Geelong’s VFLW side have recorded their biggest ever winning margin, defeating Richmond 10.7 (67) to 1.2 (8) at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Cats controlled the match from the beginning, capitalising on goals kicked by Maddie Boyd and Mia-Rae Clifford in the opening five minutes of the first quarter. Impressive composure denied Richmond from entering their forward 50 until the second quarter.

Clifford starred for the Cats, booting four consecutive goals across the first three quarters much to the delight of the crowd. Her goal within the first minute of the third quarter opened the floodgates for Geelong, with Rocky Cranston, Maddie Boyd, Hannah Mangan, Danielle Orr and Kate Darby all booting majors, opening up a 65 point lead at the final break.

The Tigers were kept goalless until the last four minutes of the match, with the final 59 point margin becoming Geelong’s biggest win over two VFLW seasons.

Geelong VFLW coach Paul Hood was thrilled with his side’s performance across the ground.

“The girls did a great job spreading the workload across the team,” he said.

“The midfielders were terrific, the forwards did a great job of keeping the ball inside 50 and giving everyone else a rest and the defenders defended really well, rebounding quickly.

“It was the whole team gelling together that was a really good feature of our play.”

Hood said that his team’s six goal third quarter was among the best football that they have played.

“I think that was probably one of the best quarters we’ve played so far, just our ball movement and the ability to finish off our work.

“We thought our first quarter was pretty good as well but we kicked three goals three (behinds) and could’ve been a little bit straighter.

“But that third quarter, we were really precise with our disposal and finishing our work and that was a credit to the girls.”

Inaugural Geelong AFLW player Maddie Boyd was named the Cats’ best, booting two goals and proving to be an important target in the forward line.

“In a contested game and in slippery conditions, for her to be so strong and clean overhead just stood out so much,” Hood said.

“She’s threatened a little bit to do that, and today she really took over the game and in our opinion was clearly the best player on the ground.” 

According to Hood, Mia-Rae Clifford’s four goal performance was a testament to her hard work each week.

“It was a fantastic effort from her, someone who’s still learning her craft up forward but she just gives herself so many opportunities,” he said.

“She’s terrific in the air, she’s very brave, she’s good on the ground and runs really hard as well.

“So it was fantastic to see her get some reward because she’s been a really important part of our forward line in the last few weeks.”

It was a complete team performance that lead to Geelong’s victory.

“Maighan Fogas was very impressive around the ball, particularly early in the game and her use of handball to set up her teammates was terrific,” Hood said.

“Erin Hoare was great in the ruck again, giving us first use and letting us win some clearances with great dominance.

“Cassie Blakeway had her best performance of the year, doing a great job on the wing and was really good at knowing when to come off her opponent and influence the contest to set us up in attack.

“As the score probably suggests we had a lot of players who contributed today and it’s a great step for the team.”

The Cats face Essendon at 4:30pm next Saturday at GMHBA Stadium in their round 14 clash.

VFL Women’s Round 13
Geelong Cats 10.7 (67) defeated Richmond Tigers 1.2 (8)
Goals: Clifford 4, Boyd 2, Cranston, Darby, Mangan, Orr
Best: Boyd, Clifford, Fogas, Trevean, Hoare, Blakeway
Injuries: Nil
Reports: Nil
@ GMHBA Stadium