The Bendigo Bank Cats suffered their third loss of the season at VU Whitten Oval, going down to the undefeated Western Bulldogs by seven points.
In tough conditions both sides applied themselves well, producing a physical brand of football.
It was Geelong’s AFLW contingent that were particularly impressive with Denby Taylor, Jordan Ivey and Olivia Purcell winning plenty of the ball.
They helped the Cats win the territory battle in the first half, but it was the Dogs who headed into half time with a narrow 1.0 (6) to 0.2 (2) lead.
The Cats lifted their intensity in the third quarter and were immediately rewarded when Kate Darby slotted Geelong’s first goal to put her side in front for the first time in the match.
Geelong continued to dominate time spent in attack but were unable to convert their dominance into scoreboard pressure, kicking a further three behinds in the term to head into the final break with a narrow five-point lead.
The final quarter belonged to the Bulldogs with Brooke Lochland influential for the home team as they overcame a three-quarter time deficit to defeat the Cats by seven points.
The Cats will look to return to the winner’s list in round five when they travel to Melbourne to play Richmond on Saturday.
VFL Women’s Round 4
Geelong Cats 1.6 (12) defeated by Western Bulldogs 3.1 (19)
Goals: Darby
Best: D Taylor, Ivey, Webster, Goring, Blakeway, Purcell
@ VU Whitten Oval
