IN A season of both positives and missed opportunities so far, 20-year-old Darcy Hogg has been a shining light in the Carlton Reserves side.
Making his first appearance at the Club in 2023, Hogg - the son of Carlton premiership player, Matthew - managed to debut as an 18-year-old coming in from the Northern Knights.
Averaging over 13 disposals in his five outings the following year, Hogg re-signed with the VFL Blues at the end of 2024 hungry to cement himself in the side coming into the season.
Fast forward to the current halfway mark of the fixture, Hogg hasn’t missed a beat, enjoying the rewards of a solid pre-season plus a role change instigated by VFL Senior Coach Luke Power.
“Last year having only played a handful of games, to kind of solidify my spot and play almost every game so far has been really good,” Hogg said.
“Luke backed me in and just said this is your role, perfect it and you’ll play. I’m now starting at half-forward, trying to work my man up and giving us some defensive coverage and then working back to try and get dangerous in our forward 50.
“Having continuity in that and having one thing to after every week as opposed to it being a moving puzzle has been really good for me.”
With Power touting him as was one of the key improvers for the Blues in 2025, the youngster has kicked five goals so far this season, averaging over 16 disposals while playing a crucial role for the team.
Touching on the impact his coaches have had on him and his game, he was all praise for not only Power, but also development coach Tom Langford.
“He has been elite for me… the amount of time he puts into his players second to none: he’s always here, always texting and always calling me.”
With a special connection to the Club, Hogg also hailed the connection within a tight-knit group from a VFL standpoint, as well as AFL-listed players each week on game day.
“All the boys love getting in here and getting better. We’re all really close, we’ve got some great relationships in this team.”
Jaspar Wilson-Keir is a student at La Trobe University, undergoing his Bachelor of Media and Communications (Journalism and Marketing). He is currently undertaking an internship at the Carlton Football Club as part of its partnership with La Trobe University.
