Cats one win away from Grand Final

THE Geelong Football Club is one win away from being one of two teams in this year’s AFLW Grand Final, following the Cats’ heart-stopping win over Melbourne last weekend.

Geelong will need to travel north to Queensland and defeat the 2021 AFLW premier Brisbane Lions tomorrow (Saturday, November 25), which if successful, means the Cats would have eliminated the past two flag winners in consecutive weeks.

The Cats have not squared off with the Lions since January 29, 2022 during Season 6, but Cats assistant coach Josh Finch knows the playing group has a tall yet achievable task in front of them.

“The Lions have been a powerful team for a long period of time, we haven’t met them for a while, but we’ll obviously put in a lot more time preparing as the week progresses, but they certainly have a number of weapons,” he said.

“They’ve got a strong, athletic ruck in [Tahlia] Hickie, Ally Anderson in the midfield well supported by a few others as well, and Orla O’Dwyer on the wings who is a strong, powerful runner.

“Brisbane’s coach in Craig Starcevich is always pushing a philosophy of a hard running, good transition, fast-paced team which we’ll need to try and match them.

“But our girls will be certainly up for the challenge.”

Cats captain and spiritual leader Meg McDonald paid tribute to her recently deceased father on social media Monday following the Cats’ Semi-Final win over Melbourne, leaving a subtle, inspiring message for her teammates.

“Dad would have loved yesterday,” McDonald posted.

“Thank you to everyone who has offered their thoughts, condolences, care, and support to me and my family. It’s been overwhelming and we’re deeply grateful for it.

“We keep playing.”

Finch commended the side’s captain, who has showed resilience during what has been an extremely emotional time.

“Meg has shown tremendous courage to come in and still perform, not only as a player, but as a captain leading from the front,” Finch said.

“The way she has gone about it has been incredible to watch, as well the club’s love and support and ability to throw its arms around Meg, which has given her the space and time she needs.

“It’s a powerful example of how powerful football can be, Meg’s dad was a big reason for her getting into the sport in the first place, she just wants to keep playing and it’s been incredible to witness – the group is really playing for one another as well.”

The Cats v Lions Preliminary Final at Brighton Homes Arena, Ipswich begins at 7.45pm.

The game will be broadcast across Channel 7, Fox Footy, Kayo, and the AFL Live Official App.