Cats crush Dogs by 68 points to lock in a top-two finish
Geelong beat Western Bulldogs 13.10 (88) to 3.2 (20) on Friday night at Kardinia Park, a 68-point win that secured a top-two finish on the AFLW ladder. The ladder is the league table, and a top-two spot means the club is guaranteed one of the two best records going into finals.
The game was decided early. Geelong kicked seven straight goals across the first half, and ABC News reported the Cats led by 20 points at quarter-time and 44 at half-time. A goal is worth six points and a behind one, so a 13.10 total means 13 goals and 10 behinds.
Jacqueline Parry was the standout. She kicked five goals on her return from concussion, a head knock that had sidelined her. Her tally moved her to 26 goals for the season, the most in the league, ahead of Sydney's Chloe Molloy on 24. Chantal Mason kicked three for Geelong.
Western Bulldogs were on the wrong end of a long afternoon. The loss dropped their record to 8-4, and they sat sixth before the weekend's games. Midfielder Ellie Blackburn was rested ahead of finals. Co-captain Deanna Berry played her first game since round two and kicked a goal in the third quarter.
For Geelong, the result carries history. The club's AFLW record moved to 11-1, and its winning streak stretched to 11 games. Geelong Football Club's match report framed it as more records on the way to the top two. The Cats will also end a two-year absence from AFLW finals. Coach Mick Stinear arrived at the end of last year, and this is his side's first real statement of the season.
The finals picture is still moving. Geelong will host a Qualifying Final the following week, the first game of the finals series. North Melbourne, the defending premiers, held a better percentage than Geelong going into their match against Richmond on Saturday. Percentage is a way of separating teams level on wins, calculated from points scored against points conceded.
The Bulldogs, for their part, still reached finals for the first time since 2022. Geelong will be the team to beat in the weeks ahead, and the Cats have now shown they can do it with a fast start.
