PAUL Hood’s satisfaction with Geelong’s final-round win over Gold Coast had nothing to do with his team avoiding its first wooden spoon.
Instead, the Cats coach was “delighted” for his players to enjoy some success after going winless through the first eight rounds.
“They’ve worked really hard, and I thought their performance last week against GWS showed the character we want to consistently produce,” Hood said.
“And to do that again today was terrific.
“It hasn’t been an easy year, for sure, but it was great to see the players get a reward today, and they fully deserved it.”
Hood had espoused the virtues of playing with freedom and without fear of consequence throughout the season.
And while Geelong had periods during 2021 of putting that style of play into practice, it was evident at Metricon Stadium that the Cats were happy to look to move the ball whenever they could.
“We’ve been trying to promote that all season, but it’s easier said than done to always go out there and take the game to the opposition,” he said.
“Fortunately, today, we were able to get a goal or two early, and the game was a bit more open, and the opposition couldn’t sit numbers behind the ball.
“So, attacking decisions became a bit more clearer, and we were able to really capitalise on that.”
The win also provided veteran ruck Aasta O’Connor with the perfect send-off.
A Queensland native, the 2018 Western Bulldogs premiership player announced her retirement in the lead-up to the match.
“It was terrific for her to play her final game in her home state,” Hood said.
“She’s had plenty of family at the game and it took us a long time to get her into the rooms to sing the song.
“It was great to see her have that moment, and she was really important in the game tonight.
“She got the inside 50 that helped us put the icing on the cake in those final few moments.
“It was terrific for someone who’s been such a great role model for her teammates to go out on a high.”
Hood is confident despite posting just the one win and being on the end of some substantial losses, Geelong can bounce back in 2022.
“There are some clear areas that we need to continue to improve,” he said.
“But what we do know – and we see examples of this in sport all the time – you’re never as far away from it as you think, and bounce backs can happy really quickly.
“With a few key players to come back into the line-up and the continued development of the ones we’ve got, there’s no reason we can’t head forward with optimism.”
Twitter: @tom_king79
