Follow scores, results, odds, squads; teams named for all-or-nothing Friday night clash between Carlton and West Coast

Maddy Hendrie notices the little things.

Whether he’s analyzing his opponents’ moves milliseconds before a match or filling out spreadsheets in a corporate office, the Carlton AFLW star values ​​attention to detail.

It is an exciting time for Hendrie, who has excelled in two separate roles, as fifth-placed Carlton head into the final round of the home-and-away season. On the field he is the Blues’ team player, and off the field he is a part-time analyst for NAB’s strategy team.

“I think it’s quite common for your identity to get caught up in being a footballer, especially because it’s such a dream career,” he told this imprint.

“But it’s a slippery slope to think that’s all you’re worth, especially when you don’t get picked and then you get injured.”

Hendrie broke his left foot in the sixth round last year and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season.

“I think my value and value diminished in those moments, but having an outlet like working, I think, allowed me to continue to grow. Even though my football career temporarily stopped due to injury, I was able to grow outside of that,” he said.

Born and raised in Sydney, Hendrie was part of the Swans academy but was not selected by the Swans in the draft. He had to wait until the 2023 supplemental draft to be selected by the Blues.

Hendrie bounced between various roles and struggled for selection during his first few seasons, but finally settled in defensively this year.

The change was successful and the 23-year-old had the best season of his career for the Blues and signed a two-year contract extension.

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“As much as I pursued my kicking and skill practice in the off-season, I also worked hard on the mental side of it,” Hendrie said.

“I have a lot of techniques to calm the nerves before and during the game, whether it’s positive self-talk, a few key words that bring me back to center, or communication with other players.”

Hendrie said he noticed a big change in his confidence this year and spent less time dwelling on mistakes.

“If I had made mistakes in the past, then I would have been really quiet because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself,” he said.

“So getting out of that mindset and forcing myself to connect to the field and the team was helpful and also took me out of my own head.”

Carlton will face Daisy Pearce’s Eagles in Perth on Friday night, with both teams vying for a place in the coveted finals.

Hendrie said the possibility of making the finals was “an elephant in the room” at the start of the season, but said the team had talked about it a few weeks ago.

“We’ve taken that pressure and tried a little harder to embrace it – what a privilege it is to be in this position where the last few games have really meant something.”