Things did not quite go to plan for the AFLW Cats last year, but that has lit a fire under Dan Lowther and his team with the group hungrier than ever to succeed in 2025.
Geelong certainly showed what they were capable of at their best in 2024; the only team to take points off the eventual premiers, North Melbourne while also defeating the other Grand Finalist in Brisbane. But consistency eluded the Cats and they ultimately settled for 11th place on the ladder.
What the campaign showed Geelong is the importance of a strong start after managing just one win from their first six matches, but a pair of strong performances in this year's pre-season matches has given the Cats plenty of momentum as they prepare for Round 1 this weekend.
Heading into his fifth season as Geelong's head coach, Dan Lowther said an in-depth look into what went wrong last year provided the Cats plenty to work on during the pre-season, with the team in great shape heading into a blockbuster clash with the Kangaroos on Saturday.
"It has been a long off-season followed by a really long pre-season," Lowther said.
"There was a bit of soul-searching off the back of last year, around some of the things that we were probably missing from our game that we focused on.
"The practice matches certainly showed that we have got the capacity to do what we have been training for.
"The Saints game was a nice tester, always met with a bit of trepidation around what you have been training for. There was some really positive signs against the Saints and then the Suns was another one, where we consolidated some of the things that we have been discussing around our contest work.
"To win both games comfortably, but also for our younger players and our experienced players to get some really good game time and show their progression was exciting too."
It is a colossal challenge awaiting Geelong in the season opener, as they go toe-to-toe with the reigning premiers, North Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Cats will have another opportunity to dethrone the Kangaroos after coming agonisingly close in recent seasons. The two sides played out a thrilling draw in Round 2 last year, with Geelong falling to North Melbourne in the four clashes before that - but all four losses came by a margin of 12 points or less.
With an immediate chance to see how their game stacks up against the best in the competition, Lowther said there are a number of strengths in the Kangaroos' game that the Cats will be looking to nullify this weekend.
"It is a challenging start, I hope the AFL have put us against them in Round 1 because they think we might be able to do okay," Lowther said.
"In terms of picking them apart, they were undefeated last year, we managed to steal two points off them late in the quarter with the Mikayla Bowen snap in the pocket which was great.
"I think historically we have matched up pretty well against them over the last three seasons at least, they have been tight margins for the most part. Some of those games have been quite dour, low scoring, the game last year at Arden Street was probably a five or six goal game as well.
"They are outstanding through the midfield. We talk about consistency, they are one consistent team from each player to the next. They know their role really well, they have that connection as a successful side which is very hard to break.
"That is for us to manage our game style and system as well, individually and as a collective to make sure we are matching them in the engine room with the likes of Garner, Riddell, King and a host of others."
