“I NEVER expected to get something like this.”

The eternally humble Darcy Vescio may not have expected her name to be called as the winner of 2021 AFLW Carlton Best and Fairest on Friday night, but after an incredible season there would have been few that were surprised.

2021 was arguably somewhat of a rebirth for the inaugural Blue.

Vescio set Carlton’s forward line a light with a record-breaking season where she became the first player to kick 40 career goals, broke the record for most goals kicked in a season and became the first player to kick 100 points in a season on her way to claim her second AFLW leading goal-kicking award.

The award is recognition of not just how important Vescio has been for the competition since day dot, but also how important she is to the Club.

The loudest applause was reserved for the moment the 2021 Best and Fairest took to the stage, erupting as the medal was finally placed around Vescio’s neck.

“I love my team and my teammates, that’s why you play footy,” Vescio said.

“You spend so much time together, you get under each other’s skin sometimes buy you celebrate together and you experience the highs and the lows together.”

The night was made even more special for the 27-year-old, was the ability to celebrate the night with her parents – who made the trip from Wangaratta - and her partner Em.

“For them to be here tonight is really special,” Vescio said of her parents

“They don’t ever expect anything in return, they just support me and give me all the love I need when sometimes I’m a little rat.

To have Em here tonight is really special. She’s been a massive support for me the past couple of years and she makes me very happy.

“To share this with her is very special.”

Her individual success this year has only driven the Game Changer to ‘level-up’ again in 2022, excited to see how much further the team grow together – believing that success isn’t far away.

“Although this year was a bit of an almost year for our group, I honestly feel as though it won’t take much for us to take that next step,” she said.

“The girls will head into the pre-season knowing that we’ve got a lot of work to do – we can’t expect things to happen for us.”

Having seen the team grow from its infancy to where it is today, Vescio also shared her appreciation for the members and fans who have supported the team and made them feel welcome as part of the Club.

“It would have been a really new thing for a lot of new fans and for a lot of existing Carlton fans to have this women’s team come in,” she said.

“The way that they embrace us, the way that the cheer squad gets around us – it’s amazing and it really makes us feel like we’re part of the bigger picture and we’re part of Carlton as a whole.

“I just want to say thank you to everyone who has wrapped their arms around us and made us feel like we belong here, because we certainly feel lucky to wear that monogram – it means a lot.”