AHEAD of Carlton's Round 1 match, VFLW senior coach Aasta O’Connor spoke to Carlton Media on what the game means to the Club. 

“We are feeling really confident about what we want to get out of the game," O’Connor said.

With a fair few debutants on Friday, the Blues are coming in with a whole new host of players for the 2025 season.

O’Connor lauded the way the players have attacked the pre-season and spoke about some players that have caught her eye so far.

“Amy Trindade is such a smart footballer, helps others around her and has a great skill set” she said.

“Steph Demeo always finds a way to make others better around her”.

It’s O’Connors first season as the VFLW coach as she still continues her coaching role as an assistant coach in the AFLW.

She has been a part of Carlton’s coaching team since 2022, rising up the ranks, allowing her to grow and adapt as a coach.

While balancing both roles, O’Connor said “I will be able to be at the club full time, which is great for the players”.

“It will be about ensuring I manage my energy, which is important when you're leading people: you need to be able to manage yourself”.

2024 VFLW co-captain Eliza Wood has recently been selected for Carlton’s AFLW list after the announcement of Kerryn Peterson's pregnancy. 

Continuing to develop VFLW players to this level is a focal point for O’Connor and the players with those aspirations.

Coming into the first round against North Melbourne, the VFLW team will start off the day leading into three Carlton v North Melbourne Good Friday matches.

Leading into the season, there have been three main focus points for the Blues to focus on the development of the squad.

“Cultural alignment, ensuring we are always competitive regardless of the opponent and being able to retain personnel and people we want”, she said.

“We will play a number of AFLW players, it's a big focus for us to utilise the VFLW games as development for our AFLW list”.

Carlton’s first clash will be an away game at Arden Street at 9:15am on Friday 18 April.