The VFLW Bendigo Bank Cats will face Essendon at Windy Hill on Saturday for the chance to book a spot in the 2021 rebel VFLW Grand Final.
The first bounce of the Preliminary Final is at 12pm, with the winner to meet Collingwood in next week’s decider.
Geelong and Essendon last met in Round 10, where the Cats recorded a strong 23-point win in a physical contest.
The Cats will be eager to bring the clean ball usage and pressure from their Semi Final win against the Southern Saints, before the pause in the season due to lockdown.
In other good news, the VFLW finals are back on!
— Geelong Cats Womens (@catswomens) July 28, 2021
?? VFLW Preliminary Final
?? Essendon
?? Windy Hill
?? Saturday 31 July
? 12pm AEST
? https://t.co/0XRcVcHJju#GeelongStrong pic.twitter.com/JHbSctz8wr
Essendon fell to Collingwood by seven points in their Semi Final, after defeating the Casey Demons in the first week of finals.
Due to the delay in the season and the AFLW Draft being held on Tuesday, new Geelong AFLW recruits Claudia Gunjaca, Olivia Fuller and Annabel Johnson will be lining up against fellow Cats draftees Georgie Prespakis and Zali Friswell, who have both played for the Bombers throughout the season.
The Cats have named the same 21 players that defeated the Saints in the Semi Final, with Renee Garing named at half-forward, following her stirring forward pressure in the second half against the Saints.
Crowds are not permitted at the match, in line with current Victorian restrictions. There will be a live stream of the match on afl.com.au, and updates will also be available on the Catswomens Twitter and Instagram pages.
VFLW Preliminary Final Team
Backs | 58. B. Beckley | 26. M. Boyd | 47. C. Leonard |
Half Backs | 45. M. Keryk | 42. A. Johnson | 38. T. Meissner |
Centreline | 21. R. Webster | ||
Half Forwards | 12. R. Garing | 55. P. Sheppard | 60. C. Gunjaca |
Forwards | 17. G. Clarke | 1. R. Caris | 40. T. Smith |
Followers | 13. O. Fuller | 27. S. Van De Heuvel | 4. D. Moloney |
Interchange | 18. L. Gardiner | 7. M. Maguire | 32. B. Pratt |
54. R. Tierney | 31. J. Woollett | ||
Emergencies | 36. S. DeGiacomi | J. Foley | 20. M. Skinner |