Geelong coach Dan Lowther says Cats produced ‘winning opportunities’ in several defeats in 2024 AFLW season

Geelong coach Dan Lowther has declared newer expansion clubs ‘can wait’ for the ultimate success as the Cats look to rise back up the ladder in 2025. Plus, Cats boast increased AFLW membership numbers.

Geelong AFLW coach Dan Lowther speaks with his players during the 2024 AFLW season. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Geelong AFLW coach Dan Lowther says the Cats must capitalise on its winning opportunities in 2025, adding a new dawn of the competition was quickly approaching.

Speaking at the Cats’ best and fairest on Saturday, Lowther said he had “unwavering optimism” for the future of his team, which fell to 10th this year off the back of a slow start, a tougher fixture following of a 2023 preliminary final and a growing injury list coming out of the compressed mid-season fixture.

Geelong AFLW coach Dan Lowther is optimistic the Cats are on the right track heading into 2025. Picture: Josh Chadwick/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

As the league moves away from its final expansion and heads into a fourth year as a fully national competition in 2025 — including an inaugural national draft next month — Lowther said while season 9 presented its challenges for the Cats, their best was shown to be “more than good enough”.

The Cats drew with North Melbourne, defeated Brisbane and suffered a single-digit loss to Adelaide — all of which will feature in this weekend’s preliminary finals.

“We demand to play against the more traditionally successful sides, North Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane … that’s what we wanted,” Lowther said.

“The challenge ahead lies in building on our game IQ and situational awareness to capitalise on winning opportunities, everyone of those teams I mentioned before, we had winning opportunities … we could have won these games and we will win these game going forward if we build our capacity to play the game physically and mentally.

“The new dawn of the competition is quickly approaching, the emergence of the expansion is upon us.

“Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, Essendon, West Coast, they all want a piece of the action … well, they can wait.”

Geelong defender Claudia Gunjaca interacts with fans this season. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Earlier in the night, outgoing Geelong president Craig Drummond said the club was happy with how it’s AFLW team was positioned and where it could take its game into 2025.

He revealed the Cats had broken their AFLW membership record for another season, with its 7943 members for 2024 a 10.47 per cent increase from the 7190 signed on last season, with the club again among the highest-ranked clubs for AFLW fan engagement at games.

This week the AFL confirmed the 2025 season would consist of 12 home-and-away rounds over 12 weeks, with an earlier start date of the week of August 11, coinciding with round 23 of the AFL.

The AFLW pre-season will commence May 19, with the grand final scheduled for November 29.

Lowther said while success wasn’t linear, he felt the Cats’ on-field systems and style of play was “in line” with where the game was headed before praising his players’ willingness to compete.

“Fast but controlled, tactical without being too technical while encouraging instinct and freedom to play the game in a way which builds on the strengths of the playing group,” he said.

Originally published as Geelong coach Dan Lowther says Cats produced ‘winning opportunities’ in several defeats in 2024 AFLW season