IT WAS a special day for multiple reasons at IKON Park on Saturday afternoon, as the Blues scraped themselves over the line against the fast-finishing Magpies to win by just three points.
The win meant Carlton had beaten Collingwood in the VFLW for the first time in the competition’s history, and it was also crucial for the Blues’ season.
The most feel-good story of the day, however, was that the game saw key contributions from four Blues who played an important role in the win after finding their way back into the line-up.
Maddi Wilson, Eliza Wood, Marnie Jarvis, and Teagan Brett have all had different journeys to get to this stage, but all of them showed that they have the ability to make the step up in the absence of all AFLW-listed players on the weekend.
For Wilson, the opportunity was due to a culmination of working hard on her fitness and her inner belief.
“I have struggled a lot with my confidence, and just questioning whether I am good enough to be here, but football has taught me a lot, not just as a player, but as a person too,” Wilson said.
“I was really unfit last year, so I worked with a couple of people outside of the Club to get my fitness where it is today, so it has been a lot of hard work and grit to get where I am today.”
Wilson was able to extinguish any self-doubt with aplomb on Saturday, racking up 15 disposals alongside her all-important goal.
Wood similar made the most of her opportunity at VFLW level, as the forward finished with almost identical stats as teammate Wilson.
It seems remarkable that Wood played with such composure and confidence, considering she was in America plying her trade in tennis only four years ago.
Wood admits that she has surprised even herself to be doing so well in her newly chosen sport.
“Honestly, if I had of told myself two years ago that I’d be playing VFLW, I wouldn’t have thought I would be, so it has been a big testament to myself that I’m even here playing,” Wood said.
Brett is also someone who has made the late switch to football, as she spent most of her formative years playing other sports.
“I played a bit of junior footy, but I stopped to play netball and representative cricket, because I didn’t have time for everything,” Brett said.
“I didn’t return to footy until I was 16 or 17 when I stopped cricket and ever since then I haven’t looked back.”
It’s a different scenario for Jarvis though, with the assured defender being focused on football throughout.
“I’ve been dedicating all my life to [football], so to finally get the chance to show that I’m really capable at that level was really cool,” Jarvis said.
She certainly was capable, finishing with 16 disposals, including a huge final quarter where she had seven possessions to help stave off Collingwood’s relentless pressure.
The game itself was a nailbiter with any player forgiven for showing nerves in the highly intense final quarter: however, the quartet were among those in Navy Blue who were calm and collected in the heat of battle, even if they didn’t feel that way on the inside.
All four girls agreed that when that final siren sounded, there was one emotion that they felt above all else.
“Relieved,” they said.
This weekend’s game sees Carlton play at Box Hill against the high-flying Hawks who only have one blemish in their season to date, but with the new-found confidence that has surrounded the group following their win, one wouldn’t be surprised if an upset were to eventuate.
