Demons plan to sign SSP and give the defender another shot.

At the conclusion of this month, the pre-season supplemental selection period (SSP) will start, giving Williamstown defender Marty Hore the opportunity to earn a second opportunity at Melbourne.

The 27-year-old was delisted at the conclusion of 2021 after missing that season due to a knee reconstruction. During his three years with the Demons, he played 14 games, all of which came in his rookie season in 2019.

Since Hore, a star in the VFL, did not submit a nomination for the AFL Draught the following week, AFL.com.au understands that Melbourne intends to add Hore to the rookie list when the SSP opens on November 27.

The Bendigo product is said to have told Williamstown about the possibilities during a recent meeting with list manager Tim Lamb and Demons coach Simon Goodwin.

Hore was thought to be extremely unlucky to not earn a new contract in 2021 after having a great start to his AFL career. However, in the 24 months that have passed, he has been striving towards another opportunity.

After leaving the Demons, the 190cm intercept defender joined North Melbourne’s VFL programme. He tried for a rookie list berth during the 2022 SSP and was later selected for the VFL Team of the Year.

Hore moved to Williamstown last summer, and after winning another best and fairest, he put himself back on the radar of AFL clubs before the Mid-Season Rookie Draught. This year, he was named to the VFL Team of the Year for the second consecutive year.

Before being chosen with choice No. 56 in the 2018 AFL Draught, Hore made his AFL debut at the age of 22, having won consecutive best and fairest awards for Collingwood’s VFL team.

Melbourne kept tabs on Hore during his TAC Cup stint and during his circuitous trip through the VFL, which is anticipated to culminate in a return to the AFL.

During a focused recruitment push last preseason, Williamstown also secured Oscar McDonald, a crucial defender for both Carlton and Melbourne. However, after Fremantle signed the Seagulls’ other outstanding backman as a delisted free agent, Williamstown will be without both of them in 2024.