LEADING from start to finish, the Game Changers put together a solid performance in their first official hit-out of the pre-season.

Blooding new talent, testing new combinations and putting into practice a long pre-season’s worth of work, the Blues ran out 18-point victors over the Saints on a scorching day at IKON Park.

Q1:

The Blues’ forward line got to work early, with Darcy Vescio wasting no time in picking up exactly where she left off from her 2021 season. The league’s leading goal-kicker slotted the first two majors of the match to get the Game Changers off to a fast start. It wasn’t long before Nicola Stevens added her name to the goal-kickers list, with the pair causing headaches for St Kilda’s defence. Grace Egan was a force to be reckoned with through the middle, while in typical Maddy Prespakis-fashion, there was plenty of possessions recorded next to the young midfielder’s name.

Q2:

Momentum shifted in the second term as St Kilda took advantage of the breeze and with improved ball movement, wrestled back control. Another goal to Stevens kept the away side at bay, with the Saints unable to turn their time in possession into scoreboard pressure. Gab Pound and Charlotte Wilson held firm down back to stifle the damage, with the Game Changers taking a 17-point lead into the major break.

Q3:

The second half became an arm-wrestle, with neither side able to find the scoreboard as the sun continued to beat down on IKON Park. Charlotte Hammans eventually broke the deadlock, swinging forward with ease to slot a goal on the run. A Brooke Walker special followed, with Walker side-stepping her opponent and slotting the kick from the boundary – a welcome return after an injury-interrupted 2021 campaign. The Saints hit back with two of their own to hold the margin at 18 points with a quarter to play.

Q4:

A goalless final term ensued with both teams grinding out the final minutes of their first dose of matchplay for the pre-season. Nat Plane continued to provide dash off the backline, while Abbie McKay got busy in the middle, working in tandem with Lucy McEvoy and Egan seamlessly. Brea Moody covered ground effortlessly, with her repeat efforts and work-rate a highlight of the day.

CARLTON                3.4       4.6       6.8         6.10 (46)
ST KILDA                 0.1       2.1       4.2         4.4 (28)

GOALS
Carlton: Vescio 2, Stevens 2, Hammans, B. Walker