IN HIS post-game press conference following the win over GWS, Carlton AFLW Senior Coach Mathew Buck was asked about some of the unsung heroes at the Blues.
The question came after he highlighted the Club’s leadership, spearheaded by captain Abbie McKay and vice captain while being supported by Harriet Cordner, Tara Bohanna and Erone Fitzpatrick.
Very quickly, the coach started to rattle off multiple names for those who can avoid the attention externally.
But it would’ve come as no surprise to anyone internally at IKON Park that the Blues’ No.36 was the first mention off the bat.
“I’ve got a long list. Ciara Fitzgerald has had a remarkable career to this point,” Buck said.
“She started at Richmond, was delisted, came back through the VFL and was an injury replacement player for us. I’ve probably dropped Ciara more than anybody in the side, and now she’s a consistent AFLW player.
“I love the way she goes about her footy.”
The northside local has well and truly found herself a home on Royal Parade, and it’s all come on the back of hard work. She’s now played 35 straight games for Buck’s AFLW Blues - but it wasn’t always easy.
Fitzgerald’s AFLW career could’ve been over after just one game, which she played for Richmond in their inaugural season of 2020. Delisted come the end of that season, she fought back via North Melbourne’s VFLW side for three seasons before finding her way to the Blues.
She mustered five games in her first season, and has lived the team’s mantra of getting better every single day to now be a mainstay. Her 12 intercept possessions against GWS on the weekend were a career-high.
Of course, Fitzgerald wasn’t alone in Buck’s comments.
“Yasmin Duursma plays a really particular role for us on and off the bench which can be hard for anyone, her maturity and the way she handles that has been absolutely fantastic. Síofra O’Connell has had an outstanding year which is a credit to the work she’s put in, Aisling Reidy is right behind her.
“Lily Goss, you talk about unsung heroes. Claudia Whitfort is a great player, but she’s helped by people like Lily Goss. Maddy Hendrie is someone we’re really proud of at the footy club: we talk about Harriet Cordner and how she’s a lock for All Australian, but the work Maddy Hendrie does for her has been outstanding.
“We also have players that aren’t playing at the moment who are playing an outstanding role for our team, and the way they continue to support and come in with a smile on their face and get better every day is a testament to them.”
If the Blues are to get to where they want to be under Buck, those quiet achievers will have to continue doing just that.
