“IT'S probably a season we’d like to have back.” 

Lucy McEvoy was proud of the way her teammates were able to fight in the second half of the 2022 season, but it was too little too late in the 10-game schedule that makes up the AFLW campaign.

Winning three out of their last four games, Carlton had a minuscule chance to make the top six after a slow start, but ultimately, the lessons and signs shown in those final games will hold them in better stead heading into the next season. 

On the season itself, McEvoy admitted it was a very challenging time for the group, but their performances at the back-end showed exactly what kind of team the Game Changers are looking to be. 

“It’s been a challenging season. We had a bit of a rough start: we won Round 2 against Geelong and then lost four in a row by a bit so it was pretty challenging,” McEvoy said.  

“We were able to regroup towards the end of the season and put on some really good displays of football, winning three of our last four, which was really good to see.” 

There was a change of mindset between Carlton’s loss to Fremantle in Round 6 and its victory over the St Kilda in Round 7, all stemming from an honest conversation that the players had among themselves about who they want to be and what they want to stand for in the competition. 

“We probably went away from that a little bit after the Freo game and regrouped, we had a few conversations with ourselves,” she said. 

“We were able to turn it around heading into that St Kilda game and put on some really strong performances which we hadn’t seen all season. 

“Obviously from winning comes confidence so we were able to take that into the weeks after.” 

Debuting eight new players in the Navy Blue, there wasn’t much time to adjust to changes, losses or heavy defeats, but McEvoy believes the Club is better off for getting game time into the new players early. 

“With such short seasons, you kind of have to bounce back every week because you can’t dwell on losses,” she said.  

“For the young girls to have that exposure is really good heading into next season. They’ll be able to take what they’ve learnt from this season into next and hopefully it gives us a really good base for a group of girls, that we can bond all together and play better footy moving forward.” 

Something that did bond the group was the blistering return of Mimi Hill, who lit a fire under the Blues midfield on her return to the highest level. 

McEvoy was ecstatic to see Hill return at her best, slotting in seamlessly into an ever-developing midfield alongside Maddy Prespakis, Abbie McKay and Grace Egan. 

“It was so great to have Mimi come back. I think it lifted the group at the time, we were losing a couple of games so to have 'Mim' come back in, we were all so excited for her” she said.

“She’s worked super hard in her rehab to get back and I’m not surprised she came back the way she did. 

“[The midfield group] has been together a couple of years now. We’ve certainly come a long way since Greg and I joined to now, and to have Moody in there as well – it’s a pretty crazy bunch but we all love each other and hopefully if we can stick together, I’m very optimistic of what we can achieve.” 

In her third year of AFLW football, McEvoy’s experience is starting to show, which is why it was no surprise to see her getting thrown in different positions mid-game to try and shift the momentum. 

Playing across all three lines in her 2022 season, McEvoy said she values the experience and the challenges that the coaching staff sets for her. 

“It’s the role you have to play for the team, and I understand that,” she said.  

“I quite enjoyed my time in the backline the last four rounds, so if that’s a role I'm playing in the future then I look forward to that challenge and hopefully learning from ‘Kez’ [Harrington] and ‘Mua’ [Laloifi] and that group down there.” 

As for the proposed early start date for AFLW season 7.0, McEvoy is keen to move on as quickly as possible and help contribute to a Navy Blue bounce back.

“I’m excited, I hope it goes ahead,” she said. 

“I find the break in between way too long, it gets dragged out so for a couple of months turnaround, I’m over the moon. 

“I think the quicker we can move on from this season and hopefully have a better one next, it’ll be great for a group like us.”