Geelong have snapped Essendon’s three-game winning streak and ended their own agonising wait for their first AFLW victory of the season with a 31-point win.
Winless across the opening three rounds, the Cats dominated from the outset at Windy Hill and never gave up the lead on the way to an 8.10 (58) to 4.3 (27) victory on Sunday amid blustery conditions.
Georgie Prespakis stole the show with two goals, 33 disposals and seven clearances to also claim family bragging rights over older sister and Essendon star Maddy.
The younger Prespakis put an exclamation mark on the win with an after-the-siren goal.
Star defender Claudia Gunjaca was a late out with a toe injury, but her absence mattered little as Mikayla Bowen combined well with Prespakis with 24 touches.
Aishling Moloney (two goals) and Jackie Parry (three) formed a formidable pairing in attack, combining for 14 marks.
So dominant were the Cats that they finished with 44 to 21 forward entries.
Georgia Gee kicked two goals to lead an understrength Bombers attack – without co-captain Bonnie Toogood and Daria Bannister – while Georgia Nanscawen (31 disposals, six clearances) worked desperately to keep the hosts alive.
While Essendon will regain Toogood after the co-captain served a two-match dangerous tackle suspension, Bannister is expected to miss at least three weeks with a fractured hand.
But the Bombers will also sweat the fitness of midfielder Brooke Walker and co-captain Steph Cain, who suffered knee injuries in the final quarter.
Two quick goals from Parry and Nina Morrison put Geelong on the front foot but the visitors should have taken more than an 11-point lead at quarter-time.
Challenged against the wind, the Cats kicked 2.5 to Gee’s one goal in the first quarter.
Geelong could only extend their advantage by six points at halftime as the Bombers struggled to move the ball forward.
The Cats then broke out to a 23-point lead when Parry kicked her third.
Moloney continued proceedings for Geelong with the first major of the fourth quarter before Maddy Prespakis slotted a consolation goal for the Bombers.
