‘Our best performance’: Cats closing in on first win
GEELONG’S first AFLW win for the season is just around the corner, according to coach Paul Hood.
The Cats put in their best performance of the season in their 33point loss to Carlton on Sunday.
By halfway through the third quarter Geelong had recorded its highest score for the season and if it wasn’t for inaccurate goalkicking the Cats might possibly have notched their first four points for the year. “I thought it was a much more even contest than the scoreboard suggested,” Hood said.
“I know Carlton had a bit more possession but the inside-50s were even I think and 14 scoring shots to 11, so we were much more positive about the way we played this week.
“It’s our best performance for the season, our game against the Bulldogs was a bit tighter and more dour but today was more like the way we’d like to play each week.”
Coming off a 47-point shellacking at the hands of Richmond a week ago, Hood said the message coming into Sunday’s game was to be more assertive and to take the game up to Carlton.
“It comes with risks but that’s footy and you need to try to drive the game your way and our players were much better at that,” he said.
“In the end Carlton were just a little bit more polished in that first half. They were 6.2 at one stage and we were 4.4 and that was probably the difference.”
Rebecca Webster was the Cats’ best player and Hood said the 20year-old set the example for her teammates despite her age.
“She’s really grown as a young leader in our team and you can see she plays with her heart on her sleeve,” he said. “It was terrific for her to play that way, it inspired her teammates.”
Georgie Rankin (ill) and Millie Brown (hamstring) will be assessed ahead of next week’s game in Perth against West Coast.