Hawthorn captain Tilly Lucas-Rodd will suit up for her 50th AFLW game on Saturday night against Port Adelaide in Frankston.

Lucas-Rodd, an inaugural AFLW player, was drafted by Carlton as a midfielder with the 99th overall selection in the 2016 AFLW draft.

The 26-year-old immediately burst onto the scene for the Blues, playing every game in their inaugural AFLW season. In Round 5 of that season, she was nominated as a NAB AFLW Rising Star.

Lucas-Rodd then played six games for the club in 2018 followed by another five in 2019. At the end of that season, the midfielder was delisted by Carlton.

On a mission to prove she was still a star AFLW player, Lucas-Rodd spent the AFLW off-season with the Southern Saints VFLW team. In her first year with the side, the midfielder-turned-defender won the best and fairest award and earned a spot in the VFLW Team of the Year.

She was then recruited to St Kilda’s inaugural AFLW team and played six games in her first season as a leadership group member. Continuing her new role in defence while pinch-hitting in the midfield, she went on to play a further nine games in the 2021 season while leading the club as co-vice-captain.

It was her most recent season with the Saints where Lucas-Rodd well and truly found top form as a pure midfielder, being named in the All-Australian squad and finishing second in St Kilda’s AFLW best and fairest count. She averaged 20.1 disposals, seven tackles and was ranked second in the AFLW for pressure acts.

Now at Hawthorn, Lucas-Rodd is thriving as skipper and continuing her midfield dominance. After playing every game so far for the Hawks, she is averaging 16.7 disposals and 8.7 tackles.

Lucas-Rodd and the Hawks will look to celebrate the captain’s milestone in style with a win over the Power under Saturday night lights.