AFLW 2021: Carlton, Collingwood prepare for season opener
Brianna Davey will set an AFL/AFLW first when she steps out for Collingwood tonight and is bracing for a fierce reception from her former Carlton teammates.
Collingwood star Brianna Davey is expecting a “physical” barrage when she faces her former side Carlton for the first time in Thursday night’s AFLW season-opener.
Davey will become the first player in VFL-AFL/AFLW history to captain both Carlton and Collingwood when she leads the Magpies out alongside co-captain Steph Chiocci at Ikon Park.
The Magpies utility has already played one season at Collingwood but missed last year’s clash with her former club through injury.
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She said she was expecting some lip and some argy bargy from her former teammates, but stressed that happened every week in the AFLW.
“Like any game there’s always going to be a bit of lip and it’s going to be physical regardless,” she said.
“It’s a rivalry contest, but in saying that every single game in AFLW is physical.”
Davey’s captaincy at both clubs is yet another chapter in the century long rivalry that has endured between Carlton and Collingwood.
She said she definitely felt that in the women’s ranks.
“I think it (the rivalry) is the same as it is in the men’s, it is there,” she said.
“Obviously Carlton and Collingwood is always a big game, but I think as players we’ll be focusing on what we need to do.
“There are nerves and excitement, it’s both and that’s the same for any game.
“But when you haven’t played for nine or 10 months, it’s almost like you’re doing it again for the first time.
“I can’t wait for it.”
Davey is a former All-Australian defender who moved into the midfield last year and now looks likely to continue her progression up the ground this season.
Who cares! Big-name Blue brushes off ‘useless’ smear
Carlton forward Tayla Harris says she doesn’t care for the opinions of opponents as she prepares for a rematch against a player who labelled her “useless”.
Harris is set to go toe-to-toe with Collingwood defender Stacey Livingstone in the AFLW season-opener on Thursday night, the first time the pair have faced off since Livingstone’s explosive post-match interview in Round 2 last year.
“You’ve just got to stop her (Harris) in the air,” Livingstone said in that interview.
“That’s her game. If you can do that, she’s useless.”
Harris said while she harbours “no hard feelings” towards Livingstone now, she admitted the history would add a little spice to their next contest.
“It’s not going to be my point of aggression or anything like that, but it’s always good,” Harris said of the banter.
“I don’t really care, to be honest, of opinions from other players. That’s their opinion and they’re entitled to it and it’s not about proving her wrong, it’s more about showing my family and my friends and the people that I hold their opinions highly that I’m feeling good and confident in myself.
“If it was Daniel Harford, our coach, saying I’m not going very well then of course I’m going to work with it. But I didn’t take it on board one bit.”
The Blues were one of the final four teams in the premiership race last year before the season was scrapped ahead of scheduled preliminary finals due to COVID-19.
But Carlton has high hopes that it can challenge once again this year and is a $6 fancy with bookmaker TAB to win its first AFLW premiership.
“There were only four of us left (last year) and we felt like we were cherry ripe to get into that Grand Final,” Blues midfielder Madison Prespakis said.
“But it’s a new season this year and we feel like we’re even better this time around.”
AFLW TO KICK OFF WITH ‘LIPPY’, ‘PHYSICAL’ CLASH
Collingwood AFLW star Steph Chiocci says she is expecting Carlton to target her newly elevated co-captain and former Blue Brianna Davey in Thursday night’s season opener.
Davey will on Thursday night become the first player to captain both Carlton and Collingwood when she meets her former teammates for the first time.
She played for the Magpies last year but missed the clash with her former teammates through injury.
“I have no doubt some of them will get a little bit lippy and it will be really physical, but good luck taking Bri on I’d say,” Chiocci said.
Chiocci said her Magpies co-captain would be ready for anything on the night.
“She says she’s not too nervous but I think when she gets to Wednesday she’ll start to think about it, but she’s the ultimate professional,” she said.
“She’s represented Australia so if anyone knows how to cope with nerves, it’s her.
“And we’ll make sure we get around her, but we have 20 other girls on the park we need to make sure are ready to go as well.
“But Bri’s a professional and she’ll get through it no problems at all.”
The Magpies made their first AFLW finals series in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to COVID-19. They were knocked out in the elimination final and they’re still yet to win a final in four seasons.
“We think our best is good enough to be up there with the top teams, there’s no doubt about that,” Magpies coach Steve Symonds said on Monday.
“It’s just our consistency as we go along and how we put that together.
“So we’ve got no limits about what we’re trying to do.
“We’re just keeping it pretty simple. We just want to get better each week and see where it leads us.”
STAR FORWARD SENDS SCARE THROUGH BLUES CAMP
Carlton star Tayla Harris has been given the all-clear to play in Thursday night’s AFLW season-opener after leaving training early on Saturday.
Harris appeared to hurt her knee during a leading drill an hour into the Blues’ session at Ikon Park and headed into the changerooms after a massage on the back of her leg.
But a Carlton spokesman said the star forward was OK and would be available to face Collingwood at the same ground this week.
The AFLW was forced into some last-minute changes to the opening round fixture in response to border conditions, but the season-opener is set to go ahead as planned.
Harris, an All-Australian in 2017 and 2018, looms as a key figure as the Blues look to kickstart their campaign with a win against the Magpies.
Collingwood beat Carlton by 15 points in their most recent meeting in Round 2 last year.
MORE: ULTIMATE CLUB BY CLUB AFLW GUIDE
Originally published as AFLW 2021: Carlton, Collingwood prepare for season opener
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