Young Geelong defender Abbey McDonald is reaping the benefits of her first VFLW season with the Cats.

The now 19-year-old was drafted by the Cats with their third pick in the 2022 NAB AFLW Draft, but with a healthy, in-form list at the club, did not take to the field in AFLW Season 7. With the VFLW season already done for the year by that point, McDonald and a host of other Cats players had to content themselves with scratch matches, often made up of composite teams across multiple clubs.

But the 2023 VFLW season has provided the perfect opportunity for McDonald to get her first proper taste of overage footy, following an impressive junior career with Calder Cannons.

McDonald has played in five of the first six rounds – missing last weekend’s clash due to injury – but is back for her sixth appearance this Saturday, and enjoying her progress at the state league level.

“It’s good to play consistent footy this year every week because I didn’t get to do that last year,” McDonald said.

“I feel like I’ve learnt a lot already just playing five rounds here at Geelong. I’ve improved a lot, I feel, as a player, stepping up to a higher level after being at under 18s.

“It's a bit different (to under 18s footy), because you’re playing against older girls, bigger bodies, but I feel like the pace and speed of the game is all pretty similar … just now it’s more set plays.”

Playing as a high defender, McDonald has been a consistent performer in the Cats’ back five, which has conceded just 96 points so far this year – only 16 points per game on average, by far the fewest in the league.

But it is not just McDonald’s ability to stymy opposition defences that has come to the fore: the hard runner repeatedly hurts other teams on the rebound, driving Geelong back up the ground and into attack, with her running and clean skills major assets.

“A bit of my role is changing into attack and running up, pushing up with intent to help the attack, as well as getting back when I can, as fast as possible, (to match up) and defend,” McDonald said.

The former Calder Cannon says she has noticed her own improvement across the season as she has been able to string games together, and feels that is being reflected across the team as a whole.

“I feel like we’ve changed so much since Round 1. (In Round 5), I felt like we were just hitting our targets, and switching the ball and looking inside, all that has been really spot on,” McDonald said.

“Our kicking has been so accurate, even our handballs, it’s all just pretty spot on now, whereas at the start we still a bit sloppy, still trying to get the feel of things, but now we’re switching on and everyone is playing their role, so it’s all working pretty well."

With the start date for the AFLW pre-season now locked in for May 29, McDonald said she was keen to keep building on her experience heading into her second season with the Cats’ AFLW squad.

“Probably just getting more games and more game time, which I’m doing now, so when I come into the AFLW season I’m ready,” she said.

“I know our plays and our set-ups, and all that, much better than what I did last year. Walking in, it took me a while to pick it up, and I didn’t have much time to put it in play, so it’s good this year being out on the field, actually playing our structures.

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot just from being here at VFL to help me grow when I get back to AFL.”

Geelong hosts Collingwood in the VFLW at Deakin University Elite Sports Precinct on Saturday, with first bounce at 10.30am.

For those unable to attend, all 2023 VFLW matches will be streamed live on the official AFL/AFLW apps and websites.