HERE TO THRIVE, NOT JUST SURVIVE
THIS time 12 months ago, we were preparing for our inaugural AFLW season with no idea of what was ahead of us.
We were making history for the Geelong Football Club week after week as the season unfolded.
We didn’t know that Nina Morrison would kick the matchwinning point against our Round 1 opponent Collingwood in front of 18,000 fans.
We didn’t know that a postmatch photo of Georgie Rankin would go viral and become the face of Gen W.
And we definitely didn’t know that we would make finals in our first season, where we would play the eventual premier, Adelaide.
Having been through the teething process of our first season, we are now better prepared for what is to come.
Our expectations are higher. We are here to thrive, not just survive.
Our pre-season has been spent focusing on refining our brand of footy.
Last year we were the lowest-scoring side on average in the AFLW. This year will be different. We are here to play an adventurous and attacking style of football and score off the back of it.
Our No. 1 draft pick of 2018 is back — and better than ever. Nina Morrison has been flying at training. She’s been a standout this pre-season and is someone that we dearly missed in our midfield after she dominated in Round 1.
Nina brings pace, clean skills and a workrate that is second to none.
She’s trained incredibly hard to get back to where she left off and I can’t wait to see what this season has in store for her.
Our forward line has former North Melbourne defender Scott Thompson at the helm.
He has brought with him a focus on defensive pressure especially when the ball is turned over inside our attacking 50. Enter Renee Garing.
The midfielder-turned-forward has spent the pre-season developing her forward craft.
Her tenacious defensive efforts saw her snag three goals in our practice match against the Western Bulldogs.
It was an outstanding reward for effort. Without putting pressure on Renee, I have a feeling we will see more of that this season.
Sadly, at training last week Meg McDonald — our AllAustralian defender — fractured her finger and is set to miss half the season.
The length of the AFLW season is cruel. While we will be missing Meg, it’s an opportunity for our team to be united and grow as we will need to step up and fill the void left by our vice-captain.
We are lucky to have many versatile players who have had exposure to playing in a range of positions. This is a chance for another teammate to shine and show all that they have.
In Round 1 we begin with a trip to the west to face a tough opponent in Fremantle. Travelling to the west is one of the toughest trips an AFL/AFLW team has to do.
While many would dread the travel, we are excited by it.
It gives us extra time together, which is an opportunity to bond as a group (make Tik
Toks) and build upon our relationships with staff and players. The unknown of AFLW 2020 is ahead of us and we can’t wait to see what defining moments it brings.