From Keysie to the G
Australian Rules football – the quintessential Australian game – has been part of the fabric of Mentone Grammar since the School first opened its gates in 1923.
For generations of students, the game has helped shape character, camaraderie and School spirit. Over the past two decades, that story has continued to grow and evolve in meaningful ways.
Since Mentone Grammar became coeducational in 2006, football at the School has evolved into a truly shared pursuit. The ovals became common ground, and ambition – once seen through a narrower lens – broadened. In this coeducational environment, boys’ and girls’ football pathways developed side by side, reflecting changing opportunities within the sport itself.
Throughout this period, the School’s AFL and AFLW teams have continued to compete with grit and determination, producing a number of outstanding footballers who have progressed to the elite level. Mentonians including Mitch Brown (Class of 2008), Jack Scrimshaw (Class of 2016), Ollie Florent (Class of 2016), Joel Amartey (Class of 2017), Mitch Owens (Class of 2021) and Josh Lai (Class of 2023) have gone on to AFL careers, while the introduction of the AFL Women’s competition in 2017 opened new doors for female athletes – doors that Mentone Grammar students were ready to walk through.
Few stories illustrate this progression more powerfully than that of Kate Hore.
Kate’s time at Mentone Grammar came at a point when girls’ football was still forging its identity. Since then, she has become one of the AFLW’s most influential figures – a Melbourne Demons premiership player, multiple All‑Australian, league leading goalkicker and club captain. In 2025, she was named Mentone Grammar’s Young Mentonian of the Year, recognised not only for her on‑field excellence but for her leadership, advocacy and commitment to empowering others. Fittingly, the honour was announced in the same year the School marked 20 Years of Coeducation which is a reminder of how shared opportunity can redefine what is possible.
Kate is joined by two other Mentonians who have proudly taken their School roots onto the AFLW stage. Courteney Munn (Class of 2016) went on to play at the elite level with North Melbourne and St Kilda, while Abbi Moloney (Class of 2020) was a fearless forward at Collingwood. Together, their journeys reflect the rapid and exciting growth of women’s football in Australia, and the important role coeducational schools like Mentone Grammar have played in supporting that evolution.
On the men’s side of the game, the coeducational era has also produced footballers whose development was shaped in an environment that valued leadership, collaboration and respect across the School community.
An exhilarating hybrid midfielder with speed to burn, Ollie Florent was co‑captain of Mentone Grammar’s First XVIII in 2016 and had a terrific impact both as a player and leader. Drafted by the Sydney Swans at pick number 11 in the 2016 AFL National Draft, Ollie made his debut in Round 1 of the 2017 season and quickly established himself at the highest level. In just his second year, he claimed the Swans’ 2018 Rising Star Award – a sign of the consistency and professionalism that would define his career. Since then, he has flourished as a key AFL player, playing more than 200 AFL games and impressing with his evasiveness, endurance and skills around the contest. He has since joined Carlton for the 2026 season, where he continues to provide run and dash off half-back.
Ollie was soon joined at the Swans by his Mentone Grammar schoolmate and fellow former Beaumaris Sharks junior, Joel Amartey. A talented junior basketballer and soccer player, Joel did not initially pursue a football pathway. It wasn’t until his late teens that he committed fully to chasing the AFL dream – a decision that demanded patience and persistence. His hard work was rewarded when he was selected by the Swans at pick number 28 in the 2017 AFL Rookie Draft. Making his debut in Round 17 of the 2020 season as a ruckman and key position player, Joel’s tremendous athleticism and raw talent quickly captured the imagination of fans, sparking his own passionate following affectionately known as “The Amartey Party”. He is now an integral part of the Swans’ forward line as a dynamic key forward with over 100 career goals.
Another product of this era is Mitch Owens (Class of 2016), whose journey from Mentone Grammar to the AFL reflects the importance of versatility and resilience. Drafted by St Kilda, Mitch debuted in Round 1 of the 2022 season and has since become a core part of the Saints’ line‑up, earning recognition as one of the game’s most adaptable young players. Another interesting fact about Mitch is that he was born in Australia to a Japanese mother and an Australian father, making him one of the few players with Japanese heritage to earn a place on an AFL playing list.
More recently, the next chapter has begun to unfold. In 2026, Josh Lai (Class of 2023) made his AFL debut for Port Adelaide, quickly establishing himself as a key fixture and representing a generation of students who have known only a fully realised coeducational environment – one in which boys’ and girls’ sport coexist naturally, and where ambition and opportunity are shared from the earliest years.
Across its more than 100-year history, Mentone Grammar has celebrated professional success in sport. Yet this group of footballers is distinctive. They did not simply attend during a coeducational era – they were shaped by it. They trained on the same ovals, shared leadership spaces, and grew within a culture that encouraged respect, inclusion and ambition.
As the School marks 20 Years of Coeducation, their journeys from Keysborough Playing Fields to the biggest grounds in the country offer a powerful reminder of what a bold decision in 2006 has enabled. And as today’s students lace up their boots, it’s exciting to imagine where those paths might lead next.