Blues star brushes ‘useless’ trash talk

CARLTON forward Tayla Harris says she doesn’t care for the opinions of opponents as she prepares for a rematch against a player who labelled her “useless”.

Harris, pictured, is set to go toe-to-toe with Collingwood defender Stacey Livingstone in the AFLW season-opener tonight, the first time the pair have faced off since Livingstone’s explosive post-match interview in Round 2 last year.

“You’ve just got to stop her (Harris) in the air,” Livingstone said in that interview.

“That’s her game. If you can do that, she’s useless.”

Harris said while she harboured “no hard feelings” towards Livingstone, she admitted the history would add spice to their next contest.

“It’s not going to be my point of aggression or anything like that, but it’s always good,” Harris said of the banter.

“I don’t really care, to be honest, of opinions from other players. That’s their opinion and they’re entitled to it and it’s not about proving her wrong, it’s more about showing my family and my friends and the people that I hold their opinions highly that I’m feeling good and confident in myself.

“If it was Daniel Harford, our coach, saying I’m not going very well then of course I’m going to work with it. But I didn’t take it on board one bit.”

The Blues were one of the final four teams in the premiership race last year before the season was scrapped ahead of scheduled preliminary finals due to COVID-19.

But Carlton has high hopes that it can challenge this year and is a $6 fancy with bookmaker TAB to win its first AFLW premiership.

“There were only four of us left (last year) and we felt like we were cherry ripe to get into that Grand Final,” Blues midfielder Madison Prespakis said.

“But it’s a new season this year and we feel like we’re even better this time around.”