Carlton Blues Season 2025 Preview
Reflecting on the Blues last season, and setting this years expectations
2025 Ladder Position: 14th (4 wins, 7 losses, 50%)
2024 Best & Fairest: Keeley Sherar
Senior Coach: Mathew Buck
In the second year under head coach Mathew Buck, Carlton started to get a glimpse of what this young side might be aiming for in the future. The Blues looked to utilize a game plan built off generating secondary stoppages, as well as using the hand and foot speed of their midfielders as their point of difference. That game plan looked excellent at times, with their victories against Geelong and Fremantle standing out as times where the speed of handballing and their post centre bounce clearance game generated upsets against more experienced outfits. However, outside of their midfield Carlton struggled, with a forward group that was unable to generate many shots on goal and the league’s third leakiest defence. Nothing encapsulated that struggle to win at either end of the ground more so than the difference in Carlton’s winning and losing margins: 8.3 points in victories, and a whopping 42.71 in their losses.
The Game Plan
“That’s something we definitely need to chase and that’s what the great teams in our competition do. Their ability to connect with their forwards in their forward end is helping." – Mathew Buck, November 2024
Carlton’s most prominent game style trait is looking to generate (and win) post centre bounce stoppages. Looking at stoppage clearance differential, Carlton (+1.7) sat at 5th in the AFLW, nestled between two finals-quality side Hawthorn and Adelaide. Part of that clearance advantage also comes from the ruck capabilities of Breann Harrington (nee Moody) and Jess Good, both of whom are top rucks for hit out win rate and hit out to advantage rate.
In order to generate those post CBA stoppages, Carlton prides itself on pressure and tackle effectiveness. As such, Carlton had 3 players in the top 50 for tackles per game, lead by Keeley Sherar (7.3) and Madeline Guerin (7.2) alongside 2025 captain Abbie McKay (6.4). They also ranked 3rd for tackles per game (76.1), and their combined tackle count per game (i.e. Carlton plus their opposition), ranked 4th in the AFLW.
Carlton sought to move the ball quickly by hand, taking advantage of their midfield group’s strength, while also looking to move quickly from half-back – Mimi Hill’s move to a back flank providing much of this run and drive. Unfortunately, the Blues couldn’t turn their movement into inside 50s, finishing 14th for inside 50 per game and 16th for marks inside 50 at an equal league lowest rate. Most concerningly, it was winger Dayna Finn who took the most marks inside 50 of any Blue (averaging 0.7 per game), with young tall target Mia Austin failing to take a mark inside fifty for the season and an over-reliance on Breann Harrington as an option when resting forward. Mathew Buck noted post-season that improving their forward connectivity, potentially from ball movement that generates long possession chains, would be a key area of development for the Blues to generate more composed entries into their forward 50 to benefit their forwards. The recruitment of former Suns skipper Tara Bohanna will also assist in providing forward structure, given the blues have primarily relied on the resting ruck to be the tall marking targets with crafty veteran Darcy Vescio at their feet.
🔊🔊🔊 Check out our Carlton Blues 2025 Preview Podcast Episode wherever you get your podcasts to listen to our interview with Lily Goss! 🔊🔊🔊
Squad Summary
Preseason movements
IN:
Aisling Reidy (Rookie - Ireland)
Siofra O'Connell (Rookie - Ireland)
Maria Cannon (Rookie - Ireland)
Tara Bohanna (trade - Gold Coast)
Poppy Scholz (2024 National Draft, pick #6)
Sophie McKay (2024 National Draft, pick #17)
Lou-Lou Field (2024 National Draft, pick #46)
Eliza Wood (injury replacement player, Carlton VFLW)
Maddison Torpey (injury replacement player, Southern Saints VFLW/Box Hill VFLW)
OUT:
Jess Dal Pos (retired)
Celine Moody (retired)
Marianna Anthony (delisted)
Lulu Beatty (delisted)
Jade Halfpenny (delisted)
Gen Lawson-Tavan (delisted)
Taylor Ortlepp (delisted)
Tahlia Read (delisted)
2025 Statistics
Average age (as of 31 Dec 2024): 23.7 (12th oldest)
Average number of games played: 26.5 (16th most experienced)
Carlton’s list is very inexperienced, no two ways about it, with only Gold Coast and Sydney sitting below them for average games played. That number would look even more alarming if it weren’t for their trio of Season 1 stalwarts: Breanne Harrington, Darcy Vescio, and Gab Pound, all of whom have played 70+ games. When it comes to the age of the list, things start to look a little better. However, when you consider that best-21 players like Lily Goss and Ciara Fitzgerald, plus irish duo Dayna Finn and Erone Fitzpatrick, are all 24y/o+, but have fewer than 25 games experience (owing to later arrivals to the AFLW), the squad looks a little shakier.
