The Cats are striving for their first win of 2022 when they host Collingwood at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night for Pride Round.

Geelong’s improvement has been evident in their first two games, however captain Meghan McDonald said that her team won’t be satisfied until they get wins on the board.

Collingwood has the wins on the board, with victories in both their matches this season.

In Round 1, the Pies convincingly beat Carlton by 19 points, and last week they dominated St Kilda, winning by 27. Despite losing their co-captain and AFLW Best and Fairest Bri Davey to an ACL injury in Round 1, their momentum continues to build as they assert themselves as a premiership contender.

The Pies have key players across all lines: Ruby Schleicher, Britt Bonnici and Sabrina Frederick, just to name a few. The Cats will need to produce their best across the ground to beat the Pies, who are looking for their third straight win.

The Details

Geelong Cats v Collingwood
Friday, 21 January 2022 at 7.10pm
GMHBA Stadium, Geelong
Wadawurrung Country

Last Time They Met

Collingwood 6.9 (45) def. Geelong Cats 2.4 (16)

These two teams met in Round 2 of 2021 after a Covid fixture shake-up meant the Cats could no longer travel to Brisbane to play the Lions.

Instead, Geelong ventured up the highway to Victoria Park to take on the Pies at their spiritual home.

Two debutants were named leading into the game in Steph Williams and Olivia Barber, with the latter making an immediate impact with the first goal of the match. Maddie Boyd followed up with the Cats’ second and at quarter time, it seemed like Geelong were in with a chance.

It was downhill after the break as Bri Davey (25 disposals) and Britt Bonnici (24 disposals) began to dominate play. They were assisted by running half-back Ruby Schleicher (16 disposals and one goal) and up forward Chloe Molloy, Sophie Alexander and Mikala Cann did the damage with a goal apiece. 

At the final siren the Pies walked away with a 29-point victory.

Paint the ground rainbow

Another club first will take place this weekend when Geelong hosts its first ever Pride game at GMHBA Stadium.

The week has been full of events to celebrate the occasion. On Monday, club captains Meghan McDonald and Joel Selwood, along with CEO Steve Hocking, raised the Rainbow Flag at the entrance to GMHBA Stadium; both Geelong’s men’s and women’s teams wore rainbow socks at their respective training sessions, and on Friday night Geelong and Collingwood will wear specially-designed Pride jumpers when they take the field.

The club encourages supporters to join the fun this Friday night as we aim to fill the stands with rainbows.

Irish teammates become enemies

Over 17,000 kilometres away from their usual home ground in Castlebar, Ireland, two Gaelic football teammates and best friends will tomorrow night become fierce rivals.

Collingwood’s Sarah Rowe and Geelong’s Rachel Kearns have played Gaelic football and soccer together for the past nine years, and their sporting journey will add another chapter tomorrow night when they play against each other in the AFLW competition for the first time.

Rowe is in brilliant form so far this season, averaging 20 disposals a game, while Kearns has brought pressure and ferocious tackling to Geelong’s forward line.

Who will take the bragging rights home with them to Ireland?

The Key Points

1) Another A-Grade midfield

First it was North Melbourne’s Jasmine Garner, Jenna Bruton and Ash Riddell. Next it was Carlton’s Maddy Prespakis, Abbie McKay and Elise O’Dea.

This week the Cats’ young and developing midfield have another challenge on their hands when they face Collingwood’s Britt Bonnici, Jamie Lambert and Ebony O’Dea.

Last week Bonnici stood up for the Pies in the absence of their skipper Bri Davey with 26 disposals, seven marks and 10 tackles. Equally as important is Lambert, who leads her team for contested possessions and clearances.

Collingwood’s engine room is running hot, but you feel the Cat’s young midfield can face any challenge thrown at them at the moment with their pressure and ability to win the contested ball.

Will the Cats' pressure bring the Pies unstuck?

2) Key Cats return

In Round 2 Geelong was without four key players due to Health and Safety Protocols; Nina Morrison, Georgie Rankin, Sophie Van De Heuvel and Julia Crockett-Grills.

Not only did the team miss their run and carry through the midfield, but three of the four are members of the team’s leadership group, meaning their level heads and leadership was missed.

The return of these players will also reduce the workload required of midfielders Amy McDonald, Becky Webster and Georgie Prespakis.

A team effort is required should the Cats wish to knock over the experienced Pies.

How to Watch

Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster here.

For those wanting to follow along at home, the game will be broadcast live on Foxtel, and can be streamed through Kayo, womens.afl or the AFL Women’s and AFL Live Official Apps.

Follow @catswomens on Twitter and Instagram for updates throughout the game.