CARLTON will tick off another first this weekend when it takes on Essendon for the first time in AFLW history.
In a season set for firsts with all 18 teams now represented, the Game Changers will play two teams for the initial time over the next fortnight, in Essendon and Port Adelaide.
This Sunday’s clash will see a new chapter written in an old rivalry with the two clubs having faced off 251 times in the VFL/AFL competition.
A little Friday treat 😌
— Carlton Women's (@carltonfc_w) September 2, 2022
Keeley Skepper will make her AFLW debut on Sunday against the Dons!
The Blues maintain a strong record against sides in their maiden encounter, having won their last three games against teams playing for the first time in Richmond, St Kilda and Gold Coast.
The Game Changers were also victorious in their first clashes with Collingwood, GWS and the Western Bulldogs in the inaugural season of AFLW, while also drawing with Brisbane in the final round of that campaign.
One of the quirks of the fixture thus far has been that Carlton is yet to meet West Coast in the latter's three years in the competition, with the fixtured 2020 clash between the two sides never coming to fruition due that year’s finals series being brought forward.
Along with their opening bout with the Eagles, the Blues will have to wait for games against Hawthorn and Sydney to reach the full complement. However, the next two weeks will see two more pieces of the puzzle put in place.
