TWO seasons in the making.
After missing the majority of season six and all of season seven with an ACL injury, Harriet Cordner made her return to AFLW, this time rolling out in the Navy Blue.
Coming across to IKON Park in the off-season, the former Tiger was chomping at the bit to get back out there and play – and she didn’t hold back in her first game for Carlton.
Picking up 14 disposals (nine intercepts, nine contested), Cordner took the game head-on and provided a physical and leadership presence in defence in what was her first match since January 2022.
“I didn’t find [the game] too different than some of the sessions we’d had in pre-season and we worked really hard to get to this point,” Cordner said.
“I think we’re in a really good position fitness wise, and that’s due to the professional environment and high standards we’ve held ourselves to.”
Knowing how quickly things can turn for an athlete, Cordner said to SEN post-match that she encouraged herself to have fun in her first outing back and her first outing as a Blue.
Her ferocity and attack around the contest certainly didn’t let onto any fear she might have been feeling, but she did admit that there was a slight hesitancy around her knee – a thought that was quickly forgotten.
“I can’t really get my head around the fact that I didn’t play both seasons last year,” she said.
“Today I just tried to lean on my teammates and trust the process, knowing that I’ve done all the work.
“I kept reminding myself when I was out there to have fun – the game was taken away from me for two seasons, so I really wanted to enjoy myself out there, I wanted to make the most of my time.”
As for her time so far as a Blue, Cordner couldn’t be happier with the environment she walked into at IKON Park.
Believing in the system, the people and the Club, she hopes that the effort and dedication from everyone around her pays off in spades as the season progresses.
“I’ve loved my time at the Blues,” she said.
“I’ve felt really cared for which is probably been my main take away: it’s a really caring and wholesome and inclusive Club which is something that I’m really proud to be a part of and thankful to be apart of.”
Photo credit: Kel Rowe
