CARLTON bounced back from a difficult first game to produce their first win of the season in a tight contest at IKON Park on Saturday morning.

It was a tough and contested affair, with both sides using their physicality to try and gain the upper hand.

Carlton were able to hold on, leading to an eight-point win, which had much to do with the excellent performance from midfielder Lily Goss, who laid eight tackles to go along with her 17 disposals.

However, what was most impressive from Goss was her clearance work, topping the charts with a game-changing nine clearances, including five in the last quarter.

To put this in perspective, she had as many clearances in the final term as the next highest player had for the match.

Goss believes her performance had more to do with the team’s play rather than individual effort.

“I think we just really started to use the space more instead of getting so congested,” Goss said.

“I think we managed to clear out more and maybe our pressure got to the Saints, and they were less physical.

“We were able to hone in on that and win the clearances and in the fourth quarter they started to tire a little and we just made the most of it.”

The performance was an impressive turnaround after the Blues were thoroughly outclassed by last year’s finalists in Geelong.

Goss assured that the work was done during the week to ensure the same mistakes from Round 1 weren’t repeated, which was evident in their Round 2 clash with the Southern Saints. 

“I’d say composure was the biggest change, we really took our time to hit our targets and use the skills we’ve been working on,” she said.

“Rather than playing defensively against Geelong, we were more attacking, and we were playing our game.

“Our pressure was fantastic, we talked a lot about it after last week’s game, as well as our forward entries, and so it was great to see everything that we practiced play out on the field.”

Tackling pressure and transition from defence to attack are elements that Carlton will hope to have as hallmarks of their play this season according to Goss, with the players spending time developing them since pre-season.

“Something that we have done every training session is tackling and putting pressure on the ball carrier,” she said.

“We’ve been working on forward entries and using our backs to move the transition forward into space.

“It all came together in one way or another on Saturday, even if it wasn’t the whole game, there were certainly patches of play that really showed what we’ve been working on.”

While Goss’s performance was excellent by any player’s standards, it is made even more impressive by the fact that Saturday’s game was only her second VFLW game ever.

Previously plying her trade at Old Scotch Football Club, Goss is making the step up to the next level for the first time this season, something she wasn’t sure she was ready for.

“The transition is huge and really enjoyable, having everyone on the same page and working hard for the same goal is not something I’ve ever experienced before,” she said.

“I’ve always questioned whether or not I’m at this level and I think having this opportunity being handed to me and working hard to prove that I can do it is something that I’m very grateful for.”

After the weekend’s performance many will have little doubt whether Goss can not only adjust to the VFLW, but thrive with the Blues.