CARLTON was last year's surprise packet, so how do the Blues go one better this season?Â
The young side jumped from 14th to preliminary finalist in just 12 months, with the spark coming from first-year players Sophie McKay and Poppy Scholz, Irish stars Dayna Finn and Erone Fitzpatrick became dominant, while experienced veterans Harriet Cordner and Tara Bohanna led from the front.
Carlton will be hoping new additions to its list will help it make the climb.
The Blues were involved in one of the most exciting trades of the off-season, signing Adelaide talent Brooke Boileau.
The 21-year-old Telstra AFLW Rising Star nominee made the surprise move to Carlton looking for a fresh start despite having after a career-best season at the Crows.
"I was looking to just find my feet again with footy a bit more and I was really looking for that culture and connection piece within the group. That's kind of what drew me to Carlton," Boileau said.
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Boileau relocated to Melbourne earlier this year with her partner and has hit the ground running, according to midfield coach Aasta O'Connor.
"I noticed there was a real appetite from her as a player when she came in," O'Connor said.
"I'm assuming she was just trying to get to know everyone and connect, but she was really dialled in from the beginning, which was really cool. So that was super noticeable."
An inside midfielder, Boileau will add grunt and strength to the current midfield group of Mimi Hill, Abbie McKay and Fitzpatrick.
"Brooke's so strong over the ball. She's really strong is the first thing I noticed," O'Connor said.
"And then I watch her with ball in hand, she's got this balance to her kicking, which is high end. She's going to add layers.
"I'm already thinking about the different combos we can put together through our midfield group. You know, you put on your first three (midfielders), great and then your next three are just as strong.
"So that's really exciting as a mids coach. That depth that we're building throughout that mid group is pretty cool."
It will be a new-look midfield at Ikon Park this season.
For the first time in the club's 10-season AFLW history the Blues will be without Breann Harrington, who announced her pregnancy in May.
Along with Boileau, the club added former Gold Coast pair Lauren Bella and Claudia Whitfort and drafted talented youngsters Lily Baxter and Tayla McMillan.
"'Clauds' and 'Loz', they're a bit more experienced, so I think it's been really good having them come into the group," Boileau said.
"Then even the younger girls like Lily and Tayla, they've been absolutely smashing it out there.
"The group did so well last year and I think honestly we're just building. We obviously want to make finals again, but that's not it, we want to go all the way.
"The training standards and the leadership's been to a really high level and also bringing in that experience. The depth is crazy."
O'Connor, the former player and now coach, said the group is simply focusing on getting better.
"It's been years of work to get to this point and last year the ladder reflected what we had been building," O'Connor said.
"The cool thing about our group is that they have genuinely fallen in love with the process and are really motivated to get better.
"The work they do during the week, the work they do away from the club, they're real pros and they have fallen in love with that process.
"So, yeah, that's where we're at. We're getting better at getting better."
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For Boileau, getting better looks like building on her already impressive strength and power.
"I really want to bring my explosive power to my midfield craft, just being able to get my hands on the ball more and use it to impact," she said.
"And pressure is something I always try to bring. So I would just like to build on that and then my speed and power.
"Hopefully that's where I can bring a bit of a difference and a mix to the midfield group and balance it out a bit more."
