CATS KEEP LEARNING

GEELONG VFLW coach Paul Hood says his side is learning more about itself every game after a competitive loss to one of the league’s benchmark teams yesterday.

The Cats got back within 12 points early in the last quarter against the polished Melbourne Uni outfit before eventually losing 3.2 (20) to 8.8 (56) in front of about 1000 fans at St Mary’s Oval.

After surging to the top of the VFLW ladder with three wins against lower-ranking sides, the Cats have come back to the pack after three “reality checks” against more seasoned opposition.

Hood said he was daring to believe an upset was possible when Alisha Habib reduced the margin to two goals early in the final quarter, only for Melbourne Uni to kick the last four goals of the match.

“It’s a bit of a reality check playing the best sides, but we’re fighting and competing really well,” Hood said. team with 15 minutes to go and that’s a positive.”

The Cats will today assess the extent of a rolled ankle to Maddison Janssen, who was assisted from the field in the first quarter and left the ground in a moon boot.

Hood described Maddie Boyd as the “best tall player on the ground” after showing her class on a day where star teammate Lily Mithen was the subject of close physical attention.

The strong home crowd caught a glimpse of Elise Strachan’s line-breaking ability, Cassie Blakeway’s in-andunder midfield determination and the reliable defensive support of Lara Williams.

Hood said his team was shown the importance of clean ball use. “When you play the good sides, the mistakes can get magnified and you can get penalised by the opposition,” he said.

“So for us it’s about understanding we’re capable of really good pieces of play and it’s just a bit more experience, a bit more practice and stringing that together for a longer period of the game.”