By Luke Voogt
Geelong Cats’ AFLW side faces a huge challenge in its season opener on Sunday against last season’s Conference A winner North Melbourne.
But coach Paul Hood is relishing the challenge of facing the powerhouse side, which many have tipped to make this season’s AFLW grand final.
“We’re really excited to match up against powerful opposition in round one and see where we fit in,” he told the Independent on Tuesday.
Hood pointed to the Cats challenging Fremantle, the league’s other conference winner, for three quarters in their previous season opener.
The Cats and Dockers were neck-and-neck at the third break on 4.4, before Fremantle kicked ahead in the last.
“They were tipped to be the dominant team and we really took it up to them,” Hood said.
“We’ll bring a lot of defensive pressure to North and try to be successful for the whole game.”
The Cats will face the Kangaroos strong midfield, including names such as Jenna Bruton and Ashleigh Riddell.
But Hood was confident young midfielders Olivia Purcell and Becky Webster could step up to the challenge.
“Our young midfield looks really dynamic at times,” he said.
“Some of those young girls are really developing and look like playing their best footy in the next couple of years.”
The Cats will also need to contain Jasmine Garner, one of the best key forwards in the AFLW.
Hood said the Cats would look to “cornerstone” Maddy McMahon and captain Meg McDonald to lead the defence, not just against Garner, but for the season.
He said the Cats’ strong depth would instill competitiveness in players to fight for their spot.
“We’ve also got a large cohort of players that have been here for three years or more,” he said.
“We’re looking to expand our attack.”
Hood said the Cats’ chances at a flag were “as good as anyone else”.
“We’ve shown that our best footy is really hard to play against. We really focus on playing the next five minutes in front of us.”
Young gun Nina Morrison will not play in the season opener after rupturing her ACL in her right knee for the second time in the Cats’ previous game against the Kangaroos last March.
“We will leave no stone unturned to make sure she can complete the best rehab possible,” Hood said.
“Her dedication and motivation throughout her rehab have been faultless.
“Nina has had a big say in her program and worked really well with our physios to make sure she’s nailing every session.”
Julie Crocket-Grills and Rocky Cranston had been great for team morale, along with the Cats’ playing prowess, according to Hood.
“She’s a bouncy character, the Crock, she’s got a zoo worth of tattoos on her,” he said.
“The Crock and Rock playlist gets everyone going in the gym.
“We’ve got characters everywhere – a lot of different personalities that get people laughing and joking and making it a good place to be.”
Hood said the AFLW had improved dramatically since the first game in 2017.
“When you look at practice matches, teams are moving it more quickly and precisely,” he said.
“When teams get it into space now, you expect them to score.”
Geelong takes on North Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium at 12.10pm on Sunday with the crowd capped at 8000, the club confirmed on Wednesday.
“For me it will be great to see people at the stadium… and certainly for the players, no doubt they’ve missed that,” Hood said.
“We love all the support that we get from the Geelong footy public and we can’t wait for the games to begin.
“We’d just like to see as many people as we can down on Sunday.”