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2025 Preview
The Best Case Scenario
This young list has a seriously talented spine who have been given the opportunity to grow together. Keeley Sherar and new solo captain Abbie McKay present a genuine matchup quandary at stoppages, with Sherar in particular seeing some opposition tags after her impact became undeniable in 2024. Using the offseason to work on breaking that attention will do wonders for her growth and for Carlton’ chances of success. Add in the talented Mimi Hill who can benefit from another offseason training at half back, and Madeline Guerin who managed to get through her first season in 3 years without an injury setback, and it’s stocks up for the midfield talent. The other massive reason for optimism is the arrival of Tara Bohanna, who has the on and off field ability to launch this side closer to the top 8. On the field, Bohanna’s ability to work as a tall target in the 40-70m from goal range will greatly aid a Carlton team that couldn’t generate good forward entries. Off the field work, Bohanna has shown herself to be an excellent leader, able to navigate the ups and downs of a young and improving side, and if she can help this vastly underexperienced forward group improve its consistency (particularly the mercurial talent Mia Austin), Carlton could be in for a big year.
On the Other Hand…
Few sides will come into 2025 with a shakier backline group, and if Carlton are going to improve their win loss record, it’ll take more than just a more potent forward line. With Kerryn Peterson missing the season (pregnancy), and with several depth options no longer on the list, the Blues have a backline lacking in experience beyond Harriet Cordner and Gab Pound. There is the chance that Madeline Hendrie can turn a solid 2024 season into a more consistent role as tall defender, but at this stage, that requires a lot of projection. Draftees Poppy Scholz and Lou-Lou Field have plenty of talent also but will take time to develop.
Add in the fact that fans have yet to see the fruits of Matthew Buck’s high stoppage gameplan become a winning one, and Carlton fans may fear another bottom 6 finish in 2025 if they cannot fix their deficiencies at either end of the ground.
Player Preview: The Star
Harriet Cordner becomes the sole experienced tall defender on Carlton’s list in 2025 and will be heavily relied upon to guide their younger defenders again in the forthcoming season. Carlton’s coaches clearly think Cordner is irreplaceable, as she averaged 99.8% time on ground in 2024 (coming off the ground only once, in the last quarter of their first game against Hawthorn), which is higher than any AFLW player last year, and 11% higher than any other Blue. Her ability to contain the opposition’s best talls, while also intercepting forward forays, will remain crucial to a defensive line likely to boast several youngsters in need of leadership.
Player Preview: The Breakout
Keeley Skepper, an outside mid/forward, represents everything that Carlton should aim to improve in 2025. An elite kick and a clean player heading inside 50, Skepper took a step backwards in 2024 after an initial breakout season in 2023. Finding ways to get the ball to Skepper, either flowing past in transition or as a spot up mark on the wing, would vastly improve the Blues’ ball movement given the weapon she possesses on her left foot. If she can replicate her form of Season 8 and become a genuine link player across half forward, the Blues will have high hopes that their forward line can start functioning to its highest capabilities.
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2025 Best 21
Front of Mind
“Can Tara Bohanna solve the Blues scoring woes?”
Their midfield assets are well known but using them to generate scoring was a big issue in 2024. No Blue kicked more than 5 goals, and youngster Mia Austin was the only permanent forward to kick 5 (Breann Harrington and Keely Sherar also kicked 5). Forward structure was a key issue here, and the experience of marquee recruit Tara Bohanna could be exactly what Mathew Buck needs to build a system around. A strong mark overhead and on the lead, Bohanna’s greatest asset to Carlton could just be her ability to organise and direct traffic, giving that powerful midfield group the best chance to hit targets up forward.
Setting the Bar
Increasing their percentage to at least 70. Carlton may well be below the level of a final’s side in 2025, so measures of success are less ‘win/loss’ based, and slanted more towards improving the big gaps in their team from 2025. Therefore, putting wins aside a successful season for Carlton would be finding some combination of limiting their opposition scoring while kicking more goals themselves. A breakout season from one of their young forwards, such as Mia Austin or Lila Keck, would greatly help this cause, while seeing similar from a young defender – Yasmin Duursma or Maddie Hendrie the leading candidates – will also be much-needed. Showing that limit opposition scoring is a constant part of their game, and not a week to week proposition, will be key to building their game plan; trending in that direction makes their outlook for the next 3-5 seasons look a whole lot brighter given the young talent they possess.
At the End of the Day
Carlton’s core group of midfielders, all of whom are younger than 25, will give hope to Carlton fans for seasons to come, but finding growth from an inexperienced and often ineffective defence and forward lines will be what sees Carlton push up the ladder.
Keen for more?
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Artwork commissioned and supplied by the Free Kick gang in a “10 seconds to look at the logo 90 seconds to paint it” challenge from mid-2025