Sports

Cats beat Tigers by 34 points to go top of AFLW ladder

Bridie MoloneyPublished 24h ago3 min readBased on 3 sources
Cats beat Tigers by 34 points to go top of AFLW ladder
source:geelongcats.com.au

Geelong beat Richmond 7.12 (54) to 3.2 (20) at Princes Park on Friday night. The 34-point win was the Cats' seventh in a row and lifted them above defending premiers North Melbourne to the top of the AFLW ladder, ABC News reported.

In Australian rules, that scoreline means seven goals and 12 behinds for 54 points, against three goals and two behinds for 20 points. Every goal is worth six points. Every behind is worth one.

It did not start as a blowout. Geelong led by just two points at quarter-time. Richmond stayed in touch to half-time, trailing 27-20. Then the game turned.

The Cats kicked away in the third term and led by 29 points at the last break. They kept Richmond scoreless in the final term to close out a comfortable win.

Chloe Scheer kicked three goals for Geelong. That takes her to 18 for the season, equal-top of the league goalkicking with Hawthorn's Aine McDonagh.

Her run is remarkable for its wait. Scheer missed the entire 2024 season with a foot injury and the entire 2025 season with a knee injury. Two full years out. Now she is leading the race for the league's top goalkicker.

Co-captain Nina Morrison drove the midfield with 26 disposals — kicks plus handballs combined — along with seven tackles and a goal. Mikayla Bowen added 20 disposals and seven tackles. A tackle here means stopping the ball-carrier and earning a free kick or a stoppage if done fairly.

For Richmond, Ellie McKenzie worked hard with 20 disposals and six tackles. Young forward Ana Mulholland kicked her first AFLW goal. There was a concern for forward Laura McClelland, who left the field with a shoulder injury.

The win backed up another big result. Geelong had beaten Hawthorn by 36 points the Thursday before facing Richmond, making it two wins in quick succession on a short break, according to the Geelong Cats.

What makes this stand out is the control. Geelong did not panic when Richmond pressed early. They owned territory late, locked the ball in attack, and gave the Tigers no way back.

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