GEELONG coach Andrew Bruce has hailed Saturday’s big win over Darebin as the Cats’ best team performance of the season, as it kicked its highest-ever score and posted its biggest-ever win.
After withstanding early pressure from the Falcons at Bill Lawry Oval, Geelong proved too good as it chalked up a 64-point victory, giving them six wins for the season.
“We thought they would be really physical and contested, and they were, and it took us quite some time to pull away from them,” Bruce said.
“They copped a couple of injuries, which didn’t help their cause, but our girls just stuck to their task all day, which was great.
“I thought our backline held really strong, and the one goal Darebin kicked was from a 5o (metre penalty).
AFLW listed big Olivia Barber impressed, and Claudia Gunjaca thrived in a new role in defence alongside the reliable Bree Beckley.
Young midfielders Darcy Moloney and Laura Gardiner also worked hard, while Georgie Rankin’s experience was also crucial.
“She was fantastic for us on a wing, and then she played as an inside midfielder for the second half and did a great job for us,” Bruce said.
“It was a great opportunity for her to play as a mid.”
With six rounds remaining, Geelong has a three-game and percentage buffer between itself and seventh-place.
While only an inexplicable collapse would see the Cats miss the VFLW finals, Bruce knows they won’t be handed a finals berth on a platter.
That starts with a return meeting next Saturday at Deakin Uni with the Western Bulldogs, who the Cats held goalless in Round 5 at Whitten Oval.
“In reality, every team we come across now is going to be very, very competitive with a lot of AFLW girls going into those teams,” he said.
“Even the Bulldogs, who we beat a month ago, will look very different to the team we played the other week.
“We want to play finals, and we want to go well. But, we’ll get some other games squared away first.”
Twitter: @tom_king79
Geelong 1.2, 3.6, 6.6, 11.9 (75)
Darebin Falcons 0.2, 0.3, 1.5, 1.5 (11)
Goals; Geelong: O. Barber 3, L. Gardiner 3, S. Van De Heuvel, G. Clarke, M. Boyd, D. Moloney, A. Johnson
