CLEONE INSPIRES CASSIE
extra push than a normal game,” she said.
Blakeway moved to Geelong from Bendigo this year to further her studies at Deakin University.
Her story is so similar to other girls her age: when the teenage years came around, she had to give up footy because of the limited pathway, even though she felt she could have matched it with the boys. In recent years, she played for Bendigo Thunder.
“That (black armbands) was a massive support for me, they were amazing,” she said.
“I’ve never been supported in a sporting club like I have at the Cats.
“The support staff and players are unbelievable and every one of the players are so lovely and we get along so well. We’re a tight group.”
Clive also praised the club and its players.
“Most of my family were in tears after seeing the support she received from this very tight unit,” he said.
That solidarity was on display again this week after star forward Jordan Ivey was floored by the shock diagnosis of a serious knee injury.
Ivey, who played AFLW at Carlton, sat out most of the Round 2 match against Seaford with what appeared to be swelling after a hyperextension in the first quarter.
It seemed so innocuous she “thought the doctor was joking” when scans revealed a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.
“I know there were a bunch of girls who went and cooked dinner for her on the very first night after it was announced and she spent some time with the girls going to the footy to watch the Cats on the weekend,” Hood told the club’s website.
Having freshened up after a week off, Geelong travels to the far-flung reaches of Frenken Homes Oval in Cranbourne to take on Cranbourne on Sunday.
The Cats are unbeaten and on top of the VFLW ladder with a percentage of 467.86, while the Eagles are needing a win and a rapidly improved scoring ability after sitting second-last with a percentage of 21.66.
“We’ve all worked hard and deserve to be there,” Blakeway said. “There’s still a long way to go though and we’ve still got some quite hard opponents to play — they’re going to be tough games — but it’s good to be on top after two games.”