“MUM was an Essendon fan to start with, Dad was Carlton. Of course, everyone in the household needed to be Carlton, so Mum switched across.”

Priorities.

Tayla McMillan and her Navy Blue family used to spend the summer counting down the days for the Carlton-Richmond season opener at the MCG. Fast forward to September 2026, and she’s spent the last three days counting down the hours before her AFLW debut… when the Blues take on the Tigers.

McMillan was caught unawares earlier in the week when an impromptu team meeting was called, finding out shortly afterwards that the reason the players and coaches had come together was to announce that her first game would come this Friday at IKON Park against Richmond.

It was difficult not to reminisce on her Carlton journey to date, which officially started last December when she was drafted to the Blues, but in reality has had chapters written for years previously.

“It’s pretty special… I’m so excited it’s finally here,” McMillan told Carlton Media.

“Even just wearing [the guernsey] on photo day, and now actually going out there playing - it still doesn’t feel like it’s going to happen. I’m sure it’ll hit when I’m out there.”

One year and one week ago, McMillan was standing atop the dais as premiership captain of the Eastern Ranges alongside coach Jarrad Donders - now the coach of Richmond.

It’s another sub-script for McMillan leading into game No.1, having spent her time growing up idolising one Navy Blue No.5… and now modelling her game on another.

“Growing up my favourite player was Chris Judd, then Patrick Cripps. It’s so weird now coming in and seeing all those people, it’s crazy.

“I’ve grown up playing through the midfield and also switching up forward, I love the contest and the tackling component of the game. I’ve been told since getting here that I’m quite similar to when Abbie [McKay] was coming through, so I try to watch how she plays - hopefully I can get some of that into my game.”

She’s been able to lean on not only the captain, but also her locker buddy Keeley Sherar, who shared a very similar pathway to McMillan. Settling into the No.26 locker next to Sherar’s No.25, the former Eastern Ranges products met a number of years ago at the same gym.

However her first game plays out, McMillan’s story as a Carlton player is just beginning, and she’ll have plenty of people she can lean on in the weeks and years to come.

“It’ll be weird playing a later game, I’ve never done that before. I feel like the whole day I’ll be trying not to think about it.

“A few of the family will get down as well: it’ll be very special.”