By Nick Creely
Melbourne recruit and Cranbourne/Casey Demons star Bianca Jakobsson hasn’t looked back since being traded from Carlton ahead of the second season of AFLW, which kicks off at the start of February.
The 24-year-old joined the Demons – in a homecoming to Casey Fields – in exchange for pick 12 in the trade period.
For Jakobsson, the move narrowed down to one important thing.
“I had a meeting with the head coach, and the operations manager at the time, and it just seemed like an incredible environment – I just wanted to be a part of it,” she said.
“Being a Carlton supporter growing up, it was a tough decision, but I saw the Melbourne Football Club as the perfect fit for me, and the culture just really stood out.
“I really wanted to grow and develop my football, and I found Melbourne to be the perfect fit.
“It’s been a smooth transition, and a bit daunting at the start coming into a new club, but I’ve absolutely loved it and I’m learning a lot.
“I haven’t looked back since.”
Jakobsson played seven games for the Blues in the inaugural AFLW season, but said that the excitement around the club is different ahead of round one, as they look to improve on their third placing in 2017.
“It’s three weeks now until round one, so the excitement is certainly building, and we’re just doing a lot of match play now at training, so we’re really getting our bodies ready,” she said.
“There’s a lot of excitement around the club, and obviously a lot of hype about us outside the club, so it’s all really exciting.
“What’s really stood out for me is the culture- the club is so big on getting everyone better – the drive to get better is so prominent at the Dees, we simply can’t wait.”
The dynamic playmaker is also set for a shift in roles at her new club, after being drafted as a key forward.
“Since the State of Origin I’ve been playing defence – I’ve been able to read the play and use my strengths a bit more, so I’ve been training in defence at Melbourne,” she said.
“I’ll be a bit of a utility, I think, and I’ll spend some time down forward too – but I’m really enjoying being a defender.”
However, there are challenges for the women set to embark on the second season of the competition, with the shortened season meaning players need to be in pristine condition from the very start.
“It’s tough with the short season, we know that every game has something on the line – you can’t drop games, and a loss can feel like losing a grand final,” she said.
“You just have to prepare the best you can, and not worry about any outside noise – we need to just put everything out on the track, and on game day, it all just has to click.”
The Demons will host the GWS Giants at Casey Fields, Cranbourne in round one on 3 February, with virtually a full list, in front of Jakobsson’s home crowd.
“That affiliation with Casey, and being a Casey girl myself, makes it all the more exciting – to be able to play in front of family and friends is pretty exciting,” she said.
“We are in really good shape – everyone’s doing great except for Kempy (Ainslie Kemp) who has done an ACL, which is really devastating.
“All the girls are on track, so the list is in very healthy shape.”
