Geelong's 2025 AFLW campaign suffered another blow on Saturday afternoon, with the Cats falling to Sydney by five points at GMHBA Stadium.
A blistering opening quarter put the Cats well clear at the first break, but they struggled to carry on the momentum as the Swans worked their way into the match, Geelong ultimately fell to their third consecutive defeat to begin the season.
Star on-baller Georgie Prespakis fought valiantly all afternoon, finishing with a game-high 27 disposals (18 contested) and 10 clearances to continue her sensational start to the year.
Aishling Moloney made her presence felt in another dominant showing, kicking three goals in the second half and amassing a career-high 23 disposals.
Eager to bounce back from last week's defeat, Geelong could not have dreamed of a better start, piling on three unanswered goals in just eight minutes and holding Sydney goalless to take a healthy 19-point lead into quarter time.
The Cats dominated early, winning the first eight clearances and registering the first eight inside-50 entries. Georgie Prespakis led the charge collecting eight disposals and four clearances in the opening 10 minutes.
But in a pattern symptomatic of Geelong's season so far, momentum shifted quickly and violently in the second term as Sydney slammed home four unanswered goals of their own, turning the Cats’ lead into a five-point deficit at half time.
The clearance battle remained heavily in Geelong's favour (+8) at the main break, led by Prespakis (seven clearances) and Amy McDonald (four) while down back Rachel Kearns and Claudia Gunjaca stood tall, picking off eight intercept possessions between them.
Young ruck Piper Dunlop continued to impress in the opening half, collecting nine disposals and two clearances to have a significant impact around stoppages.
Needing to find a spark and looking to reignite the home crowd after the main break, the Cats turned to a reliable source as Aishling Moloney hit the scoreboard with her first goal of the day, putting Geelong back in front early in the third quarter.
The Irish superstar booted her second major late in the term, but Sydney were able to find two of their own and seemingly had all the answers when it mattered most, leaving Geelong trailing by seven points heading into the final quarter.
With a mountain to climb in the fourth term, the Cats struggled to gain the ascendancy early and things were made even more difficult, when Swans star Chloe Molloy converted the first goal to extend their lead.
With less than five minutes on the clock, Aishling Moloney once again provided a spark as she poked through her third goal in the second half, a minor score from Jackie Parry pulling the Cats within a kick.
One last roll of the dice gave Parry an opportunity to level the scores with 10 seconds remaining, but her kick faded wide to the right and the final siren sounded moments later, Geelong falling to the Swans by five points.
2025 AFLW Season - Round 3
GEELONG 3.2 3.4 5.5 6.9 (45)
SYDNEY 0.1 4.3 6.6 7.8 (50)
GOALS
Geelong: Moloney 3, Morrison, Kenny, Bowen 1
Sydney: Moloney, Kennedy, Hurley, Hamilton, Ham, Grierson, Molloy 1
BEST
Geelong: Prespakis, Bowen, A. Moloney, Morrison
Sydney: Hurley, Morphett, Molloy, Fish, Gardiner, Kennedy
DISPOSALS
Geelong: Prespakis 27, Moloney 23, Bowen 17, Morrison, A.McDonald, Crockett-Grills 16
Sydney: Hurley 26, Molloy, Gardiner 24, Morphett, Fish 23
Crowd: 2,114 @ GMHBA Stadium
