MOVING on from a heartbreaking two-point finals series loss in season seven, Geelong has begun the new campaign in style with a 48-point win over an injury-ridden Western Bulldogs.
The Cats dominated the Bulldogs on Saturday, running out 10.5 (65) to 2.5 (17) victors at GHMBA Stadium in front of 4404 fans.
CATS v DOGS Full match coverage and stats
Georgie Prespakis (34 disposals,10 clearances,12 tackles) and Amy McDonald (28, nine, 12) were crucial in the midfield, helping the Cats to 35 inside-50s to the Bulldogs' 27.
Former Melbourne player Jacqueline Parry kicked the opening two majors for Geelong, with Gaelic football convert Aishling Moloney scoring a goal on her AFLW debut.
Club debutant Kate Surman also grabbed two majors, with McDonald, Nina Morrison, Chloe Scheer and Darcy Moloney booting one each.
"It's been absolutely amazing. I don't know if I've settled in ... you have to be patient with this game," Aishling Moloney told Fox Footy post-match.
"It's a game of chaos as I'm told, so you just need to embrace the chaos.
"This game is just unbelievable ... I know my parents are watching back home. To have them sitting back and watching me, that's what dreams are made of."
The Bulldogs went goalless in the first half, unable to answer five majors from the Cats despite an immense effort by All-Australian ruck Alice Edmonds (32 hitouts).
Skipper Ellie Blackburn (27 disposals, five clearances) and Kirsty Lamb (14 disposals, two clearances) were prolific for the Bulldogs but unable to quell the midfield threat posed by the surging Prespakis and McDonald.
The Bulldogs' midfield faced a further setback in the second quarter with Dominique Carruthers (eight disposals) subbed off injured.
Defender Elle Bennetts is another injury worry for the Bulldogs, having spent considerable time on the ground with suspected anterior cruciate ligament damage after a mid-air clash with Parry.
Sarah Hartwig kicked the Bulldogs' only goals, putting her side on the board in the last five minutes of the third quarter before being subbed off in the final quarter with a potential corked thigh.
Geelong's 65 points on Saturday is the highest it has recorded in five meetings with the Bulldogs, surpassing its previous best of 37 from last season.
Up Next
Geelong goes on the road to take on Sydney next Saturday, while the Bulldogs host Hawthorn at Mars Stadium in Ballarat on Sunday.
GEELONG 3.1 5.3 6.3 10.5 (65)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 0.0 0.4 2.5 2.5 (17)
GOALS
Geelong: Parry 3, Surman 2, Morrison, Scheer, A.Moloney, A.McDonald, D.Moloney
Western Bulldogs: Hartwig 2
BEST
Geelong: Prespakis, A.McDonald, Parry, Morrison, D.Moloney, Crocket-Grills
Western Bulldogs: Blackburn, Edmonds, Fitzgerald, Lynch, Hartwig
INJURIES
Geelong: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Bennetts (knee), Carruthers (TBC), Hartwig (thigh)
LATE CHANGES
Geelong: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Rylie Wilcox (illness) replaced in selected side by Maggie Gorham
Reports: Nil
Crowd: 4404 at GMHBA Stadium
