Carlton co-vice-captain Madeline Keryk says there's plenty of growth to come for the Blues after their stirring 35-point victory over Collingwood in the NAB AFL Women's season opener.
In what was a full house at Ikon Park on Friday night, Keryk was one of the key pillars of the Blues' engine room, gathering 12 disposals and a team-high six tackles, four clearances and 15 pressure acts.
“Its a very exciting moment and means so much to us to get the win in front of such a big crowd,” Keryk told Carlton Media.
“Beating Collingwood in the first game, it’s a great feeling.
“The atmosphere and the crowd were electric, we could feel the support around the ground. It was a first-time experience for us and to have that buzz in the first game was fantastic.”
See the highlights from the Blues' AFLW victory
Keryk combined well in the back half with Bianca Jakobsson (17 disposals, five marks, one goal) and Bri Davey (26 disposals, one goal), with the trio causing problems for the Collingwood forwards.
Keryk celebrates the victory alongside captain Lauren Arnell. (Photo: AFL Media)
Although the players haven’t played much together, Keryk likes what she’s seen so far but says the Blues will continue to push themselves to improve.
“Each game we’re going to improve and we haven’t played a lot together, which means there’s plenty of areas for us to grow in. We’ll keep working on the things we didn’t do well and continue playing to our strengths as well.
“We’ll have a look at GWS over the weekend and in the lead-up to next Saturday, but it's really more about us playing to our strengths and our structures come game day. We look forward to our next challenge.”
Carlton hosts GWS at Ikon Park next Saturday evening following the Club’s Family Day. The AFLW clash is scheduled to start at 5:05pm, with entry again free.
