WHEN Abbie McKay was appointed captain, Carlton did the normal club media coverage – a press conference, exclusive interviews on the club channels, the works.
More unusual were the forthright words on a quote graphic on the club's AFLW Instagram and X (Twitter) accounts from newly appointed vice-captain Mimi Hill, who had also been in the mix for skipper.
"I would have loved to be captain, but I'm still very young, so it still might happen. 'Abs' and I are a very good team … we work well together," read the graphic.
Hill is an interesting character. Now 22, she's never been shy about speaking her mind over her five previous seasons of AFLW, but doesn't come across as rude or abrasive, and couches her words well.
Mim is Mim, and her down-to-earth nature wins plenty of fans.
"I'm not going to lie about it. I feel like I pride myself on being authentic, I am me and I'm not apologetic about it. I also know I can be a really good leader in this position (vice-captain) as well. I'm not feeling disappointed anymore, I'm actually really excited about the opportunities," Hill told AFL.com.au, a month after the appointment.
"Abbie and I have the best relationship, there were never any hard feelings, it was just, 'yeah, it would have been a really cool thing'. But I'm in a really good place with it. I also said I'm really early in my career, so you never know what's going to happen. I'm keen to see how things play out this year, and I feel our leadership group is in a really good spot.
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"I was never going to just shut my feelings down. I felt like it was important to feel them, so I could actually move past them. I definitely had really good support from people at the club and my family and things. I'm pretty proud with how I've handled it, because I'm in a really good spot."
Hill was added to Carlton's leadership group in season seven in 2022. It was her third at AFLW level, and she was just 20.
"The hardest part of leadership is giving really honest feedback, especially to your teammates, who a lot of the time are older than me. I know I have a good footy brain, so I guess the development has come from using my brain and delivering that constructive feedback," Hill said.
"I now know that withholding feedback isn't helping anyone, because we're not getting better, and I want our team to be really good, and I want us to be better. I've definitely improved in that aspect – I'm now delivering it in time, on the field."
Carlton finished 14th last year, with a percentage of 50, which sat above only 18th-placed Collingwood. The year prior, the Blues had finished 12th with a percentage of 86.
This 2025 season will be coach Mathew Buck's third in charge, which is often when rebuilding AFLW teams are able to take a big step forward in their development, given the short season lengths.
"We know we've got the contest and defence stuff down pat, but we do really want to add on more attacking layers, which is exciting for me, I love attacking. We're just working on that," Hill said.
"I'm loving our new players, they have brought in an amazing energy, and they're all up for it. There's no one who we've needed to get behind, they're all pushing the boundaries already, which is great, and it means selection time is going to be interesting.
"[Midfielder] Eliza Wood's the one I'm really excited for. She's come up through our VFLW and she really deserves an opportunity. When she got picked up I was so happy for her, because she's just worked so hard for the past few years and maybe been overlooked a few times, but it's about time she's on a list.
"I love watching Poppy [Scholz, draftee]. Sometimes, I just stand at training and go, 'what? ' Someone will pick up a ball, I'll think there's no way she'll get there, and then she just puts out an arm and they're like four metres long and she gets it. I just stand there and clap, it's very impressive.
"It's pretty cool to watch someone like her develop and she's already got a lot stronger over the pre-season, and it's only been about two months. She's looking really strong. I've been calling her Elastigirl, because her limbs just come out from nowhere."
