Geelong head up the highway this weekend for another important clash, taking on Richmond as they look to string together consecutive wins for the first time this season.
The Cats are coming off a crucial victory against Sydney last weekend, helping to keep their Finals aspirations alive entering the final month of the home and away season.
This week’s challenge will see Geelong take on an in-form Richmond team, currently sitting fourth on the ladder with five wins from their opening seven games.
Last week saw the Tigers record a comprehensive 36-point win over Collingwood, holding their opponent to just one goal for the contest.
2024 Ladder
Richmond: 4th (5-2)
Geelong: 12th (2-4-1)
Points For
Richmond – 293
Geelong - 309
Points Against
Richmond – 159
Geelong - 299
Finding Scoring Avenues
Richmond’s form this year has been largely thanks to their stout defensive unit, conceding the second least points per game (23) of any team in the competition.
This form continued last week when they restricted Collingwood to just one goal for the contest, limiting them to 19 inside 50 entries for the entire game.
The highest score the Tigers have conceded all year is 40 points in Week 1, keeping their last six opponents to 27 points or less.
Monique Conti
Monique Conti has consistently been one of the competition’s top players, taking out the AFLW best and fairest award in 2023 to go with a fifth All-Australian selection, and a fifth Richmond best and fairest award.
This year has been no exception for the star midfielder, sitting sixth in the league for disposals and contested possessions, while ranking fourth for total clearances.
The Tigers have also developed a strong midfield unit to support Conti, an area the Cats will need to win on Saturday to get the ball going their way.
Forward of the Ball
While Richmond are not necessarily the highest scoring team in the competition, they still boast a number of threats up forward that can have a major impact on games.
Katie Brennan is the number one target in the forward half, ranking fifth in the competition for marks inside 50 and eighth for goals.
Caitlin Grieser has also put together a strong season, ranking in the AFLW's top 15 players for marks inside 50 and goals.