Blues coach wants attractive AFLW spectacle, but winning more important

CARLTON coach Damien Keeping hopes the spectacle of AFLW grows in 2018 — just not at the expense of the Blues winning games.

WINNING is more important than playing an attractive brand of football, according to Carlton AFLW coach Damien Keeping.

The Blues take on Collingwood in the season opener at Ikon Park tomorrow night and the game is expected to be a step up from last year.

RULE CHANGES: EXPECT MORE GOALS IN AFLW 2018

GOING RETRO: AFLW STARS GO BACK IN TIME

ANOTHER LOCKOUT?: WILL AFLW ROUND ONE SELLOUT AGAIN?

The new last touch out of bounds rule is likely to open up play and Keeping hoped it, along with the development of players, would be reflected on the scoreboard.

Collingwood coach Wanye Siekman conceded some teams were over coached in year one but when “they refined it back and kept it basic, things started to happen”.

Blues coach Damien Keeping wants to win at all costs. Picture: AFL Media/Getty Images

Siekman expected the standard would be better in AFLW02 as players have developed their “football brain”, skills and fitness and there had also been an influx of younger players who have played football their entire life.

Keeping said while there was an obligation to play attractive football, he wanted to win a flag.

“The players have had another pre-season, they’ve got stronger, done more work from a skills perspective, I think there’s a whole host of elements that go into seeing that game expand and open up,” Keeping said.

“We just hope that that spectacle grows from where it was last year and that potentially we see more scores on the board and a real excitement around how the game looks.

“There is an obligation there, ultimately from a Carlton perspective we want to win premierships and we’ve put together a game plan and a list that we think will be really competitive.

“There’s a balance to be had, but we’re in the business of winning, absolutely.”