RIGHT at home.
It’s only been a few months since Tarni Brown swapped the black and white for the Navy Blue, but the 22-year-old feels like she’s been at IKON Park "forever".
Coming to the Blues during the 2023 AFLW Trade Period, Brown had just touched down in New Zealand when she received the news.
“When I got the call from Ash [Naulty] and ‘Bucky’, I was in New Zealand so I wasn’t around, but I got [to Carlton] just after Christmas,” Brown said.
“I was pretty confident that [the deal] would get done but it was nice to get the call, it was my only first day in New Zealand so it relaxed me.”
No stranger to IKON Park, Brown’s father Gavin - the Collingwood premiership great - was an assistant coach for the Blues from 2011 to 2013.
As a young girl, Brown remembers being in the Carlton rooms post-game for the AFL matches, adding another layer to her experience of now playing with the Blues.
The father-daughter pick was drafted to Collingwood in 2020 alongside Amelia Velardo, who was traded to Carlton in 2022, giving her another familiar face at her new home.
“I used to play with ‘Miels’, Amelia Velardo. She was drafted to Collingwood with me in 2020, so that’s been an easy transition – I didn’t really know anyone else, so she’s been really good for me.”
Throughout 34 AFLW games, Brown has shown plenty of flair and nuance around the ground and is looking to ramp up her fitness and her skills during the off-season.
Already putting in the work on the field and in the gym, it’s exciting to see what Tarni Brown will produce in 2024.
“Probably looking at [playing in] the forward line, bringing a bit of creativity, maybe a few snaps,” she said.
“I think everyone is really welcoming. I’m a quiet person, but as soon as I came in, it felt like I’d been here forever so that was really nice.”
