Geelong has made a statement at selection after a winless start to the season, leaving out captain Meghan McDonald for Sunday’s must-win clash against Essendon at Windy Hill.
The Cats will make at least two changes, with Mel Bragg also omitted.
Draftees Lexi Gregor and Sienna Tallariti are a chance to pull on the Hoops at AFLW level for the first time after being named on an extended bench.
Gabbi Featherston, Bryde O’Rourke and Caitlin Thorne have also been included.
Since joining Geelong ahead of its debut season in 2019, 34-year-old McDonald has played 69 of the club’s 71 matches.
Speaking earlier today, coach Dan Lowther says Geelong is still searching for four-quarter consistency.
“I think our tempo and control have been a bit too live at times throughout games, which then might cause the game to be a bit more chaotic at times where it shouldn’t need to be.
“So a lot of our focus with our reflection and our training has been about just understanding those scenarios better, and making sure we make better decisions in real time to control how the game’s played to a certain degree.”
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GEELONG
INS: G. Featherston, A. Gregor, B. O’Rourke, S. Tallariti, C. Thorne
OUTS: M. Bragg, M. McDonald
FB: [10] Georgie Rankin, [26] Claudia Gunjaca
HB: [22] Rachel Kearns, [21] Rebecca Webster, [27] Emma Kilpatrick
C: [20] Zali Friswell, [41] Georgie Prespakis, [6] Julia Crockett-Grills
HF: [1] Mikayla Bowen, [5] Jacqueline Parry, [7] Kate Surman
FF: [45] Aishling Moloney, [12] Kate Kenny
FOL: [38] Piper Dunlop, [3] Amy McDonald, [9] Nina Morrison
IC (from): [2] Bella K. Smith, [17] Erica Fowler, [23] Bryde O’Rourke, [32] Gabbi Featherston, [25] Caitlin Thorne, [24] Chantal Mason, [30] Alexis Gregor, [13] Sienna Tallariti
