GEELONG coach Andrew Bruce couldn’t fault his team’s effort despite suffering a 43-point loss to Casey Demons at Casey Fields on Saturday.
The Cats were held to just one goal by the unbeaten Demons in the 8.4 (52) to 1.3 (9) defeat.
“I was really pleased with their effort for four quarters … no time did they drop off,” Bruce said.
“Casey are just very good side who used the footy better, and that’s probably the long and the short of it.”
After a tight first quarter in which the Demons kicked the lone goal, they broke the match open in the second quarter with four majors, while the Cats were held scoreless.
“Casey got four or five goals from within 15m of goal, which is a little bit disappointing,” Bruce said.
“Our back had defended really well for a period of time, but then the weight of numbers got them a little bit.
“That happens in footy sometimes. We spoke about that (after the game), about the things we still need to get better at.”
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Geelong unveiled five debutants – Geelong Falcons quartet Keeley Hardingham, Kara Stacey, Analea McKee and Mia van Dyke, and Rosie Cox from AFL Barwon club St Mary’s.
“We were extremely excited to have them all in the side,” Bruce said.
“Rosie Cox comes in after doing all the pre-season with us and then got injured in one of our intraclub matches.
“So, for her to get back and get an opportunity was really good, and I thought, as the game went on, she started to find her way.
“And the four NAB League girls did a really strong job for us.”
Laura Gardiner was one of only two AFLW-listed players that pulled on the Hoops, and she led from the front with a stunning 39-disposal, 10-clearance performance.
Fellow midfielder Paige Sheppard also battled hard for her 24 disposals.
Despite the loss, Geelong still holds a two-game buffer inside the top six on seventh-placed Collingwood with five rounds to play.
The Cats’ Round 10 meeting is with Port Melbourne at North Port Oval on Saturday.
Twitter: @tom_king79
