IN A highly anticipated match, Carlton faced off against one of their biggest rivals on Saturday morning at Victoria Park. 

In a back-and-forth affair, the Blues managed to take away a four-point victory, 6.5 (41) to 5.7 (37), sealed after siren by AFLW-listed Keeley Skepper. 

Speaking of Skepper, experience was on the Blues’ side, with 11 AFLW-listed players being selected for the Round 11 clash. 

Brooke Vickers - who has previously played in the 2025 VFLW side - had an outstanding game, leading the way with 27 disposals, 13 kicks and 14 handballs. 

Amy Trindade was another force through the midfield with 18 disposals, 13 kicks and five handballs. Throughout the VFLW season, she has been a consistent and reliable player for the side. 

The Magpies started strong, making the first forward 50 entry within a minute of the first quarter, but the Blues' pressure led to only a behind for the Pies. 

Eliza Wood - the former captain of the VFLW side - led the ball to Tara Bohanna in Carlton’s forward 50, who finished with a strong boot and kicked Carlton's first goal of the day from 35 meters out. 

The Blues continued to gain scoring opportunities but unluckily kicked behinds, leading 1.2 (8) to 0.1 (1) coming into the second term. 

It was a ruthless second term from the Pies, keeping the Blues scoreless; however, defensive efforts from Mia Fuller didn't go unnoticed, laying eight tackles for the day. 

Collingwood forced Carlton to play defensively as they led forward 50 entries, 29-26 to the home side. Consistently maintaining the ball within their forward 50 led Collingwood to hit the front at half time, 1.2 (8) to 3.2 (20). 

The Blues gave it their all in the third term, making connections throughout the ground as they focused on their transition down field.

Vickers landed the Blues' first goal of the second half, kicking a goal out of a contest. Shortly after, Vickers gained possession again, making a connection with Skepper, who swiftly kicked the ball into the goals. 

Less than two minutes later, Lila Keck kicked another goal for the Blues. A strong third-quarter performance from the Blues led to a neck and neck match, 4.5 (29) to 4.2 (26) to the home side. 

The score continually fluctuated as both teams stayed within points of each other as Wood managed kicked the first goal of the term. This was followed by shots on goal from Mia Austin and Yasmin Duursma, but unfortunately, both kicked behinds.

The Blues were only trailing by two points in the final moments of the game as Yasmin Duursma was rewarded with a free kick and managed to get the ball to Skepper. As the siren blew, it was make or break. Skepper pulled it off, kicking a terrific goal off her left boot to secure the four points for the Blues.

A back-and-forth affair ended in a thrilling match, with the Blues taking away a memorable win, 6.5 (41) to 5.7 (37).

Photo credit: Thomas McLachlan