Geelong's VFLW season is over after falling eight points short against Southern Saints in their elimination final.

The Cats fought hard all day, but but a three-goal second term from the Saints proved the difference in the 2.6 (18) to 4.2 (26) loss.

The Cats dominated play early, but, with the Saints’ defensive pressure and strong breeze in play, peppered the goals for a return of 1.6, with the only goal coming through Carly Remmos.

The Saints were able to get into good positions for their scoring attempts in the second quarter, kicking three goals and taking the lead late in the term.

With neither side willing to concede an inch in the third term, it was a dour battle as the rain settled in. The Cats finally got the breakthrough via young tall Keeley Hardingham, who made the most of her opportunity when a 50m penalty brought her within range.

There was just two points in it heading into the final term, and the Cats fought hard against the wind, willing the ball forward for much of the term. But when Saints player Tayla Kearns scored her second goal of afternoon midway through the quarter, it opened up an eight-point lead that proved insurmountable.

Chloe Scheer (15 disposals, 7 clearances) had another strong day in the midfield, winning the ball to set the Cats going, while Remmos (19 disposals, 7 clearances) was also in the thick of the action. Sachi DeGiacomi fought hard all day in the forward line, applying forward pressure and working hard to give the Cats options.

Cats coach Andrew Bruce lauded the efforts of the Cats players after the game.

"They were fantastic. I just spoke to them then about the fact they just kept giving effort right until the very end," he said.

"We were probably right in it until a couple of minutes to go, but we just couldn't execute to score properly. But they never give in, which is fantastic.

"I think we probably would've had over 70 per cent of time in forward half in that (fourth) quarter against a pretty strong breeze, but we just couldn't get it into a position to actually score, unfortunately. We gave ourselves some chances and just couldn't finish."

Bruce thanked Cats fans for their support throughout the season.

"Firstly, thanks for coming out today - there was a fair few today, which was really good in pretty bad conditions here," he said.

"The support is really great, and the girls quite often talk about it when there is a crowd, and they get a bit of a thrill out of it. The fans have been great, and all the support from the club itself has been really strong throughout the year."

The Southern Saints will now progress to the semi-finals.

VFLW Second Elimination Final - Geelong vs Southern Saints

Geelong                1.6   1.6   2.6   2.6 (18)
Southern Saints   0.0   3.2   3.2   4.2 (26)

GOALS
Geelong: Carly Remmos, Keeley Hardingham
Southern Saints: Tayla Kearns 2, Chanelle Slater, Hannah Stuart

BEST
Geelong: Chloe Scheer, Carly Remmos, Emily Ramsay, Charlotte Simpson
Southern Saints: Hannah Stuart, Grace Buchan, Alexandra Hynes

at Deakin University Elite Sports Precinct, Waurn Ponds, on Saturday, 11 June 2022.