Geelong and the Western Bulldogs were originally scheduled to play earlier this season in Round 2, however a covid outbreak amongst Bulldogs players and staff led to a fixture shuffle.

Now, five weeks later, these two teams will meet for the third time in the competition’s short history.

The Bulldogs registered the upset of the season last weekend, handing Adelaide their first loss of 2022 at the Crows’ home ground by one point.

Geelong on the other hand were unable to continue on from their two-point win against West Coast in Round 5, losing to an improved Gold Coast Suns by 11 points. 

The Bulldogs enter this Friday’s game on a five-day turnaround, compared to the Cats who have had a full seven days to recover. 

Will the extra two days of rest assist the Cats in getting over the line? Or will the Bulldogs still be riding high on what was one of the club’s greatest AFLW wins?

The Details

Western Bulldogs v Geelong Cats
Friday 18 February 2022 at 7.10pm
Victoria University Whitten Oval
Wurundjeri/Boon Wurrung Country

Last Time They Met

Western Bulldogs 3.6 (24) def. Geelong Cats 1.3 (9)

It was a low-scoring affair in Round 3, 2021 at GMHBA Stadium with only a goal scored by each team up until three-quarter time.

With a point separating the two teams early in the final quarter, the Bulldogs broke away, scoring two further goals to Geelong’s none.

Bulldogs captain Ellie Blackburn put Geelong’s defence under pressure with her long, piercing kicks to advantage inside 50, finishing the night with 25 disposals, six marks and nine tackles.

For the Cats, tall forwards Maddie Boyd and Phoebe McWilliams took 13 marks between them, however the team only had one mark inside 50 for the game, highlighting their struggles to get the ball within scoring range with composure.

Managing Moody

Bulldogs’ ruck Celine Moody is a dominant force in ruck contests and this season she has added an extra string to her bow pushing forward and kicking goals. 

The Western Bulldogs also picked up former Richmond ruck Alice Edmonds as a train-on player in the off season and Moody and Edmonds have been working in tandem in every Bulldogs match this season, averaging 25 hit outs between them.

The Cats have shuffled their rucks this season, using new recruit Liv Fuller for their first five matches with the assistance of Kate Darby. Last weekend Rene Caris was given an opportunity against Gold Coast.

With forward and part-time ruck Olivia Barber impressing in the VFLW on the weekend, it will be interesting to see which combination senior coach Dan Lowther chooses to battle with Moody and Edmonds.

Rocky returns

Former Geelong forward Rocky Cranston will play against her old side this weekend for the first time since joining the Western Bulldogs as a delisted free agent at the end of the 2021 season.

Since joining the Bulldogs Cranston has shown her versatility, playing up forward and in defence.

Cats fans who have a soft spot for Cranston will be torn seeing the Geelong local line up in the red, white and blue.

The Key Points

1) Contest in the middle

The Western Bulldogs have two of the hardest inside midfielders in the competition in Kirsty Lamb and Ellie Blackburn.

The two form a formidable duo, with Lamb and Blackburn both averaging 18 disposals, over 300 metres gained and three score involvements per game.

Lamb has had an exceptional year by her already lofty standards.

These two will come up against the Cats’ own Becky Webster, Amy McDonald and Georgie Prespakis. These young guns will be determined to play well after being challenged in the middle by Gold Coast last weekend.

Expect Geelong’s mids to come out on a mission this Friday.

2) Scoring success

Against the Suns the Cats kicked their highest score of the season, six goals and two behinds. 

In any other Geelong game this year, this would have been a winning score.

The forward line seems to have clicked, much to the quick thinking and smart ball use of small forward Chloe Scheer.

Slowly this season the goal tally has continued to rise from two goals in the first two rounds, three in round three, four in rounds four and five and now six in Round 6. 

Let’s hope this trend continues.

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.