THE Game Changers will kick off AFLW 3.0 against a new foe, North Melbourne, this Sunday.

Skipper Bri Davey will make her return from injury alongside six Carlton debutantes when the Blues meet the newcomers at the North Hobart Oval from 1.05pm on Sunday, February 3.

Details: North Hobart Stadium, Sunday, February 3, 1.05pm EDT.

Broadcast: Fox Footy (Channel 504). Coverage from 1pm.

The Game in focus:

With North Melbourne entering the AFLW competition in 2019, supporters from both sides will be interested to see what the Kangaroos bring. Equipped with two former Carlton defenders – Kate Gillespie-Jones and Danielle Hardiman – Collingwood marquee player Moana Hope and 2018 premiership player Emma Kearney as skipper, the ‘Roos will no doubt present a tough opponent.

Madison Prespakis, Chloe Dalton, Kirby Bentlty, Amelia Mullane, Jess Edwards and Jayde Van Dyk will pull on the navy blue for the first time. 2018 No.3 draft pick Prespakis will start at half-forward, with the 18-year-old bringing impressive aggression in her first outing in the Blues’ practice match against the Cats.

Bri Davey will lead her side for the first time since rupturing an ACL during season 2018. She’ll join spearheads Darcy Vescio and Tayla Harris up forward, following an impressive display of attacking prowess with her four-goal haul against Geelong in January.

Gut-runner twins Sarah and Jess Hosking will feature in the engine room alongside newly appointed vice-captain and 2018 Best and Fairest co-winner Katie Loynes.

All Australian defender Nicola Stevens will recover the absence of Davey in the backline to bolster a Blues line-up.

It’s a revamped line-up for Carlton, which will clash with the fresh mix of mature and new talent offered up by North. With their first VFLW season behind them, many of the Blues have had a year to gel, and a solid pre-season campaign has allowed the new additions to pick up the pace set by the Game Changers. With the captain back leading from afield again, a deeper list bereft of serious injury and an array of gun new talent on display, the Blues look in great shape to give the newcomers a run for their money.

What to watch

It’ll be a big week for debutantes, with six new Blues lining up for Carlton. We saw what our youngers were capable of doing in the practice match against Geelong at Ikon Park, which saw the Blues’ new talent taking on mature footballers.

Darcy Vescio had a VFLW season to remember, taking home the Goal of the Year and the Leading Goal-Kicker awards. The 25-year-old will be looking to regain the title of AFLW Leading Goal-Kicker this season – an accolade she earned in her debut season of AFLW.

Eyes will also be on the match-up between former Blues’ defender Danielle Hardiman with Carlton superstar forward Tayla Harris. Hardiman is a strong intercept player, but the Faithful are well aware of what Harris can achieve under pressure.

A grueling pre-season, a new coach and plenty of new faces.



We can't wait until we get to see our Blues in action tomorrow afternoon.#BoundByBlue — Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) February 2, 2019

Player in focus

18-year-old Prespakis had an enthusing pre-season campaign and practice-match appearance. The Calder Cannons-recruit’s tackling ferocity is beyond her years, and she will no doubt lay plenty of that pressure on her North Melbourne opponents. She’ll be looking to show off what she’s learnt at Ikon Park on Sunday.

Blue View

Carlton will look to take what they’ve learnt over the past few months and bring its A-game. That’s not to say North Melbourne doesn’t present a formidable front, with a mix of great trades and young talent taken at the draft. Sunday presents an opportunity for the Blues to test their skills against some of the league’s best.