Tomorrow night Geelong will return to the ground where they secured their only victory for the 2021 season.
Fond memories of the 17-point victory will flood back for Cats players, a win that lifted them off the bottom of the ladder and gifted the Suns with a winless season and the wooden spoon.
However, this year is a different story.
These two sides have shown vast improvement and both the Suns and the Cats have already registered wins for 2022.
The Suns have beaten West Coast and Richmond, whilst Geelong registered their first win against the Eagles last week.
It should be close. All eyes will be on these two developing teams to see who has improved the most.
The Details
Gold Coast Suns v Geelong Cats
Friday 11 February 2022 at 6.10pm (7.10pm AEDT)
Metricon Stadium
Yugambeh Country
Last Time They Met
Geelong Cats 6.5 (41) def. Gold Coast Suns 3.6 (24)
As mentioned earlier, these two teams met in the final round of 2021 with the wooden spoon on the line for the losing side.
Inaugural Cat Aasta O’Connor had announced her retirement earlier in the week and her teammates were eager to get the win in her final outing.
Geelong had a dream start kicking three goals in the first quarter; one from Phoebe McWilliams, another from Richelle Cranston and Rene Caris kicked her first ever goal on the quarter time siren.
Laura Gardiner had arguably her best game (18 disposals and seven tackles), whilst Amy McDonald (17 disposals, eight tackles) and Renee Garing (15 disposals) were also dominant through the middle.
Cranston ended up kicking two majors for the Cats and Becky Webster finished the game with a goal on the final siren, bringing joy to her teammates after what had been a challenging season.
Momentum
Last weekend Geelong registered their first win of the year defeating the West Coast Eagles in a three-point thriller at GMHBA Stadium.
The Cats fought off a determined Eagles who took the lead with four minutes remaining.
Geelong responded quickly with a goal of their own when Becky Webster won a vital clearance leading to a Moloney goal.
The come-from-behind win was another step forward in the Cats’ development, showing resilience under pressure.
With four close games and a win last week, Geelong should have the momentum heading into tomorrow’s game.
Pick 1 and 2 meet for the first time
The number 1 and 2 draft picks from last year’s draft will play against each other for the first time this weekend.
Gold Coast lured the Victorian Charlie Rowbottom north with their first draft pick, whilst the Cats were able to get their clearance queen Georgie Prespakis with the second pick.
The two played together in the midfield for Vic Metro in the NAB AFLW U19s Championships last year and both youngsters have played every game so far for their clubs this season.
This matchup will be one to watch.
The Key Points
1) Changes to Cats’ line-up
Geelong will be forced to make at least two changes to their line-up this weekend with Darcy Moloney and Annabel Johnson both unavailable.
Young midfield bull Moloney will miss due to a one-game suspension for a dangerous tackle on Eagles’ skipper Emma Swanson last weekend, whilst Johnson has unfortunately been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a fracture in her left foot.
Johnson’s absence may push Chantel Emonson, who has been spending time on the wing, back into defence, but then who comes into the side’s midfield?
Some fresh legs could provide some extra run through the middle.
2) Ahrens a test
Arguably Gold Coast’s best defender, Lauren Ahrens, limped off the field last weekend following a strong tackle from Melbourne forward Tayla Harris.
Ahrens fell awkwardly twisting her hip late in the third quarter against the Demons at Casey Fields, keeping her out of the rest of the match.
The 29-year-old club best and fairest winner has been named as a ‘test’ for this week’s game.
With other key defender Jade Pregelj (ACL) out with a season-ending injury, Gold Coast will be hoping Ahrens is available to return against the Cats.
How to Watch
Tickets can be purchased through Ticketek 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.
