Carlton have been buoyed by AFLW coach Mathew Buck signing a two-year contract extension ahead of a daunting qualifying final clash with North Melbourne.
Buck never looked likely to leave, having taken the Blues to a preliminary final last year before earning a top-four berth this season.
"Super-easy decision. I love my time at Carlton," Buck said on Thursday.
"I'm driving up to work every day and knowing I'm coming in to be with a playing group who are hungry to get better and do it every day, and we're incredibly well supported at the footy club by a terrific board and CEO Graham Wright and head of football Chris Davies.
"So all the way through the footy club, it's a great place to come and the vibes are high at the moment with finals this week."
Skipper Abbie McKay, who will play her 75th AFLW game on Saturday, relished the stability.
"It's always nice to have some great consistency within a team and the coach is kind of the top of that," McKay said.
"As a playing group, we all love being at the club and we see the direction that the team and the program's going and we're really aligned with Bucky on that as well.
"So the fact that we know he's going to be here for two more years and we're going to keep going in that trajectory, in that direction is really nice."
Buck's contract extension follows former Brisbane triple-premiership coach Chris Fagan joining as director of coaching to support AFL coach Josh Fraser.
"I haven't met Fages yet, but I'm certainly looking forward to it," Buck said.
"I'll definitely be bailing him up for a coffee and a chat, and he'll be a great influence here at Carlton Football Club and I'm sure across our women's program as well, which is exciting."
McKay added: "I'm sure we'll see him around the hallways and have a great chat.
"We can't wait for Fages to be a part of the whole club.
"And from everything that I've seen from Fages, he'll be a great support of the W program as well. So we're super excited."
The Blues challenged two-time reigning premiers North earlier in the season, losing by 10.
"Every time you finish playing North, you really want to go and have another go at them again," Buck said.
With the double chance in their back pocket, Carlton can go all-out at Ikon Park on Saturday.
Carlton should regain ruck Jess Good (foot) and defender Maddy Hendrie (finger) but will be without gun midfielder Claudia Whitfort against North's Jasmine Garner-Ash Riddell on-ball double act.
"Our depth holds up just fine," McKay said.
"And we'll miss Clauds of course.
"But I have great belief in our midfield depth and some of those forwards coming up into the midfield. We can get it done."
