A GOOD base for the future. 

Basketballer turned-footballer Jess Good admits on the 'Credit to the Girls' podcast that the Blues have made some real inroads in 2023 and have built a strong foundation for what is to come. 

With a structural overhaul across the whole program, Good is excited to see just how much the Club can build over time. 

“We had no expectations of what our season could be, we were just wanting to build those consistent habits and to make progress within our high-performance program and to take those steps to be that successful team in the future,” Good said. 

“I feel like we’ve taken a lot of those successful steps on the field as well as off the field this season, it’s been an incredible season so far and I’m just looking forward to building and seeing what we can produce in the future.”

Shouldering the majority of the ruck load since teammate Brea Moody has rotated more to the forward line, Good acknowledged her basketball skills from a past life have held her in good stead in that role. 

More than that, taking on the All-Australian ruck every day in training has certainly set her up for success when Good takes on opposition rucks. 

“The bodywork is quite similar, especially with the ruck positioning, it’s sort of like boxing out and I kind of had rebounding as my strength in basketball so that bodywork has been the biggest asset that I’ve been able to bring across from basketball,” she said. 

“‘Moods’ is such an incredible person as well as a player so I’ve been training against her and been able to battle her, challenge her, I think working together has worked in our favour.”

With Pride Round approaching, the 29-year-old was grateful that she could represent the LGBTQIA+ community this weekend, noting that football should be for everyone. 

Lauding the Pride guernsey designed by the Club in collaboration with Carlton Pride, Good hopes that the way they play will bring pride to the Club whilst they’re wearing them. 

“The jumpers are really cool – the Carlton one representing all the flags to then unite at the back, it’s a really cool concept,” she said. 

“I love supporting Pride Round, I love love, so if we can bring anyone and everyone and make them feel included in our league, that’s a huge step in the right direction for society in general.

“If we can be brave with our ball movement, if we try and hit those kicks and go for our weapons – that’s what we’re trying to get out of this game and play with pride both in and on our guernsey.”