Geelong’s VFL Women’s side has faced its first loss of the season, with the Western Bulldogs 4.4 (28) defeating the Cats 1.0 (6) in Ballarat on Sunday.
It was a tough day for the Cats after impressive defensive pressure from the Bulldogs held them scoreless until the final quarter.
The Bulldogs capitalised on their opportunities in the opening half, booting a goal in the first two minutes of the match to establish an early lead. Two quick goals in succession at start of the second quarter further cemented their control of the game.
The Cats lifted their intensity in the second half to restrict the home side to just one more goal, intent on a come-from-behind victory.
Kate Darby kicked a goal at the start of the final quarter to spark the Cats, but it was too little too late as the Bulldogs claimed a 22 point victory.
Geelong VFLW coach Paul Hood admitted that the slow start hurt his side, but didn’t blame last week’s bye.
“The Bulldogs really came out firing and after the bye we certainly weren’t at our sharpest,” Hood said.
“The bye’s not an excuse because we knew it was coming and we played well after the previous bye, but we’ve got a bit to work on about just understanding the consistency that you need to play at VFLW level.”
Hood was adamant that facing two byes in the past three weeks wasn’t an excuse for the team’s loss.
“It’s our job to work around them and stay as sharp as we can, and if anything it should be an advantage,” he said.
“We just need to learn from it and keep being diligent with our training and improve our contested work off the back of any break.”
The Cats’ increased pressure in the second half was a small positive for Hood in what was a challenging day.
“It showed some really good resilience, and it was good to see the team fight back to try and work their way through the game,” he said.
“But obviously you’d just rather not be in that position.”
Hayley Trevean was named the Cats’ best in her first game back from injury.
“We were really happy with Hayley in her comeback game from a broken thumb. She really worked hard and gave us plenty of chances to drive the ball forward,” Hood said.
Inaugural Geelong AFLW player Maddie Boyd also played an important role in her first match of the VFLW season.
“Maddie returned well from her injury and now she’s going to build into the season nicely now. She gave us a really good focal point today,” Hood said.
Maddy McMahon was once again named within the side’s best.
“She really showed her versatility today, and did a good job at centre half-back. Maddy did well around the ball and helped us score that goal at the start of the last quarter,” Hood said.
The Cats now face just a six day break before playing Northern Territory Thunder in Darwin on Saturday, which Hood said his side is prepared for.
“We’re going to have to try and stay relatively fresh throughout the week,” he said.
“We travel on Thursday which will give us a bit of time to acclimatise and we’ll have a training run on Friday.”
“It’ll be important to stay fresh and recover, but also handle the football a lot and make sure we get our touch back and our cleanliness with the ball.”
The Cats now sit third on the VFLW ladder and will face the fourth placed Northern Territory at TIO Stadium at 4:00pm on Saturday 7th July.
VFL Women’s Round Eight
Geelong Cats 1.0 (6) defeated by Western Bulldogs 4.4 (28)
Goals: Darby
Best: Trevean, Fogas, McMahon, Keryk, Goring, Boyd
Injuries: Nil
Reports: Nil
@ MARS Stadium, Ballarat
