by Collingwood with pick 118.[2] She made her debut in round 2, 2017, in a match at IKON Park against Melbourne.[6] Collingwood re-signed Kuys for the 2018 season during the trade period in May 2017.[7] Collingwood re-signed Kuys for the 2019 season during the trade period in June 2018.[8] In April 2019, Kuys was delisted by Collingwood.[9]

St Kilda

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At the end of April 2019, Kuys was signed by St Kilda as a delisted free agent.[10] In August 2020, she was delisted by St Kilda.[11]

Personal life

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Apart from her sports career, Kuys is a chef and runs her own catering company.[2]

Statistics

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Statistics are correct to the end of the 2019 season.[12]
Legend
  G  
Goals
  K  
Kicks
  D  
Disposals 
  T  
Tackles
  B  
Behinds 
  H  
Handballs 
  M  
Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2017 Collingwood 9 6 0 0 47 9 56 13 12 0.0 0.0 7.8 1.5 9.3 2.2 2.0
2018 Collingwood 9 7 2 1 50 15 65 19 14 0.3 0.1 7.1 2.1 9.3 2.7 2.0
2019 Collingwood 9 2 0 0 7 0 7 5 2 0.0 0.0 3.5 0.0 3.5 2.5 1.0
Career 15 2 1 104 24 128 37 28 0.1 0.1 6.9 1.6 8.5 2.5 1.9

References

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  1. ^ a b O'Connor, Callum (13 May 2017). "Mel Kuys the perfect person to pilot the Box Hill Hawks VFL Women's team". Whitehorse Leader.
  2. ^ a b c Prime, Toby (17 October 2016). "Collingwood recruit Knox captain Mel Kuys in inaugural AFL Women's draft". Knox Leader.
  3. ^ Mason, Luke (9 February 2017). "AFLW selection: Three changes". Collingwood. Telstra Media.
  4. ^ Sewall, Eliza (31 January 2017). "Collingwood's forward line is eye-catching but defence is key to premiership success". Herald Sun.
  5. ^ Holden, Peter (29 June 2016). "Marquee targets: Carlton, Collingwood, Melbourne and Western Bulldogs". Girls Play Footy.
  6. ^ "Match Centre - Collingwood vs. Melbourne". AFL. Telstra Media. 11 February 2017. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017.
  7. ^ "AFLW: All the clubs' full lists after trade period". AFL. Telstra Media. 26 May 2017.
  8. ^ Lechucki, Meagan (4 June 2018). "AFLW: Pies pocket early picks". Collingwood. Telstra Media. Archived from the original on 8 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  9. ^ Lewis, Tash (26 April 2019). "Davey a Pie". Collingwood. Telstra Media.
  10. ^ Black, Sarah (30 April 2019). "Lucky seven get free agent lifelines on final day". AFL Women's. Telstra Media.
  11. ^ "Saints confirm final list changes ahead of 2020 Women's Draft". St Kilda FC. Telstra Media. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Melissa Kuys - Player Stats By Season". Australian Football. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
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