“WE are the Navy Blues, we are the Old Dark Navy Blues...”
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Lifelong Carlton supporter Kerryn Harrington has sang it plenty of times – not so much in recent years – after a Blues win and on Friday night she did so again.
But this time she sang it as a Carlton player after making her AFLW debut for the Blues in their eight-point win over Collingwood at IKON Park.
“It was incredible night on Friday… it really hit me when I heard the song as we were running out through the banner, but the focus then quickly shifted to the process that we needed to go through to get the win,” Harrington said on Monday.
“And then to top it off after the game arm-in-arm with my team-mates and singing the song that I’ve sung so many times supporting the team was certainly really special.”
Harrington’s Blues defeated the Magpies 3.4 (22) to 2.2 (14) in front of a crowd of more than 19,000.
Harrington, 25, spent most of the first half through the midfield, before being moved into a lock-down role on Collingwood captain Steph Chiocci after half-time.
“She absolutely killed us in the first half, so my role changed after half-time and that adaptability is something I certainly like to pride myself on,” Harrington said.
“From a team point of view, to get the win first-up was fantastic. The game itself probably wasn’t the prettiest of spectacles to watch and it was certainly very scrappy, but I feel I played my role well.”
Harrington was last year’s Bendigo Thunder joint best and fairest and made the switch to football following a basketball career that included representing Australia at under-19 level.
“In basketball I was fortunate to represent my country and that’s something I’ll forever probably hold as the biggest thing I’ve been able to achieve, but to play in front of nearly 20,000 people for Carlton certainly ranks very highly,” she said.
AFLW round one results:
Carlton 3.4 (22) d Collingwood 2.2 (14)
Melbourne 7.3 (45) d GWS Giants 6.3 (39)
Brisbane 4.7 (31) d Adelaide 3.1 (19)
Western Bulldogs 7.7 (49) d Fremantle 3.5 (23)
