2026 AFLW Pre Season

Match Simulation No.1.

The hitout served as an early pre-season test for the Blues squad ahead of the official 2026 AFLW season. This game consisted of three periods of 20 minutes.

Match Simulation No.2.

Game Review

Familiar faces, new names impress in last-gasp win
Carlton continued its pre-season with a narrow match simulation win over Essendon. - By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media

A last-gasp goal has seen Carlton’s AFLW side continue its bright start to pre-season with a two-point win against Essendon. Trailing by three goals at the main break, the Blues enjoyed a much stronger second half to ultimately emerge with a 6.5 (41) to 6.3 (39) victory. With blue skies shining down at IKON Park, the Blues were without some of their main names - including young forward duo Poppy Scholz and Sophie McKay, plus the likes of Claudia Whitfort, Amelia Velardo and Maddy Guerin - and rotated players through a number of different positions. It was a combination of familiar faces and new names who combined to good effect, with Abbie McKay and Erone Fitzpatrick among the Blues’ best while Brooke Boileau and Lauren Bella both had important moments over the course of the afternoon.

In a gritty contest against the Bombers, Erone Fitzpatrick set the tone early with a big tackle and accurate set shot. Darcy Vescio started the game up forward, with the veteran assisting Lily Goss for the Blues’ second goal of the day. Carlton’s midfield was getting on top at centre bounce early, but some fundamental errors proved costly around the ground, seeing the home side trail by a solitary point at the first change. That trend continued in the second term, with Carlton’s backline under increasing pressure. All-Australian Harriet Cordner picked up from where she left off in 2025, but repeat entries from the Bombers in dangerous positions saw the away side pile on three unanswered goals in the second term. Despite being match simulation, the Blues were clearly challenged to make a response at the half, with captain Abbie McKay duly delivering. Typically supported brilliantly by Mimi Hill, Abbie McKay and the Blues started to win critical contests and get the contest on their terms, making it look much more like a Carlton game under Mathew Buck. Darcy Vescio was moved back to defence in the second half as the Blues continued to play around with the magnets this pre-season, with Lou-Lou Field spending time up forward while Brooke Vickers was stationed behind the ball to start the game. In her first game at IKON Park representing the Blues, Brooke Boileau hit the scoreboard early in the third, before Lou-Lou Field and Lila Keck both did the same to give the Blues a narrow lead heading into three-quarter time. An early Bombers goal in the final term saw the lead change hands again, but the Blues’ defensive application was strong, with Jess Good and Harriet Cordner making telling contributions to keep the Blues within a kick. The nature of the game meant the Blues could put their situational pre-season training to good use, with Erone Fitzpatrick finding VFLW-listed Lucy Burke deep in the pocket with five minutes remaining: the key forward converted with a true set shot to give the Blues a late lead. From there, Carlton was able to see out the contest, in another valuable hitout in the lead-up to the home-and-away season. The Blues will travel north next week to take on Gold Coast in an official practice match on Saturday.

Official Practice Match.

Game Review

Carlton wins on the road against the Suns
By Gemma Bastiani and Sarah Black

Despite going down to Carlton, Gold Coast's young brigade showed some encouraging signs heading into the 2026 NAB AFLW season following a wooden spoon finish in 2025. Coming into her second season, Havana Harris got busy in the front half for the Suns, winning a game-high 26 disposals and taking nine marks offering a real focal point in what is a very young forward line. She paired well with pre-season No.1 draft pick Lily Quigley who, wearing a signature black helmet, kicked two goals thanks to smart positioning and clean skill. Dekota Baron brought some serious forward pressure as a tall option, with a neat smother in the pocket in the second term. The club worked to create attacking transition down the field, wanting to employ the handball receive and put speed on the ball. It didn't always work, but that was largely a result of Carlton's consistent pressure and capacity to shut down space through the middle of the ground.

