GEELONG coach Paul Hood has praised the effort of key forwards Maddie Boyd and Phoebe McWilliams as the Cats held on for a five-point win over Carlton at GMHBA Stadium, 2.7 (19) to 1.8 (14).
The win in front of 7060 people has seen Geelong move into top spot on the Conference B ladder with three rounds remaining.
McWilliams outclassed those around her, kicking Geelong’s first goal and marking everything that came her way, while Boyd, who was reported for rough conduct, was strong on the lead registering seven marks and was involved in a number of scoring opportunities.
“Both Maddie (Boyd) and Phoebe (McWilliams) give us amazing focal points ahead of the ball, and all the players have great confidence to kick it in their direction,” Hood said.
“I thought Phoebe’s tackle pressure was outstanding in the first half today; she locked the ball in a couple of times, and both Phoebe and ‘Boydy’ helped to straighten us up”.
Hood was proud of his group in the way that they bounced back from their loss against Adelaide, labelling their preparation for the clash with the Blues’ faultless.
“It’s been a tough week for us,” Hood said. “We’ve had our first ever six-day break off the back off our first ever interstate trip.
“The fatigue, the six-day break and the 35 degrees was a tough one, but we’re really glad that we got through.”
“Against a team that was in pretty good form coming into the game, for us to fight like that and to hang on and think our way through and get a result, I think we’ll get so much self-confidence and belief from the resilience that we showed today”.
Despite moving one game clear on top of the ladder, Hood and the Cats are taking it one week at a time, with a trip to Brisbane for a clash with the Lions on the horizon.
“For us, if we get the opportunity to play an extra game, then that’s brilliant for our group,” Hood said.
“So we’ll see how all of that goes. It’s more about the next minute of play we’re involved in for this group and trying to get things right”.
“They’re doing a really good job.”
Twitter: @LauraThistle9
