Geelong's VFL team were unable to replicate their winning round one form, going down by 107 points to Gold Coast, last year’s preliminary finalist, on Sunday at Heritage Bank Stadium.
The young Cats faced a monumental task right from the opening bounce, against a Suns outfit that fielded an incredible 18-players with previous AFL experience.
The slick Suns proved too much to handle in the opening quarter, as they slammed home nine goals on the way to a 38-point lead at the first break. Geelong fought hard but were comfortably beaten in every major statistical category, with the 16 to 5 clearance differential the most telling.
The Cats managed to stem the bleeding and gain some momentum of their own in the second quarter. Geelong kicked four out of the last five goals before half time, cutting the deficit from 61 to 42-points at the main break.
The second half was mostly one-way traffic against the Cats, as the Suns capitalised on their strong opening half to solidify the result. The Bankers leaked seven goals in a 15-minute window, all but ending any chance of a Geelong resurgence.
Despite the result, the Cats players created some positive moments, including a handful of classy passages from Geelong’s AFL-listed players.
Ted Clohesy kicked two goals in the first half, adding to his three majors from round one while Jhye Clark again showed glimpses of his potential, finding two intercept marks and setting up a goal during the second quarter.
Perhaps the most pleasing aspect for Geelong fans will be the return of Jake Kolodjashnij, who got through unscathed in his first hit-out of 2023. Playing on limited minutes, the premiership defender will look to earn a return to the Geelong AFL backline, which has battled injuries through the early part of the season.
Brandon Parfitt fought bravely for the Cats, gathering 22-disposals whilst adding seven tackles in a midfield that struggled to keep pace with the experienced Suns.
Geelong vs. Gold Coast: Full Match Details
Emerging young midfielder, Harry Benson was the Cats best throughout the day and fought hard alongside Parfitt. The St Mary’s product racked up 27-disposals, five tackles and five clearances as he followed up from a strong round-one performance.
The VFL Cats will look to bounce-back in round three with another tough assignment, taking on the Box Hill Hawks at the MCG on Easter Monday. The VFL will kick off at 11:45am, before the AFL Cats do battle with Hawthorn.
GEELONG 3.1 8.5 9.8 11.9 (75)
GOLD COAST 9.3 15.5 22.8 28.14 (182)
GOALS: Clohesy, Neale 2, Riccardi, Lewis, Feely, Dempsey, Christie, Chalcraft, Byrne 1
DISPOSALS: Benson 27, Parfitt 22, M.Lloyd 20, Dempsey 19
