GEELONG continued to show impressive defensive qualities by holding Fremantle to the lowest ever score in AFLW history at a windy Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday.
Fremantle scored just a single point for the match in difficult conditions, a behind late in the final term, as Geelong stormed to its second win of the season by a score of 3.9 (27) to 0.1 (1).
The Cats have conceded just one goal in the opening two rounds.
DOCKERS v CATS Full match coverage and stats
Amy McDonald was dominant for the Cats with 29 possessions, while Georgie Prespakis was highly impressive with 20. Nina Morrison added a goal and eight tackles to go with her 13 possessions.
Julia Crockett-Grills and Georgia Clarke also added majors for the Cats.
Kiara Bowers (18 possessions, 12 tackles), Hayley Miller (13 disposals), Aine Tighe (11) and Sarah Verrier battled hard but their efforts could not produce a Fremantle goal.
Bowers was in her element early on, matching tackles with disposals (seven) at the end of a scoreless first quarter for both sides in which the Dockers dominated territory and inside 50s but could not find the space to get a significant chance on goal.
Geelong flipped the momentum in the second quarter, driven mostly by McDonald, who was at the fall of the ball regularly to collect 15 disposals, mostly hard-won handballs, to half-time.
The Cats were more aggressive through the centre corridor after quarter-time, with Mikayla Bowen, Prespaskis and Zali Friswell seeing plenty of the ball.
Geelong favoured numbers around the contest while the Dockers employed a more structured approach and moved the ball along one wing, which narrowed their options to their detriment.
Morrison snapped the first goal of the game after capitalising on an errant Docker handball deep inside 50 as Geelong added scoreboard pressure to match their intensity around the ground. They took a 1.3 (9) to 0.0 (0) lead into the main break.
The ball then lived in Geelong's attacking 50 for most of the third quarter. The Cats' conversion was poor, adding five behinds, but they locked the Fremantle defence in by putting an extra player behind the play, which robbed the Dockers of valuable time, possession and flow.
Prespakis and McDonald were everywhere applying pressure, standing up in tackles and setting up their teammates with incisive handballs as they extended their lead, with the Dockers still scoreless at three-quarter-time.
Julia Crockett-Grills ended the game as a contest in the last term, goalling on the run after Jacqueline Parry took advantage of a Docker turnover.
Geelong's play benefited from the comfortable lead and Georgia Clarke added to Docker woes with a bouncing goal from the pocket.
Mim Strom partially saved Fremantle's blushes with a behind with five minutes to go in the final quarter, meaning the Dockers avoided a clean sheet.
But Geelong finished strongly to win by 26 points.
Docker errors costly
Two of Geelong's three goals came from errant clearances from Fremantle's defensive area, with Morrison pouncing on a Sarah Verrier handball deep inside 50 to land the first major of the day. And the nail in the coffin was delivered by Crockett-Grills after Parry found the ball in her lap when otherwise solid Freo defender Angelique Stannett chose to tap a loose ball forward instead of taking possession. Parry swiftly put Crockett-Grills in a goal-kicking position with a measured handball, ending the Dockers' hopes of a comeback.
Listen to your coach
Geelong coach, Dan Lowther, noted after last week's nail-biting win over Richmond that the Cats could have been more effective with deeper inside 50 entries. His team duly obliged this week thanks to McDonald, Morrison and Prespakis as the Cats, while they kicked only three goals, produced attacking efforts from higher probability positions. It also had the added benefit of making it much more difficult for the Dockers to rebound easily.
Up next
Fremantle will be desperate for its first win of the season against the Western Bulldogs on Friday evening at Ikon Park. Geelong will hope to continue its momentum into a clash with Collingwood next week.
FREMANTLE 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 (1)
GEELONG 0.0 1.3 1.8 3.9 (27)
GOALS
Fremantle: Nil
Geelong: Morrison, Crockett-Grills, Clarke
BEST
Fremantle: Bowers, Miller, Tighe, Verrier
Geelong: Amy McDonald, Prespakis, Morrison, Webster, Friswell
INJURIES
Fremantle: Nil
Geelong: Nil
Reports: Nil
