JUST 16 days to go. 

Carlton is gearing up to face Collingwood under IKON Park lights in Round 1, but before taking on the old enemy at home, the team has an exciting challenge to face: playing at the traditional home of football. 

Taking to the MCG this Saturday evening for a practice match against the Demons, the Blues will be on the hallowed turf for the first time since the team’s inception. 

Elise O’Dea, who has been a part of the AFLW landscape since the beginning, says the rush of playing on the ‘G never gets any less exciting. She hopes that, soon, the Blues can play there for premiership points. 

“I’m pumped. I’m excited for any game on the MCG, let alone one against the old team,” O’Dea said.

“I think I’ve played there three times overall, mainly through exhibition matches and things like that, never for points, but you’ll still take it.” 

With the season being brought forward to the end of August, the league will look different to how it has in the past, not only having all 18 sides participating in the competition, but also playing in spring conditions rather than summer. 

O’Dea admits that it’s more fun to be in the thick of it during winter rather than the ‘off-Broadway’ period during the summer. 

“I love playing in the winter, it’s when footy is more relevant. It feels like you’re not missing out on as many things when you’re driving down Brunswick Street in the middle of summer and everyone’s sitting outside the pub enjoying life and you’re heading off to training,” she said. 

“Winter is when footy is key and then you’re coming into September and that’s when finals starts, so that’s a bit of a buzz, and we’re just getting going: I much prefer it this time of year when it’s meant to be played.” 

As for the short break between season six and seven, O’Dea prefers the short break, noting that the players have more time to stick to a routine and keep training rather than having a six-month break where they return to full-time work. 

Especially as she heads into the senior years of her career, O’Dea wants to get as much footy under her belt as possible while her body can handle it. 

“It’s harder when there’s a six-month break in between seasons,” she said. 

“When you have a month off and then roll back into the next pre-season, it’s much easier on the body because you don’t get out of habit and it takes too long to get that going, especially when you're a bit of an older body – it’s nice to keep things just ticking over.” 

On facing the Grand Finalists in Melbourne, the former Demon admits it will be a good chance to see where Carlton sits in the scheme of the competition. 

With four new clubs also entering the AFLW landscape, O’Dea says it’s hard to know what this season will bring, but she knows that the Blues will be competitive either way. 

“I think Melbourne will be a good chance to see where we're at. I know it’s just a practice match but I feel like you may as well get your practice matches in against last season’s Grand Finalist and see where you stack up,” she said.  

“Like all seasons, you just don’t know until you get stuck into it. 

“We’ll come up against Collingwood in Round 1 and we’ve lost to them the last two years, so it would be good to kick it off with a win.” 

As for the changes to their own list, O’Dea isn’t worried about any changes that have occurred over the off-season, noting they still have a core group to guide their team moving forward. 

With a very young side hitting the park, O’Dea has two players in mind when she thinks about the exciting future that Carlton could have. 

“We’ve lost some personnel, but we have been able to keep quite a core group of players which is the key in footy: keeping that core group together for as long as possible, playing as many games together, that’s what really jells you and allows you to play well together as a team,” she said. 

“While we have lost a couple, I think our core is good – it's young – but there’s also the stability in our backline, that’s our strongest line. 

“I think I’m most excited to see Keeley Sherar and Brooke Vickers, I really love how those two go about their footy.

“I think Keeley runs harder than anyone on the track and I just really love watching her go about it. Vickers, I know she’s young and she won’t like me putting the pressure on her like this, but I think she’s got a wonderful and exciting career ahead of her.”