GEELONG star Nina Morrison was stretchered off with a suspected ACL injury as the Cats' finals hopes all but vanished against North Melbourne on Friday night.
The 2018 No.1 draft pick, who ruptured her same right knee last year, will head for scans after the Cats' 46-point loss at GMHBA Stadium.
CATS v ROOS Full match coverage and stats
After a stellar opening half, the Cats led by five points early in the third term when Morrison went down.
However, from there the Cats lost all momentum, failing to score again as the Roos piled on eight unanswered goals to waltz to a 10.6 (66) to 3.2 (20) win.
To compound matters, Cats forward Jordan Ivey failed to return after she was helped from the field with a left ankle injury early in the fourth term.
Geelong now sits a game and percentage behind third-placed Greater Western Sydney in Conference A, the Giants with three games to play compared to the Cats' two.
The Roos steam train continues to gather momentum, now two games clear at the top of Conference A before the rest of the round six matches that will be played with no fans due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
The Cats shot out of the blocks to kick the first three goals of the game – including two in the first term – as the Roos were held to their first goalless quarter since round one.
Roo Brittany Gibson then kicked the first of two goals to stem the tide before Mia King brought the margin back to five points on the stroke of half-time.
From there it was all North Melbourne, with Jasmine Garner (three goals) leading the charge as the Cats failed to score after the fourth minute of the second term.
Underrated star
Jasmine Garner will get the external plaudits but Jenna Bruton's grunt work impressed the Roos most. The midfielder amassed a whopping 21 pressure acts including seven tackles to start the ball rolling for the Roos in the second quarter.
Did you see that?
All-Australian defender Meg McDonald kicked her maiden goal for the Cats after she was gifted a 50m penalty in the first term. It was just her second career AFLW goal after her effort for the Western Bulldogs in 2017.
Blink and you missed it
Cats midfielder Julia Crockett-Grills wouldn't have believed her luck when a loose ball spilled out to her inside 30m early in the second term. Without thinking, the snapped on her right foot, kicking the Cats to a short-lived 17-point lead.
The ladder now
The Roos' form has reached dizzy heights after piling on eight goals in the second half. It leaves them with a percentage of 227.2 and on track to surpass the record of 212.9 set by the Crows in last year's competition.
Say what?
"All the signs point that way (to an ACL for Nina Morrison), we will do the scans in the next few days and have our fingers crossed but the signs aren't looking great at the moment," Geelong coach Paul Hood said.
"I felt at times in that second quarter, particularly with Britt (Gibson), our pressure went up to a different level and we were able to get hold of Geelong and that created the ball movement for us." – North Melbourne coach Scott Gowans
What’s next?
The Cats head to Giants Stadium at 5.10pm AEDT on Saturday and must beat GWS to keep any glimmer of finals alive. It will be the competition's first ever women's and men's double-header with an AFL clash to follow later that evening. The Roos will be looking to inflict further pain on the Western Bulldogs when they meet at 3.10pm AEDT on Saturday at Arden Street Oval.
FULL FIXTURE Every round, every game
GEELONG 2.1 3.2 3.2 3.2 (20)
NORTH MELBOURNE 0.2 2.3 6.4 10.6 (66)
GOALS
Geelong: McWilliams, McDonald, Crockett-Grills
North Melbourne: Garner 3, Gibson 2, Bateman, M.King, Abbatangelo, Gillespie-Jones, E.King
BEST
Geelong: Purcell, M.McDonald, Crockett-Grills, Garing
North Melbourne: Garner, Riddell, Kearney, Bruton, Gavalas, M.King
INJURIES
Geelong: Morrison (knee), Ivey (ankle)
North Melbourne: Nil
Reports: Nil
Crowd: No attendance recorded at GMHBA Stadium
