Coach unleashes the shackles on his team

GEELONG VFLW coach Paul Hood says he will continue to urge his players to “take the game on” when the Cats meet Collingwood this weekend.

After a solid Round 1 win over Melbourne Uni last week, Geelong faces another stern test against a Magpies outfit that downed Williamstown.

The Cats blew out the cobwebs after halftime to defeat Uni by 39 points and Hood will again encourage his team to play with daring.

“We try to play pretty adventurous,” he said.

“Obviously we’re looking at developing a skill level that helps us do that successfully, but we really like our players to take the game on, to feel COLLINGWOOD v GEELONG like if they make a mistake it’s OK (because) we’re all learning.

“We’re really trying not to be in fear of making errors and just really go out and take the game on.”

He has been encouraged by his team’s early form, but he is striving for more consistency.

“Like a lot of our play so far, it’s just lifting the level of our ball use as a team,” he said.

“We had eight new players on the weekend, so a bit of turnover in the list and getting used to playing with each other, but we were really pleased with our own effort.”

The Pies held off a gritty Seagulls side by 18 points, with Sarah D’Arcy the best player on the ground, and Hood remains wary.

“We just go out and understand that it’s going to be a really red-hot contest and try to give the best account of ourselves, while making it difficult for them to play their game,” he said.