AS THE AFLW season reaches its midway point, Carlton has started to reap the rewards of its new look game-plan, with the experienced forward line taking advantage of new personnel both on and off the field.

New assistant and forward-line coach Christina Polatajko has helped revitalise the Blues’ aggression in the attacking 50 by bringing her wealth of knowledge and coaching success to IKON Park.

The 2019 ‘Peta Searle Female Coach of the Year’ and premiership coach with the VU Western Spurs worked her way through every level of football before landing at Carlton, where she has brought her educational and compassionate style in to help develop and coach her players.

Since Round 1, the Blues’ forwards have shown consistency on the scoreboard and have increased their impact in the attacking arc by knowing their growth areas, what to work towards each week in training and how to implement strategy on match day.

“From coaching at the local level, with the VU Western Spurs all the way to Carlton, I think the concept for me [as a coach] is all about care, compassion and building on relationships with the players and making outstanding people into outstanding players,” Polatajko said.

“Building trust and connection within our forward line - I believe - has helped with our conversion, as well as providing feedback for players to know their growth areas in their goal kicking and in general in the forward line”.

Polatajko inherited an experienced forward line featuring Darcy Vescio, Phoebe McWilliams, Jess Dal Pos and Brea Moody along with second-year player Mia Austin showing her potential at full-forward. The forward's coach has used a controlled approach in inserting Austin into the already impressive attack.

Focused on developing Austin’s game by using her levelled and compassionate approach to coaching, she has seen the 19-year-old quickly find her feet - with the help of All-Australian ruck Moody - mentoring Austin.

“There’s a lot of pressure on her [Austin] on the outside, but we try to make sure that inside our four walls she can control what she can control," she said. 

“But her working alongside Darce, Dal and Moods – what an experience for her as a person and a player to learn from the best.”

"Polatajko has revelled in the chance to work with Moody, siting her versatility in the forward 50 a key to Carlton’s improvement on the scoreboard and other key attacking areas.

In addition to the rest of the experience leading out of the forward line, the Blues’ revitalisation has been helped by the pieces falling into place up forward.

“It’s a threat from an opposition point of view that she [Moody] plays deep full forward, high half forward, across the back for an intercept mark, so she can play wherever she wants," she said. 

“And when she plays deep full forward you know she’s either going to win the battles or she’s very good at ground level as well, so she’ll pick up the ball as well."

This season the Blues have seen improvement with retaining possession inside 50 and making the most of inside entries, with a season-high eight mark inside 50 in the five-point victory over the Swans, showing the work at training is showing when it matters.

Focusing on winning the ball in the air and at ground level has been an area Polatajko and her forwards have worked at throughout the year, as well as working on keeping composure in close battles.

The improved defensive pressure in the forward 50 has been a key to Carlton getting over the line in close games against the Gold Coast and Sydney, with Polatajko crediting that to the hard work and intent her players have shown from the start of pre-season to the final siren of each game.

“We really pride ourselves on winning battles, be it in the air or on ground level, so we want to make sure we use our body and our strengths," she said.

“We really want to focus on the fundamentals of the overhead, the lead-to-leg and making sure that we are able to then convert to goals.

“The way we stick together and look out for each other and not stopping until the final siren, so our pressure and tackling game has really gone through the roof. As a forward group we don’t like close games but we’re really happy we finish off on a positive note”.