Carlton Media's AFLW reporter Justin Cooper previews the Blues' season opener against Collingwood at Ikon Park on Friday night:
CARLTON vs COLLINGWOOD
Where: Ikon Park, Carlton
When: Friday, 3 February
Time: 7:45pm
Coverage: Follow Carlton's social media channels, where we’ll be posting live updates and behind-the-scenes content. Channel 7 and Fox Footy will broadcast the match live, while it is also available with an AFL Live Pass subscription via the AFL app.
Click here for all match-day info
Form guide:
Carlton defeated Melbourne by 43 points in its only practice match in late January, with marquee signing Darcy Vescio entertaining the bumper home crowd of 2,000 at Ikon Park. Brianna Davey, Sarah Hosking and Nat Exon also impressed.
Conversely, Collingwood went down by 10 points to an impressive Western Bulldogs outfit at the Holden Centre in its only hitout before Round 1.
Selected teams:
CARLTON
B: L.Brazzale 12, D.Hardiman 31, S.Last 7
HB: S.Hosking 10, K.Gillespie-Jones 5, D.Vescio 3
C: N.Plane 32
HF: L.Attard 14, I.Ayre 22, L.Arnell 13
F: S.Audley 26, B.Davey 1, K.Loynes 2
FOLL: B.Moody 16, A.Downie 30, M.Keryk 4
INT: N.Exon 15, T.Lucas-Rodd 18, J.Kennedy 23, A.Brown 27, B.Jakobsson 35, G.Pound 6
Emergencies: K.Darby 8, K.Shierlaw 25
COLLINGWOOD
B: C.Edwards 1, M.Hutchins 25, S.Livingstone, 12
HB: S.Chiocci 17, N.Stevens 21, C.McIntosh 20
C: L.Tesoriero 7
HF: A.Eva 2, J.Garner 43, S.D'Arcy 4
F: E.Grant 5, M.Hope 23, J.Cameron 27
FOLL: E.King 60, A.Barden 38, B.Bonnici 8
INT: B.White 33, T.Morgan 26, C.Bernardi 6, S.Casey 22, R.Schleicher 18, H.Roden 11
Emergencies: P.Cula-Reid 3, M.Kuys 9
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Carlton - Darcy Vescio
The Blues’ marquee signing has impressed in her short time to date at Princes Park, with her-two goal performance in the practice match against Melbourne proving she will play a key role in the success of Damien Keeping’s side. Look for Vescio to feature prominently in attack against the Magpies on Friday night.
Collingwood - Moana Hope
The highly skilled and strong-bodied full-forward will be a key player for the Magpies throughout the AFLW. Her ability in the air and at ground level makes her a tough match-up for the opposition. Hope kicked a goal in Collingwood’s practice match loss to the Western Bulldogs.
Conditions: The weather is forecast to be sunny and clear skies with no rain overnight, reaching a top of 27 degrees.
