WITH 12 applicants, it’s no surprise Carlton’s new skippers couldn’t be separated in the AFLW leadership race.

One week into their tenure, Kerryn Harrington and Katie Loynes have formed a key partnership as they gear up to lead the Blues into their fourth campaign.

The bond goes back further than just their time in the Navy Blue, with both playing for Diamond Creek on the way to a VFLW Grand Final in 2017.

Speaking to Bob Murphy and Andy Maher on SEN on Monday afternoon, the skippers reflected on the process them becomes the Club’s joint captains.

“‘Harf’ really put it on us to nominate if we wanted to be part of the leadership group for 2020,” Harrington said of the vetting process.

“From there we went to pre-season camp and surprisingly – or probably unsurprisingly internally – there were 12 girls that nominated who wanted to be part of the leadership group.

“It was a massive response and something that I suppose shows the depth of leadership that we do have at the Club.”

Those 12 players that put their hands up for leadership were tasked with selling their leadership credentials to the playing group with a short presentation.

A secondary school teacher, Loynes went to unprecedented efforts before sharing it on the recent pre-season camp at Lake Dewar.

“It was two and a half minutes; I had a presentation going. I got the PowerPoint out, I even showed the kids at school and got the tick of approval,” Loynes said.

“I think you just have to be yourself, there’s definitely no hiding in that process. I’ve been playing with most of these girls for the last three seasons, so they know exactly what I’m like game day, they know exactly what my training habits are like.

“If you try and be someone else, they’re just going to see right through it.”