Geelong Cats captain Meghan McDonald will become just the second player to bring up her 75th AFLW game while wearing the Hoops, as she returns for Sunday’s clash against the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat. 

After starting her career with Sunday’s opponent in the Bulldogs, McDonald became an inaugural member of the Cats’ first-ever AFLW squad for the 2019 season and made an instant impact at her new football home. 

Starring in her new role as a key defender, McDonald won the Cats’ AFLW Best & Fairest award that season, while also earning her first All-Australian selection. 

As well as her undoubted talent as a player, McDonald’s leadership came to the fore, which saw her join the leadership group as vice-captain in her second season at the Cats. 

Prior to the 2021 season, after inaugural captain Melissa Hickey’s retirement, McDonald was promoted to captain, a position she has held for the past six seasons as one of the longest-serving captains in the league. 

A strong and inspiring leader, McDonald took the added responsibility in her stride, producing another incredible season to earn her second All-Australian blazer in her first season as skipper. 

A general in defence with her ability to read the play and her strong one-on-one work, McDonald played a key role in leading the team’s improvement on-field – including finals appearances in 2022 Season 7 and 2023 – and has played an equally important role developing the next generation of leaders in the playing squad. 

Sunday’s match will be McDonald’s 71st in the Hoops, behind only Julia Crockett-Grills (72 games) for most AFLW games played in Geelong colours, and she will join Shelley Scott (77 games) as the only Cats to date to have played 75 AFLW games. 

Geelong Cats takes on Western Bulldogs this Sunday at Mars Stadium, with first bounce at 1.05pm. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, while the match will be broadcast on 7mate in Victoria, as well as being streamed on 7plus, Kayo and Binge.