AFLW isn’t an average footy season, it’s much more intense writes Carlton star Darcy Vescio

While some love watching AFLW, Darcy Vescio knows there are some who want to see the competition crumble, but the Carlton star has urged for patience as the standard improves each season.

Carlton AFLW star Darcy Vescio is ready for a big season. Picture: George Salpigtidis

AFLW has shaped the past three years of my life. It’s hard to believe in July 2016 I became one of the first ever AFLW players after being told nine years earlier I’d have to quit footy because I was a girl.

It’s been a wild journey.

As a player, I feel I’ve already experienced the highs and lows of AFLW and it’s helped prepare me for the new season.

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Playing in the first ever game will be something I’ll never forget and what we achieved that year was bigger than football but season two was a rocky ride for the Blues. It didn’t go to plan.

You learn a lot about yourself during the hard times and we’ve definitely done that. As a team we regrouped at the end of 2018 and spoke openly about what went wrong and what could be rectified so we could start pre-season and season 2019 with a fresh outlook.

Darcy Vescio kicked four goals in the first ever AFLW game in 2017 and it changed her life. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Now, Round 1 starts on Saturday night and there’s a sense of a calm before the storm.

AFLW isn’t your average footy season, it’s a different breed. With only seven home-and-away games, it’s a supercharged version.

I enjoy the pressure of playing but there’s a big difference between playing VFLW and AFLW. I played VFL for five years before the start of AFLW and loved the flow of the 15-game season. You could work your way into form and by Round 6 you’re starting to get into a groove — your touch is good, you’re kicking well and feeling confident in and around the contest.

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By Round 11 the team is firing, you understand how each other plays, have built synergy with your teammates and with finals just around the corner, you’re primed to give it a serious crack.

That’s standard footy. That’s not exactly AFLW. There’s no time to find form or build synergy, you just have to trust yourself and dive right in.

Carlton won only two games last season and Vescio writes every loss left her and her teammates feeling “empty”. Picture: Getty Images

While the short season provides an exciting and intense energy around every game, it’s unforgiving. It can be an emotional rollercoaster. The need to win games early feels critical and when you lose, the losses hit harder than I’ve ever experienced in sport. Every point counts.

Over the first two seasons every loss felt like we were pushing ourselves further away from that Grand Final spot and the uncertainty around results from other matches was hard to deal with. We don’t have the luxury of being able to drop a game or two because in such a short season, one or two losses can be season over.

We’re also still getting used to more attention being on us than ever before.

After the first game in 2017 my Instagram following tripled in the space of 12 hours — it was ridiculous — but it was also special for people to appreciate me for playing football, something I’ve only ever really got from my family and friends.

Vescio is still getting used to the attention from fans and the wider football community. Picture: Rob Leeson

But while some love the game and what it brings to the AFL and wider community, some despise the women’s game and would love to see it crumble. Yes, I see you in every comments section.

What I’m learning to do is focus in on what I care about — my teammates, coaches and obviously life outside footy — and embrace whatever the season throws at us.

At the end of the day, only one team wins the premiership and your season isn’t a failure if that team isn’t yours.

There’s a lot more to footy and AFLW than results — obviously that’s a massive part — but progressing the league and striving to learn and improve your game to help yourself and your team is also important.

I’m aware there are expectations on all of us this season. There’s not one AFLW player who doesn’t understand that, nor is there anyone who believes the standard is exactly where we want it to be.

But what we do ask for is some understanding, particularly during this period of expansion as North Melbourne and Geelong enter the competition, about where we’ve come from.

Vescio and Nicola Stevens during a Carlton training session. Picture: Jay Town

We’re not at our clubs every day finetuning our craft, building our fitness and working on team strategy.

We’re at school educating your kids, landscaping your gardens, processing your insurance claims and flipping your burgers. Great things take time.

While most of the focus is on North Melbourne’s entry and their recruitment of established players like Emma Kearney, Moana Hope and Kaitlyn Ashmore, I think Geelong will be a strong side with their local talent — a large portion of their team has played more consistently together through VFLW than any AFLW team.

We’ll get to see the Kangaroos up close on Sunday when we play them in Tasmania but I’d be fibbing if I said it didn’t feel weird not playing Collingwood in the season opener.

It doesn’t bother me too much right now but I was looking forward to telling people in the year 2059 why Carlton and Collingwood always play in the first game. I think we could have opened the season against the Magpies tomorrow night without taking any of the hype away from the Cats — and Kangaroos — entering the competition.

But I can’t wait for Sunday. Let’s get season three started.