IT HAS BEEN an exciting week for Mathew Buck, as he kicked off his tenure as Carlton AFLW senior coach with a win against Gold Coast, but it’s only forward-thinking for the first-year coach.

Speaking to Neil Mitchell 3AW on Tuesday morning, Buck excitingly talked about the direction in which the AFLW is heading.

In his time as Senior Coach, Buck has been focusing on getting close to the team, working hard to bring out the high-performance side of each player and working on their technique both as individuals and as a group.

The positive start to the season has made the transition from coaching VFL to AFLW a little easier for Buck, with the focus on a high-contest and polished game being easier to execute as the expectations and high standards of the playing group and more similar than recent years.

From his point of view, there is minimal difference between coaching the two sides, but he is very impressed with the progress of the team given the amount of time he gets with his players.

“I’ve been a part of the VFL program for a long time and you have high expectations and you want high standards from your players and the way we go about our footy is fairly similar, we want to be nice and strong in the contest and we talk about our method and the way we want to play that a lot," Buck said. 

“The time that our female athletes put in at the moment is different to what the AFL men put in, but overall I don’t coach them too differently”.

Although he gets enjoyment out of coaching, Buck is most fulfilled by the human side of coaching and connecting with the stories that come from his players, be it short or long-term.

Being involved in a sport that is burgeoning its own path and creating heroes for the next generation, Buck loves being able to tell the stories of those who inspire him with how they’ve gotten to the heights of AFLW.

Darcy Vescio is one whose pathway to Carlton was long and winding and caught Buck’s attention long ago, whereas young gun Mia Austin’s rehab and return to the field from injury has been a recent story that Buck has been a part of, but one he knows will resonate with the fans.

“For me Darcy Vescio, who everyone knows, has had an incredible football journey, starting from the Darebin Falcons and now is one of the great players in the AFLW competition and still goes back to Darebin to be a coach, but really trains hard during the week and the work that Darcy puts in to be a great player is absolutely amazing," he said. 

“I think about a young Mia Austin, who broke her ankle early last year, she played her third AFLW game ever last weekend, her journey throughout her career and recovery has been outstanding, along with the way she’s applied herself.

"The more stories like that we can get out to the community, the more attached a supporter becomes. I think in sport, that’s ultimately what you do love: it's the stories of the players and their journeys that they go on throughout the competition.”

When asked about where he sees the future of the competition, Buck spoke highly of women’s football at a grassroots level and the rapid growth of teams around the country.

Alongside the growth of the game, Buck is looking forward to seeing the crop of athletes who have been playing football from a younger age than current players, knowing it’ll push players to match their skillset and will bring fresh eyes to the sport.

With the rookies and new faces around Carlton making the future look bright for Buck as well as the Club, he is keeping a keen eye on the next draft class, which he says is definitely going to boost the already impressive level of game-play seen across the competition.

“I look at participation rates in young girls around country and suburban areas, and it’s absolutely amazing to see what the AFLW has done for young girls now in football," he said. 

"Community football clubs have all got women’s teams and girls junior teams that are starting to pop up all over the country, so I’ve seen the effect it has and the effect it’ll continue to have -- I can’t wait to see where it gets to over the next 10 to 15 years, that’s for sure”.

“I’ve been going to the national championship games for the Under 18s recently, and they’ve played footy their whole lives, they’ve got new techniques coming through, so that’s something to look forward to in the years to come”.