“IT WAS an easy decision for me.” 

For AFLW Senior Coach Mathew Buck, putting pen to paper for at least another three seasons was a no-brainer. 

After being appointed in 2023, Buck was given the task of overhauling the AFLW program, its training standards and the culture of the group – a task he has relished.

One key factor for recommitting beyond the upcoming season - apart from how much fun he was having - was the willingness of the players to get better and improve their game.

“For me, we started the project 12 months ago, and to have a playing group that wants to get better and has this thirst to want to improve all the time, it was an easy decision for me,” Buck said. 

“The football club and the support from we get Luke Sayers, Brian Cook, the men's AFL program as well, we’re really a connected environment here at Carlton – I’ve enjoyed every minute of it so far and looking forward to the next couple of years.”

In the pre-season, Buck has seen his whole squad take immense strides - a cliche he admits is oft-used - but is looking forward to seeing them put together all they’ve worked on in the 2024 AFLW competition. 

While they spent last year creating the standards, this year was about implementing them, driving them and raising them, resulting in a stronger foundation to start the season on. 

“Last year, we went after some elite standards and a high-performance training environment so we feel like our foundations were pretty strong going into this pre-season. 

“This pre-season we focused on consistency, we want to hit those goals as often as we can. 

“It’s been really pleasing to see how many of our players have grabbed the bull by the horns and gone after it and produced some really good results. Now it’s time to turn that into match play and we’re looking forward to Round 1.”

Playing the Hawks for the first time since their inception, it will be a new challenge for the Blues down in Frankston on Father’s Day, but it’s one that feels like it’s been coming forever. 

With an extended off- and pre-season, the AFLW squad has been well and truly put through their paces by Buck and his coaching team. 

“[All the teams are] new to me, so for every game I love coaching and seeing how the ‘oppo’ go about it. Hawthorn with a fresh coach and for the first time, it is exciting,” he said. 

“We talk about Stronger Together and that’s the football teams and the fanbase. Father’s Day down in Frankston, it’s going to be a great hitout so we encourage all Carlton fans to head down there.”