THE word pride will take on extra meaning for Geelong ahead of its second-round clash with the Brisbane Lions on Sunday.
The Cats, who are coming off a 62-point hiding by North Melbourne in yesterday’s season-opener, will take on the Lions in the club’s Pride jumper as part of the annual AFLW round.
Experienced forward Richelle Cranston didn’t mince words when asked about the performance.
“We hold ourselves to a higher standard than that, and it was disappointing,” she said.
“You never want to disappoint a home crowd, so it was a little bit embarrassing for me because I just want to go out there and perform and not being able to do that, it makes for a bit of a flat mood.
“But we will get back together and hopefully bring the mood and the vibe back up so we can bring it into the weekend.”
Geelong’s jumper, which the openly-gay Cranston had a hand in designing, features a rainbow hoop on the front, the flag that represents the transgender community on the shoulder, and the phrase “Yes, Yes, Yes” on the back in reference to the club’s support of marriage equality.
“I am part of the community so it is pretty special for me,” she said.
“I feel like a lot of the girls, if they are not part of the community are allies, so I feel really special.
“Unfortunately, we don’t get to wear (the jumpers) at home this year but that is OK. The club has been really supportive with lots of inclusion and diversity programs.
“I was lucky enough to be a part of the process in designing it and that was really fun.”
Geelong AFL ruckman Darcy Fort was on hand at the jumper unveiling and said he’s happy to throw his support behind Pride Round.
“It’s obviously a great message,” he said.
“When they asked me, I just said “yes” because there’s a lot of people that need support and should be getting the same rights as everyone else.
“That’s something everybody should be behind.”
Twitter: @tom_king79