Daisy D'Arcy (six disposals, four intercepts) made a successful return from an ACL injury that kept her on the sidelines last year, adding a calm head in the back half, and replacement signing Paige Price (12 disposals, eight hitouts) rucked solo for the match in the absence of Darcie Davies. Draftee Mikayla Nurse (13 disposals, five intercepts) was tasked with running the wing alongside All-Australian Blue Dayna Finn (14 disposals, five marks) for the duration, and Georja Davies showed her capacity to be clean below the knees as a key defender. Boom recruit Anne Hatchard (20 disposals, four clearances, six tackles) played bulk midfield minutes, leading the young group of onballers around her, while highly rated draftee Ava Usher struggled to get involved in the play around the ball. For the Blues, it was a pair of former Suns that showed some strong footy, with Lauren Bella (15 hitouts) leaping at the footy with a newfound confidence, and Claudia Whitfort dobbing a goal early in the day. Meanwhile, former Adelaide midfielder Brooke Boileau offered some physicality around the midfield. The latter two blended well as part of Carlton's broader midfield mix. Despite playing in attack in last week's match simulation, Darcy Vescio played in defence, and Erone Fitzpatrick ran the wing for most of the day, finishing with 14 disposals and a goal. Poppy Scholz appears set to continue her role up forward, with two goals and pairing well as a key with Tara Bohanna, and Harriet Cordner once again showed off her strength down back.

Notable Absentees: Kiara Bischa, Yasmin Duursma, Tayla McMillan, Meg Robertson, Amelia Velardo

Team

Milestones

Match Highlights

Match Simulation No.3.

Game Review

Vescio produces winner as new Blues impress again.
The report of Carlton's final AFLW pre-season hitout. - By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media.

Carlton has officially finished its AFLW pre-season with a four-point win over Geelong. Just nine days out from their season opener against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium, it was a youthful Blues outfit which took to the field at IKON Park and produced a 6.3 (39) to 5.5 (35) result. Missing a host of key names, the Blues once again produced a narrow victory in pre-season, with a late Darcy Vescio goal sealing a result. With up to 10 names sitting out - including the Blues’ four Australia-Ireland representatives - the game provided the chance for a number of Blues to put their hands up with the season fast approaching. Amelia Velardo and Yasmin Duursma both featured after missing the hitouts against Essendon and Geelong, while just a day after being announced as a Carlton signing, Nell-Morris Dalton pulled on the Navy Blue No.35 for the first time. It was Morris-Dalton who provided the assist for Carlton’s first of the day, with Vescio - who played forward for the entire afternoon - the beneficiary. Responding to the Cats kicking the first two goals of the day, the Blues stepped up their defensive game, with first-year draftee Lily Baxter producing a crunching tackle while new recruit Kiara Bischa stepped up on the last line. The Cats had the slight ascendancy over the course of the first two quarters, with a clever Lila Keck goal in the second term reducing the half-time margin to one straight kick. Continuing a strong first pre-season at her new club, Brooke Boileau once again showed positive signs, while Sophie McKay played large amounts of midfield minutes with Abbie McKay, Mimi Hill and Keeley Sherar all managed for the game. Leading the way for the Blues all afternoon was the excellent Claudia Whitfort, who showed exactly why the Blues recruited the former Sun last summer. Breaking away from stoppage and hunting the opposition, Whitfort was a key driver in the Blues turning a half-time deficit into an 11-point three-quarter-time lead. Taking on No.1 ruck duties in the absence of Lauren Bella, Jess Good looked more and more dangerous as the game went on, providing an assist for Vescio in the third term, while McKay and Lily Goss also hit the scoreboard in the third term. Ciara Fitzgerald produced some key defensive moments with the result hanging in the balance of the pre-season fixture, and after the Cats had taken back the lead by a single behind, it was Vescio who finished off some end-to-end ball movement to put the Blues ahead. The game wasn’t without some last-minute drama, as a snap on the siren from the Cats hit the post, ensuring the Blues would enter next week’s Saints clash with winning form.