A NEW leadership role, a milestone match and an AFLW record that will be etched in the history books – season six was one to remember for Darcy Vescio.
While it may have been a season of two halves for the Game Changers, vice-captain Vescio is optimistic that the Blues’ late season surge will hold them in good stead for the now fast-approaching AFLW 7.0.
"I feel like we built really well into the season. It was awesome to play a top team to finish and really see where we were at and I felt like the girls came out feeling quite confident,” Vescio said.
“Having been able to build into some form, I think it was particularly important seeing as though the next season seems to be coming quite soon. I do feel like those last few weeks will impact how we feel going into pre-season and when we line up in round one for season seven.”
After spending some time as a member of the Carlton leadership group, it was Vescio’s first season with an official leadership title in 2022 but ultimately, not much changed for the inaugural Blue.
“It was a little bit of a streamlined leadership group with June, Kez and myself, but I felt like things ran quite smoothly. It was quite an honour to be named alongside June as a vice-captain but I felt like nothing really needed to change.
“Just because you have a leadership position, you do feel that responsibility, but there are plenty of other people around the group who have those leadership positions within the Club as well.”
Upon reflecting on the season gone by, Vescio was quick to turn the spotlight to the young Blues who made AFLW 6.0 their own.
“I think the way we were able to bring in eight debutants was massive. You saw the way they were able to impact as well, from Keeley Sherar getting a Rising Star nomination, to Mim coming back from an ACL, as well as people like Paige Trudgeon, being one of our best lockdown defenders now when she's only played a handful of games.
“I feel like we're in a really exciting space. We are a really young team, technically the youngest in the competition, and I'm one of the old people in the team now, so that's a weird position for me to be in but I'm really excited to see how these young players develop.”
One player whose development Vescio has taken a particularly keen interest in has been Courtney Jones, with Vescio proud to hand over the leading goal-kicker baton.
“I feel like I've been working with 'Jonesy' for a while now and just really getting her to focus on the things she can control, like training standards, what she does away from the club, all that sort of thing.
“I think she's done extremely well this season, I feel like sometimes you need time to realise things in your own time and understand your own capabilities and I feel like she started to just scratch the surface. I think you'll see a lot of development in her over the next few years if she continues on this trajectory but I think she's gotten a taste of what it's like to play and to have good games so I think that'll drive her even further this pre-season.”
With that pending pre-season there’s plenty to look forward to, with the redevelopment of IKON Park continuing to shape the venue as the premier destination for women’s football.
“It's pretty amazing because I guess we only moved into this new facility at the start of the season or during pre-season, but it already feels so comfortable," they said.
"I think you can be quick to forget how different it was last year so being in the first purpose built facility for men and women to share is pretty amazing.
And Vescio can't wait for the fans to experience it too.
“Night games at IKON Park will be amazing. The feeling of a fully-lit stadium is awesome, and it's even changed how training feels.
"As we go into the night, it sort of starts to feel quite dark out there at times but now with the new lights, I feel like it's reinvigorated training a bit more and it'll be awesome having the fans here and being able to share that with them.”
