DEFENDER Jess Hosking is optimistic a pre-season clash with the Cats will hold the Blues in good stead this weekend.
Carlton will look to extend a spike in form when it heads down the highway to take on Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday.
While it will be just Geelong’s fourth game in the competition after entering this season, the Blues already have experience against the Cats.
And Hosking is hopeful the Blues can build on the positives shown in that practice match between the two sides a month ago.
“We’ve got a pretty good idea of what the Cats are going to bring, we had a practice match against them before the season started,” Hosking told SEN’s Sporting Capital.
“We got to see a bit of them and their style of play. I think we’ve definitely got players who will stand up and I think it’s going to be an interesting match — hopefully we can get the win.”
One player who starred a month ago was Brianna Davey, who kicked four goals on her return against Geelong.
While she’s since shifted back to a floating role between midfield and defence, Hosking believes the captain can once again have a big say on the encounter: especially with the form she showed against the Giants.
The 23-year-old said all involved at the Blues had received a massive boost by Davey’s return to the field.
“For any player, you never want to see them go down, but an ACL injury is one of the worst a footballer can get,” she said.
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“Bri has been incredible with her dedication to her rehab and the impact she had on the team when she was out.
“For Bri, she’s learnt a lot of things in the off-season which she may not have necessarily learnt if she wasn’t injury. Having her back, her leadership is second-to-none and she’s just an incredible player and teammate.”
While a lot has been made of Carlton’s new attacking flair on display last weekend, Hosking has been one of the players thrown in defence to good effect.
She said the changes made by coach Daniel Harford has had a strong impact on the playing group.
“it’s been a little bit different for me this season, I’ve swapped to the back-line and I’m really enjoying it,” Hosking said.
“‘Harf’ has really driven us to play an open and attacking brand of footy. Coming with that brand of footy is hopefully going to bring a lot more goals and bit more excitement as well.”
“Winning is a skill... It gives us so much confidence to move onto the next challenge."
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) February 18, 2019
Nicola Stevens is hoping the weekend's result kickstarts a big month for the Blues.#BoundByBlue
With the win on the weekend, Hosking labelled it as reward for effort — particularly given the AFLW climate.
She detailed what a typical week for the AFLW players looks like, saying that the players shared a closed bond as they all operate in the same conditions.
“It’s tough with work. We probably spend five hours a night at training, which is two to three times per week. On other days, we’ve got other things to complete as well,” she said.
“We end up for between 15-20 hours a week and in between that, we’re at work… For us, it’s all worth it. We have the support behind us from everyone which makes it a lot easier.
“I think the fact that we know everyone is in the same boat in the league, it does make it easier. If we’re having a tough day, we can turn to one of our other teammates or other staff who are doing what we’re doing.”
