CARLTON VFLW is set for Round 1 this Saturday, with the Blues ready to open their 2026 campaign against Darebin. 

A host of new recruits will make their Carlton debuts at Preston City Oval from 11:05am, with seven players named for their first VFLW game in Navy Blue. 

Charlotte Van Loon and Alana Mulvahil will strengthen the Blues' backline, while Zoe Larkins and Katelyn Busuttil are set to add speed and ball use through the midfield.  

Up forward, Nell Morris-Dalton, Phoebe Hargreaves and Kylie Lynch will provide excitement and pressure inside 50. 

Midfielder Hannah Bowey will also pull on the navy blue for the first time since suffering a calf injury in Carlton’s Round 5 clash against Darebin last season. 

Co-captain Grace Master will lead the side out on Saturday, with counterpart Steph Demeo to miss the opening clash.

Heading into her second year at the helm, coach Aasta O’Connor spoke with Carlton Media about the team's readiness for the year ahead.

“There were a lot of learnings for myself and the coaches out of the last 12 months,” O’Connor said. 

“We’ve looked at a couple of areas in particular. We’ve chased our high performance and how we prepare our players so they can be at their very best.” 

O’Connor praised the commitment of the VFLW staff for creating a positive environment for the playing group over the pre-season. 

“Our people at Carlton have made a real commitment to put the absolute best people we can around the players, which they have done fantastically,” O’Connor said. 

After a long pre-season, the side finally had the chance to test itself against opposition sides, having faced the AFLW Academy, Geelong, and Tasmania in practice matches over the past three weeks. 

The games unfolded very differently to each other. The players were able to showcase their ability to hit the scoreboard against the AFLW Academy, while matches against Geelong and Tassie demonstrated the group's resilience and ability to defend under pressure. 

“Coming into the role last season, it was really clear to me that our group had a good understanding of contest and defence, and that’s showing through the past couple of games.” O’Connor said. 

“One of the layers that we’re looking to add over the season is our offence, playing fast, playing bold, and taking the game on. 

“We know we’re good enough to win it [the football] back and we often do, it’s our decisions on offence that we’ve really been chasing, and I saw a lot of that come through against the AFLW Academy.” 

The leadership group saw plenty of change over the summer, with Master and Demeo being announced as co-captains, supported by Octavia Di Donato, Emily Elkington, Chloe Rafferty and Emma Horne in the leadership group. 

“Grace and Steph are two people who, first and foremost, really care, they live our club values, and the way they show up for their teammates is second to none,” O’Connor. 

“They’re really clear on their roles, how they need to contribute within the system, and how they make other people better on the field.” 

The VFLW program has also seen an off-field addition to the leadership group, former VFL captain, now mentor Lachlan Swaney has commenced a leadership role, supporting the players through their development as leaders.  

“It’s been so helpful for me as coach this season as we have invested in that [leadership] space with Lachlan, who’s been at the club for a number of years now, a former captain of the VFL program,” O’Connor 

“He’s come in officially into a leadership role to support our players with that learning and development of their leadership.”  

Round 1 of the VFLW season kicks off this Saturday 11:05am at Preston City Oval against the Darebin Falcons. A former Falcon and premiership player herself, Aasta acknowledged what Darebin has done for women’s football and gender diverse people playing football.

“We respect Darebin and them as a club, what they’ve been able to do for the W space and women’s sport in general, I have the utmost respect for them as a club,” O’Connor said. 

“How we go about playing [Darebin], it will be about system, all the things we’ve been working on over the preseason. Looking to put all those pieces together.” 

Tom McLachlan 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.