AFLW 2024: Geelong keep flickering finals hopes alive with round 8 win over Brisbane

A gutsy win keeps Geelong’s flickering finals hopes alive but the cherry on top proved to be in avenging last year’s preliminary final loss. Plus, Irish talent steps up in career-best performance.

Geelong’s Zali Friswell, Kate Darby and Nina Morrison celebrate the win over the Lions. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Geelong has enacted its revenge for last year’s heartbreaking preliminary final loss, and in doing so kept its razor-fine AFLW finals hopes alive for another week.

The Cats knocked off the reigning premier Brisbane Lions by 10 points on Sunday, though the Lions — who defeated the Cats by four points in last year’s finals — gave the home side a scare with two late goals in the final five minutes.

The 7.5 (47) to 5.7 (37) result marked the Cats’ first win at GMHBA Stadium this year, fitting reward for the 2850 supporters in the stands.

And it now keeps the door open for Dan Lowther’s side to play finals, though they’ll need to keep winning and hope other results go their way in the final two weeks of the home-and-away season.

In a major boost, the Cats expect to regain star midfielder Amy McDonald for its upcoming round 9 fixture against West Coast Eagles, while Gabbi Featherston sat out the second half against the Lions with hamstring awareness.

Cats take their chances with both hands

The Cats have been chasing this sort of performance all season, their pressure evident against the top four Lions from the outset as they found more bang for their buck inside 50.

Geelong’s Jackie Parry celebrates an early goal against the Lions. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Despite losing the contested battle (102-117) to the Lions, Lowther said his side took their chances when they could — something that hasn’t always been the case this year.

The Cats have never had much problem getting the ball inside 50, rather it was finishing with their final touches.

They again dominated inside 50s 39-29, and while their efficiency trailed that of the Lions (30.8 to 51.7), it was still enough to get the job done.

They put three early goals on the board, the first through Irish talent Aishling Moloney, who took her season tally to 15 by the end of the day with another strong performance (13 touches, six tackles and two goals).

Shelley Scott, in game 75, reaped the spoils from her teammates, who got her the ball in an open goalsquare on two occasions, while Nina Morrison and Jackie Parry got in positions to nail set shots.

Irish youngster announces herself

Just under 12 months ago, Irish cross-coder Anna-Rose Kennedy made her debut against the Lions in their preliminary final loss.

Anna-Rose Kennedy (right) bursts away from her Lions’ opponent on Sunday. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

With no touches and just two tackles to her name, it was arguably not the start to a career down under Kennedy would have hoped for.

Now in game 10 of her career, Kennedy put in a career-best showing, with the added sweetener of doing so against the Lions.

In her most mature performance to date, the 23-year-old was a dynamic threat off half back, finishing with a game-high 591-metres gained, 18 touches and four marks while helping lock down the likes of Lions’ forward Taylor Smith, the competition’s leading goalkicker, while fellow key forward Dakota Davidson’s day finished early with concussion.

A goal-saving touch on the Lions’ goal line further epitomised her performance.

The likes of midfielders Bella Smith and Caitlin Thorne (career-high 11 disposals) also continued to show their growing confidence in games four and five respectively.

Wrong way? No worries

Geelong’s Mikayla Bowen celebrates her goal in the second quarter. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Cats fans surely would have been looking on in horror when it seemed Mikayla Bowen went to take off in the opposite direction of her team’s goals.

Taking an important intercept mark just outside the Cats’ forward 50 line, it appeared the 23-year-old had lost her bearing as she favoured taking off the other way.

But with a point of the finger from her Lions’ opponent, Bowen quickly turned around, and with the umpire paying play on had ample room behind her to run into an open forward line and cooly slot a goal on the run to extend the Cats’ margin late in the second, with Fox Footy commentator Kate McCarthy describing the play as the “funniest and most opportune thing I’ve seen in football”.

Originally published as AFLW 2024: Geelong keep flickering finals hopes alive with round 8 win over Brisbane