Match Preview Round 4
Richmond v Geelong
Saturday February 29
3.10pm
Queen Elizabeth Oval, Bendigo
Last time we met:
This will be the first time these two teams have met in the AFLW competition.
The lowdown:
Both sides are searching for their first win of the season.
Richmond lost to Carlton in the season opener and then to fellow expansion club the Gold Coast Suns the following week.
In Round 3 they came up against the Kangaroos where they were defeated by 56 points.
Geelong has lost their three opening matches by an average of 15 points.
They have matched it with their more experienced opponents for stages, however they haven’t been able to get over the line for their first win.
Last week the Cats were able to put together a four-quarter performance against the reigning premiers.
Geelong will need a repeat effort this weekend if they want to break through for their first win.
For the first time this season Geelong will be the more experienced team, but the Tigers aren’t a team they should take lightly.
Opposition focus
Richmond recruited a number of high profile players for their first AFLW season.
Former Bulldogs teammates Katie Brennan and Mon Conti made the move to Punt Road Oval as did forwards Sabrina Frederick (formerly from Brisbane) and Christina Bernadi (Collingwood and GWS).
The rest of their list is made up predominantly of players elevated from their VFLW side.
In their first three games of the year their star recruits have performed well.
Conti leads their team for average disposals (16 per game) and Brennan isn’t far behind.
Frederick is leading their goal kicking and contested marks.
If the Cats can shut down the Tigers’ best players, this will go a long way in securing Geelong’s first win.
Player to watch:
Maddy McMahon was at the centre of the most talked about incident in last Sunday’s match against the Crows.
With seconds to go in the game the defender went over the opposition’s goal line causing the umpire to award a free kick that ultimately decided the game.
McMahon will be determined to come out this weekend and continue her good form.
So far this season the 30-year-old leads her team in intercept possessions and contested marks.
Will McMahon have fire in her belly after last week’s game?