Geelong’s VFLW side has secured a thrilling seven point win against Carlton at IKON Park on Saturday afternoon.
A downpour of rain and strong winds in the second half didn’t faze the Cats in their 5.3 (33) to 4.2 (26) victory.
Geelong started the first quarter in impressive fashion as Danielle Orr kicked two goals in quick succession, giving her side control of the match. Orr was at her dangerous best once again, booting three goals for the second consecutive week.
Fancy footwork from Sophie Van de Heuvel extended Geelong’s lead as the Cats kept Carlton scoreless in the second quarter, opening up a 13 point margin at halftime.
Nothing quite like a win in the wet!#HerStoryOurFuture #WeAreGeelong #LovetheGame pic.twitter.com/OTeOI3GWhB
— Geelong Cats Womens (@catswomens) June 29, 2019
The skies opened at the start of the second half and Carlton kicked two goals to narrow Geelong’s lead to just six points at three-quarter time.
Scores were levelled early in the final quarter, but Maddie Boyd showed her composure in front of goals to seal Geelong’s exciting victory.
Geelong VFLW coach Natalie Wood spoke of the importance of scoring early before conditions got too difficult.
“Obviously the start of the day and by the end the weather had changed quite significantly, so I think the game from both teams looked different in the first quarter compared to the last,” Wood said.
“Credit to our players that we did get those couple of goals early. We just kept trying to play to our structures, even when the rain and wind picked up.”
Wood said that the message to her players at three-quarter time was about the opportunity that they had in front of them.
“We spoke about what a great opportunity this fourth quarter is; tough conditions, only six points up and a really different game for us from the week before,” she said.
“It was a great opportunity for the group to back each other in, to be really precise with our fundamentals while under fatigue and to try and play our united brand of football in order to get that win.
“Winning’s a great reward for the players in terms of what they’re putting together.”
Danielle Orr had another standout performance, with the AFLW listed forward working hard across the ground.
“Dani’s kicked three goals again, two weeks in a row, so obviously in a low-scoring game when you’ve got a dominant forward kicking three goals that’s fantastic,” Wood said.
“But it’s probably not even so much her reward on the scoreboard, it’s her transition ability. She’s getting up on the half-back line and applying a lot of pressure and helping us to release the ball, then moving into the forward line as well.”
It was a team performance that lead to Geelong’s victory.
“On a day like today you really back in your inside mids, and again I think they did an outstanding job to play how they wanted to play,” Wood said.
“And our backs just keep working really united and working on their strong opponent control, so there’s a few really good efforts from a number of people across the different lines today.”
Geelong will play Hawthorn next Saturday at Box Hill City Oval in a VFLW Grand Final rematch.
VFL Women’s Round 8
Geelong Cats 5.3 (33) defeated Carlton 4.2 (26)
Goals: Orr 3, Boyd, Van de Heuvel
Best: Orr, Ivey, Crockett-Grills, Keryk, Webster, Boyd
Injuries: Nil
Reports: Nil
@ IKON Park
