CARLTON star Mimi Hill's move to half-back was instigated by the former midfielder herself, pitching the idea to coach Mathew Buck at the end of last season.
The 21-year-old won the Telstra AFLW Rising Star as a midfielder in season six of 2022, but trialled the move to defence in the final round of last year.
"A bit of a utility, I'm calling myself. It's fun, I'm actually really enjoying it, especially the half-back stuff, I feel like it lets me use my strengths more," Hill said.
"I love to get the ball on the outside and use my speed, so that's what I'm going after, but it doesn't work unless everyone else gets to work on the inside. So I'm really grateful to my teammates for that.
"It was actually my idea at first, the end of last season I was hinting to 'Bucky' that it could be fun for me to play on the half-back line.
"He didn't take me seriously at first, but round 10, he said we should give it a shot, and it worked pretty well. I've been playing there all pre-season, and it's been good to learn some craft and add another string to my bow."
Hill is flying off the back flank, averaging 25.7 disposals (up from 21.8 last year) and 6.3 intercepts (2.1).
But it's been the inclusion of Maddy Guerin, back from a torn ACL, and the improved form of fellow midfielder Lily Goss that's given Carlton the luxury of throwing Hill around the ground.
"Mads, I was really happy for her on the weekend. I think she combined all of her assets – you just see her hunting on the inside, she's such a big-bodied midfielder, kind of reminds me of Patrick Cripps, in a way," Hill said.
"Everything was clicking for her, and it was just elite to watch, really.
"Same with Lily Goss, she brings the heat. I love her pressure. She's not very big, but she plays big, tackle pressure and smothers, and she set up two really crucial goals (against Geelong) for us.
"I went to school with Lil, she was a bit older. She was my first footy captain at school, then we played at Old Scotch in the VAFA together and won a flag."
Carlton is entering its mid-week footy stretch, with games against Richmond on Thursday night, North Melbourne the following Wednesday and Port Adelaide on Sunday.
The health of the list is generally good, with Brooke Vickers (hamstring) the only long-term injury concern, while Abbie McKay is managing a toe issue but is expected to play against the Tigers.
It will be a Richmond home game at Ikon Park, with the Tigers unable to host at the Swinburne Centre due to a lack of suitable broadcast lights.
"It's all happening pretty quickly, we're playing in two days. It's just about getting the body reset for everyone. List depth is a really big thing we're going after this year, so good to go.
"We've had a lot of high-performance meetings about it, we feel really well prepared for it. We've been working hard at it through pre-season, so our bodies are ready, and we're in a great spot. So I'm excited for some mid-week footy under lights.
"We love contest and defence, that's what the Baggers are about. So it might mean some argy bargy. It's our home ground and it's their home game, so there's a bit in that, I reckon."
