Moana Hope is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the AFL Women's competition from 2017 to 2019, including 13 matches over two seasons at and a further seven matches over one season at. Each followed an extended career at state-league level before the creation of a national league.
Early life
Hope began playing Australian football competitively at the age of seven, playing with boys teams at Glenroy through under-12s. Without a viable youth girls league to join, Hope immediately progressed to playing senior women's football with Hadfield at the age of thirteen. She played representative football for Victoria at age 16, and captained the state side at under-19 level. She was also a member of the Australia women's international rules football team that played against Ireland in the 2006 Ladies' International Rules Series. Hope was also an accomplished junior cricketer, representing Victoria through to under-19 level. She chose to give up the sport in favour of Australian football.
State league football
Hope has played premier division Australian football in the VWFL for the Darebin Falcons and St Kilda Sharks. She is a multiple competition leading goalkicker. She has also played for Melbourne University. Hope ceased playing Australian football in 2011 after an accomplished period in the VWFL; in 2013, she witnessed the first AFL women's exhibition match and recommitted to football as a result, and was drafted with the eleventh selection the following year to the. She would go on to play for the club in representative exhibition matches for the next three years. In 2016, she kicked six goals in the victorious side against in the women's all-stars game in September. In the 2016 season she kicked over 100 goals, the first ever player to do so in the VFL Women's.
AFL Women's career
In July 2016, Hope was signed by as one of two marquee players ahead of the AFL Women's inaugural season. She made her debut in round 1 in the club and the league's inaugural match at Ikon Park against. Hope finished the season having played in all seven of Collingwood's matches and kicking seven goals, leading the Magpies' goalkicking and equal sixth-highest league-wide. Hope was later re-signed for the 2018 season in the May 2017 trade period. In late August she was added as an injury replacement player in the Victorian side for the upcoming State of Origin exhibition match. She kicked one goal in her state's 97-point win over The Allies. Hope returned to Collingwood's side for round 1 2018 in an eight-point loss to at Ikon Park. After a disappointing personal performance she was dropped from the club's round 2 side to face at Optus Stadium the following week. On May 18, 2018, it was announced that Hope had been signed by, who will enter the AFLW competition in 2019. In April 2019, announced that it had delisted Hope following the conclusion of the 2019 AFLW season.
Hope hails from the suburb of Broadmeadows, in Melbourne's north. She is of New Zealand, German and Australian heritage. Hope is a full-time carer for younger sister Lavinia, who has Möbius syndrome. She has 14 siblings in total. On 17 August 2019, Hope married Kiwi, Aussie, Swedish model Isabella Carlstrom. On 13 May 2020, Hope announced on her instagram that she and Carlstrom were expecting their first child In March 2017 her memoir, My Way, was published by Melbourne University Press.
''Australian Survivor''
In 2018, Hope appeared as a contestant on , competing in the fifth season of the competitive reality television seriesAustralian Survivor as part of the Champions tribe. Hope formed many strong relationships, notably with fellow contestants Mat Rogers and Sharn Coombes and also found a Hidden Immunity Idol. In the tribe's first tribal council, Hope led the blindside of Survivor contestant Russell Hantz. On day 16, Hope asked her tribemates to vote her out at tribal council because of an illness and finished in 19th place. Hope returned for Australian Survivor All Stars but repeatedly refused to vote out the extremely popular eventual winner David Genat who was the sole vote to remove her from the game at final 3, leaving Hope in third place.
