AFLW 2024: Carlton keen to spoil Essendon’s finals bid in Ikon Park reunion

Carlton and Essendon legends have urged their club’s AFLW sides to throw the kitchen sink at their rivals, with the Bombers’ finals spot at stake.

It hasn’t been Carlton’s season, but the chance to extinguish Essendon’s finals bid in front of a home crowd on Saturday night has not been lost on the Blues.

The Bombers likely need to win to hold off a desperate Melbourne in the battle for eighth spot, with the clash to be Ikon Park’s first AFLW game for premiership points between the fierce rivals since 1992.

Four-time premiership coach David Parkin, who had the reins at Carlton during that round 10 clash, was eager to see the Blues spoil Essendon’s party with an upset victory.

“That would be, in my opinion, just the nicest thing that could happen,” he said with a grin.

Parkin still has his notes from the 1992 fixture in which Carlton sailed to a 52-point win.

Essendon great Mark Harvey, who played in the clash, observed Parkin had simply written that he was “slow”.

Carlton AFLW defender Harriet Cordner, David Parkin, Mark Harvey and Essendon midfielder Georgia Nanscawen. Carlton and Essendon will face off for premiership points at Ikon Park for the first time since the 1992 AFL season on Saturday night. Picture: Carlton FC

Harvey said then-Bombers coach Kevin Sheedy had held a bizarre coaching philosophy against Parkin due to his background as a teacher.

“(Sheedy) would always say to us when we played Carlton, ‘If I make a couple of late changes, the schoolteacher gets confused’. That was part of our strategy coming into the game,” Harvey said.

“It didn’t work – (the Blues) beat us by about 50 points.”

Essendon midfielder Georgia Nanscawen said the equation was simple for the Bombers going into the final home-and-away game of the AFLW season.

“We know that the finals is there and what it means. But as we’ve said right through the season, we’ve really been focusing on developing our identity, and we showed really good signs of that in Darwin (in the drawn Dreamtime game against Richmond),” she said.

“We feel like if we can bring that again this weekend, that will set us up really well for whatever might come afterwards.”

Harvey, who said he had enjoyed watching the Bombers’ women’s side this year, thought they were “mentally tough” and could quickly bounce back from the gruelling draw in the Top End.

Australian football great David Parkin takes Carlton AFLW player Harriet Cordner through his coaching notes from round 10, 1992 – the last time the Blues played Essendon for premiership points at Ikon Park. Picture: Carlton FC

“Don’t worry about (them being) tired coming back from Darwin – they’re ready to go,” he said.

Blues defender Harriet Cordner said there was set to be “a bit of flavour” in the Saturday night clash, but Melbourne must beat Collingwood at the same venue earlier in the day for the finals battle to remain live.

The Demons trail the Bombers by two points on the ladder after they couldn’t overcome Hawthorn in Cairns without injured star Kate Hore.

Coach Mick Stinear said the Dees skipper would play after suffering a quad strain at training two days before the Tigers clash.

“It just wasn’t worth the risk of doing further damage to her quad. I know (Hore) would’ve helped in that Thursday night game, but she’s feeling really good … I think it would take a fair bit for her to miss out two weeks in a row,” he said.

“It’s frustrating we’ve put ourselves in this position, but we’re still very much in contention – we’ll just focus on what we can control.”

Originally published as AFLW 2024: Carlton keen to spoil Essendon’s finals bid in Ikon Park reunion