Four wins in a row, but still uphill battle for Geelong

THE realisation that finals is still in the picture has helped to spark an upbeat vibe at Geelong.

Not that the players need much motivation heading into tomorrow’s game against Eastern Devils.

“It’s good inspiration obviously, (but) it’s a pretty long shot looking at the ladder,” circumspect Cats VFLW coach Paul Hood said.

“St Kilda are fourth and play Western Spurs this week which is a huge game, so if they win that then we’ll be in trouble, but regardless we’re just going to go out and give the best account of ourselves we can.

“The big news for us is, after a calf injury and being out for a while, Alisha Habib will be back into the team; a bit of scoring power, which is great.”

Habib hasn’t played since the side’s big win over Cranbourne in Round 9, but will be a welcome inclusion up forward.

The Cats have won four of their past five games and meet the Devils this week — a side that has won only four games for the season, but is coming off a huge 97-30 victory last weekend.

“They did win in style last week and they’ve been really unlucky; the had a narrow loss to Western Spurs by one point last time and a narrow loss to St Kilda as well, so they could easily be one or two spots higher on the ladder,” Hood said of the Devils.

“They’re going to be fierce competitors over the next two weeks.”

Geelong also received a feather in its cap this week, when Erin Hoare was announced as Melbourne’s newest AFLW rookie.

“She’s worked extremely hard,” Hood said.

“She’s jumped on board, worked to learn and she’s worked really hard at adapting her body and her training to AFL footy as well, and she’s done a great job.

“While it’s fantastic to provide a great environment, credit has got to go to Erin.”