Now that the season is done and won, it’s time to take a look at the fantastic year the Cats had in the AFLW. There were big wins, close finishes and heartbreaking losses, but the trajectory is clearly trending in an upwards direction.
There were some key statistical metrics blowing previous seasons out of the water.
This is the second in a three part series were we take a closer look at the at the stats of the season, and it’s easy to see why Geelong had the season they did.
Transition
In the middle it all started with Erin Hoare.
The former Cat and #1 (re)Draft Pick played a pivotal hand, literally, in giving best use of the ball out of the middle. Hoare recorded 77 Hitouts to Advantage taking her to 4th in the competition and had a total of 250 hitouts seeing her finish 6th overall.
Her ability to give the midfield best use was the key to what would become a formidably powerful engine room and key to the Cats’ 2023 success.
Georgie Prespakis (315), Nina Morrison (298) and Amy McDonald (295) finished 6th, 7th and 9th in disposals respectively making it three representatives from Geelong in the top 10.
Prespakis had a dominant season, ranking 1st for Total Clearances (86, 1st in Stoppage Clearances with 64), 2nd for Contested possessions and 4th (117) for Ground Ball Gets in the comp. Morrison in those same categories ranked 10th (63), 10th (146) and 5th (113) whilst McDonald finished 2nd (75), 4th (164) and 6th (112).
Also reaching new heights was young Cat, Darcy Moloney, who in a career best season broke her season disposal record, going from 109 last year to 185 this year. Along with almost double her previous best season tackle record with 64 for the year.
Pressure
Pressure was a key component of Geelong’s attacking forays in 2023, with a number of Cats ranking high in the pressure categories. Nina Morrison led the way in pressure acts with 287, placing her 3rd in the comp, with Georgie Prespakis, (258, 5th) not far off.
Nina’s 127 pressure acts in the defensive half saw her ranked 6th in the comp.
Amy McDonald, 94 and Prespakis, 93 finished 6th and 7th respectively in total tackles.
Livewire small forwards Renee Garing and Kate Surman both recorded 22 tackles inside 50, seeing them finish equal 8th in the comp.
Garing amassed a total of 69 tackles seeing her inside the top 30 in the comp in her final season.