WHEN Jess Good runs out for her 50th game on Saturday night, it'll be quite fitting.
Just the eighth player to reach a half century of games, Good's combination of hard work and outstanding character has made the milestone possible.
Good was recruited to the Blues as a 26-year-old free agent following the 2021 AFLW Draft, following a journey where she swapped the basketball for the Sherrin, playing for Sturt in the SANFLW.
Fast forward to 2025, and Good joins Breann Harrington, Darcy Vescio, Gab Pound, Kerryn Peterson, Abbie McKay, Mimi Hill and Keeley Sherar to a 50 games in Navy Blue.
Harrington, as well as first-year Blue Poppy Scholz, spoke to Carlton Media this week to speak about their much-loved teammate ahead of her milestone game.
Brea Harrington: “It feels like so long ago, it feels like she’s been here forever. When it was mentioned in the meeting that she came here in 2022, I was like ‘No, she was here before that’. That speaks to how seamlessly she fit in, how close we’ve gotten and how well we work together. It’s been such a pleasure to work alongside her and be her partner in crime.“
Poppy Scholz: “Where to start? She’s the most welcoming person: before I even came to Carlton, she invited me for coffee in Adelaide and was so inviting. It was a nice first impression of the Club. She’s the most beautiful soul… that’s such an ick to say that, but she is! I couldn’t meet a person that would say a bad word about her.“
Brea Harrington: “I love ‘Goody’ the person, she’s like a big sister to me at the Club. I love our coffee catch-ups and sitting at the lunch table together, she’s such a lovely, family-oriented person that sees all of us as family. She’s an awesome person. I’m so excited for her 50th this week.“
Poppy Scholz: “I met her in Adelaide and as soon as I came to Melbourne, she invited me over for heaps of dinners. She gave me someone I could go to and she’s supported me heaps with my transition coming to Melbourne.“
Brea Harrington: “It is a Good Mood! We love working together out on the field, sharing the ruck load - we’re both pretty competitive in there but have very different strengths. We love it - hopefully not a Good Mood for everyone else in the competition. She just continues to develop each season: she finished third in our B&F last season and has continued on that path this year, even on the weekend in the wet, some of the marks she was taking, I don’t think anyone else was clunking them like that. We’ve got an ‘iron sharpens iron’ mindset - we constantly challenge each other and she’s such a strong competitor.“
Poppy Scholz: “I was a bit emotional before my debut. But she just came up to me, gave me a big hug and said ‘What can I do for you?’. I think I just needed a hug and just needed to breathe. So let’s do that. She can tell whenever I’m a bit down on myself, she’s so good at being there and her presence is calming in itself… again, cringe, but true!“
Brea Harrington: “It’s so rewarding for her, and for the Club. It’s a great moment for us to reflect on how much we’ve been through since Covid and the review. She probably came in at one of the lower points for both us and the competition, she’s seen it change and put in the work like the rest of us. It’s so rewarding that we get a taste of finals and she gets to celebrate her 50th, it’s quite fitting.”
Poppy Scholz: ”She’s a great line dancer - I’m pretty sure it’s because of her South Australian background. Lou-Lou thinks that ‘Goody’ and I are good at line dancing because we’re South Australian, that’s where that has come from. She just gets around it and loves it. We were talking the other day how fun it is that we’ve got something to do outside of footy where nobody needs to drink, everyone just has the most fun and laughing the whole time. There’s a few really good contributors, but with a bit of practice, we’d have to be up there.”
Brea Harrington, in response to Keeley Sherar’s ‘rainbow lorikeet’ story last week: ”I can’t remember what 'Goody's' bird was in our conversation - I think it was a pelican? I’m not sure why, but she brought some good pelican facts.”
Poppy Scholz: ”She cooks really good steak, she’s done that for me a few times. She’s still a big Harry Potter fan, she reads heaps.”
Brea Harrington: “She is a big advocate for the book club.”
Poppy Scholz: “We’ve got a book club and we try to put forward a book to read, but she’s already read it. That’s making it pretty difficult - she’s pretty much read every book ever, that’s what I’m saying.”
