THOUGH it’s been over a year since Brooke Vernon walked through the doors of Ikon Park, she feels as though her best football is ahead of her.

Selected with pick No.26 in last year’s draft, Vernon knows exactly how Carlton’s newest Blues would have felt joining the group following the 2020 NAB AFL Women’s Draft.

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“It’s really crazy to be on the other end of it," Vernon said.

"The three new draftees are so lovely and have fitted in really well and I’ve gotten along with them really well so I’m stoked about them."

Welcoming Mimi Hill, Daisy Walker and Winnie Laing in October, Vernon is relishing in the opportunity to come back as a familiar face head of the 2021 season.

“it’s really cool to be on the other side watching and seeing how they adapt and putting myself back in their shoes and remembering what it was like,” she said.

“It would be very daunting for them, so I’ve tried to make them feel as welcome as possible.”

Bluebaggers got a glimpse of the young defender in her debut last year against the Western Bulldogs in Round 3.

Hoping to build into regular game time in 2021, Vernon looks back fondly the day at Whitten Oval having made her debut during Pride Round.

“That was sick, it was the best feeling ever: the atmosphere at Whitten Oval was absolutely amazing,” she said.

“I debuted in Pride Round, it’s such a good round to play in and it means a lot to so many people. To be able to pull on the Navy Blue in that round was so amazing and I was ecstatic about it.”

Looking ahead to in pre-season and her second opportunity to earn a spot in next year’s side, Vernon believes her key growth point is with athleticism and skill development.

“Probably just building on what I started working on last season, especially with the more athletic side of things and then obviously building on skills because there’s always room for improvement there,” she said.