Geelong will be looking for their second win of the season when they head into Saturday evening’s Round 8 clash with the Tigers at the Swinburne Centre.

Last weekend Richmond broke a five-game losing streak defeating the West Coast Eagles out west on Saturday night at Mineral Resources Park. The 23-point victory was their second for 2022, having also beaten St Kilda in Round 1.

The Cats come into Round 8 following a loss to the Western Bulldogs at Victoria University Whitten Oval last Friday night. Inconsistency has cost Geelong in their past two outings, with mid-game slumps leaving the Cats with large tasks in their final quarters. Despite strong finishes against the Gold Coast Suns and the Bulldogs, it’s been a case of too little, too late.

With both teams out of finals contention, pride is on the line this weekend in what should be a close game.

The Details

Richmond Tigers v Geelong Cats
Swinburne Centre
Saturday 26 February 2022 at 5.10pm
Wurundjeri Country

Last Time They Met

Richmond 9.6 (60) def. Geelong Cats 2.1 (13)

A night of celebration quickly descended into a night Cats fans would rather forget when the club’s first ever Djilang match was overshadowed by a 47-point Richmond victory, the Tigers’ first AFLW win.

The night began with a celebration of the Djilang match with players wearing the club’s Indigenous guernsey, designed by Corrina Eccles, a Traditional Owner of Wadawurrung Country.

It was all downhill from the first bounce as the Tigers kept Geelong scoreless in the first half, whilst piling on six of their own.

Things were made worse for the home side when Cats' 2020 Best and Fairest Olivia Purcell went down with a knee injury in the second quarter. It was later confirmed that the All Australian had ruptured her ACL.

Geelong finally got a score on the board in the third term through forward Rocky Cranston and later on through Amy McDonald, however these two goals didn’t place a dent on what was a completely dominant display by the Tigers.

Monique Conti had 27 disposals, whilst Tigers captain Katie Brennan kicked three goals straight. For Geelong, Amy McDonald and Renee Garing both had 17 disposals.

Indigenous Round

This weekend the AFLW will hold its second Indigenous Round.

The round is an acknowledgment of the contribution of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples to Australian Football and the broader community. 

Geelong players will wear the club’s Djilang guernsey for the third time, having worn it for Indigenous Round last year and this year during the club’s Round 1 clash with North Melbourne.

A further celebration of Aboriginal culture in the Geelong region will take place in Round 10 when the Cats play GWS Giants in the final round of the home and away season, for this year's Djilang match.

Injuries 

Richmond have been one of the worst-affected when it comes to injuries this season. 

They have had two season-ending ACL’s to Hannah Burchell and Harriet Cordner, an ankle injury to defender Laura McClelland, and key forward Courtney Wakefield hasn’t played since Round 2 due to a long-term shoulder injury.

However, their win against West Coast last weekend showed that injuries allow others to rise to the occasion.

Small forward Tayla Stahl kicked three goals, captain Katie Brennan kicked two, Akec Makur Chuot kicked her first-ever goal and Rebecca Miller was solid again in defence, as she has been all season.

Despite their injuries, the Tigers still have a number of players to be wary of.

The Key Points

1) Conti is key

Midfielder Monique Conti could be in contention to win the AFLW’s best and fairest if she continues her current form.

Conti is one of the league’s best midfielders, averaging 15 contested possessions, nearly six clearances and six tackles a game.

It will be interesting to see if the Cats place a tag on Conti like they did with the Bulldogs’ Ellie Blackburn last week, or whether they will try and nullify her attack with their own through ball-winners Georgie Prespakis, Amy McDonald and Becky Webster.

2) The Tigers like to score

Despite only winning two matches this season, Richmond are equal-second in the competition for most goals kicked, just one behind the Melbourne Demons.

The Tigers have scored 279 points in their seven games, compared to Geelong’s 165.

Though they’re scoring goals, the Tigers are also conceding them with a total of 305 scored against compared to Geelong’s 220.

Katie Brennan has been the main contributor kicking 11 goals and having 28 score involvements. Following Brennan there is a whole host of players, 16 in fact, who have registered majors.

Geelong’s defence will have their hands full this weekend, whilst Cats forwards could find themselves with more opportunities to score.

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.