ENVIOUSLY watching other teams prepare for finals on Carlton’s home deck was all the motivation the Blues needed to make their own charge this season.
Carlton will return to the AFLW finals for the first time since 2020 after sealing sixth place with a win over West Coast – who they will host in an elimination final on Saturday – last Friday night.
“I remember when we were having our exit interviews last year, we were having our team exit and watching the Hawks train and prepare with their captain’s run,” veteran Darcy Vescio said.
“So I feel like the meeting was tough, but then walking out and looking at the reality of another team training on your field – that’s a fair bit of motivation.
Darcy Vescio at the launch of the 2025 AFLW Pride Round. Picture: AFL Photos Whitten Oval on October 8, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by James Wiltshire/AFL Photos)
“And then we’re back running before the finals are finished, so it’s all of those things happening.
“Even watching the Bulldogs win the premiership here in 2018; for me, I was like, ‘this really sucks’.
“Obviously you have to earn the right to get to play in those big games, so it’s been something that we’ve wanted for a really long time.
“So hopefully getting the opportunity to play a home final will fill that satisfaction and get a lot of supporters here too.”
Vescio, 32, swung forward and capped off the victory over the Eagles with a torp after the siren.
“I heard Gab (Pound) scream ‘torp, do a torp’, and then obviously the siren went while I was still lining up, so that completely relaxed me,” Vescio said with a laugh.
“As soon as I struck it, I was like, ‘oh, that’s gonna go’.
“I felt really lucky to be able to celebrate winning our way into finals, and to have all the team around me … was a special moment.
“It’s really exciting to be back in that position. Everyone wants to play finals.
“So to get there and feel like you’ve done it, not spontaneously, like you’ve been able to win convincingly and been able to build over three years since (coach Mathew) Buck’s been here, that’s super exciting and feels like a sustainable way to be a great club for a long time.”
Vescio is wary of what West Coast coach and “great tactician” Daisy Pearce can do to flip the tables on Saturday.
But Pound, another inaugural Blue, is confident Carlton can do some damage in November too.
“We’ve shown that we can match up against some really good sides and win convincingly,” Pound said.
“This year we’ve been able to score a lot more goals with a bit of a shift in our game plan.
“So it’s a really exciting opportunity – (we) just have to play some consistent footy.
