The VFLW Hawks were narrowly defeated by Geelong on Saturday, with the unbeaten Cats winning by 18 points.
With both sides registering convincing wins in Round 1 - Hawthorn defeated North Melbourne by 59 points and Geelong defeated Carlton by 59 points - it was set to be a classic showdown in the history of these rival teams.
The Cats launched into attack from the opening siren, scoring three goals in the first quarter. The unprepared Hawks could only respond with a single behind for the term, and looked unsure against the confident Geelong outfit.
The uncertainty of the first quarter quickly dissipated in the second quarter, as forward-line stalwart Jessie Williams finally kicked a goal for the Hawks.
The powerful defender combo of Nicole Garner and Nadia Von Bertouch kept Geelong scoreless for the term, and the Hawks entered the break on a stronger footing.
The Cats fought back in the third quarter, managing another eight points. Despite their lack of scoreboard action, the Hawks were evenly matched throughout the term and put up a fierce defensive fight.
Hawthorn managed a second goal for the match in the fourth term, off the boot of Tegan Cunningham. Cunningham, who debuted for the Hawks in Round 1, led the disposals for the second week in a row with 15.
Despite the efforts of Cunningham and Dominque Carbone, who also managed 15 disposals for the match, the Hawks couldn’t hold off the Cats and were ultimately defeated by 18 points.
The Cats led in number of overall disposals by a whisker (221 Cats, 208 Hawks), showing that despite the final score, Hawthorn maintained strong control of the ball for the majority of the game.
Coach Cherie O’Neill said after the match that the girls should hold their heads high and ultimately be proud of the result, as Geelong remain one of the most experienced sides in the competition. However, she will be continuing to look for improvement before the match next week against Darebin.
Hawthorn 0.1 1.2 1.2 2.3 (15)
Geelong 3.0 3.0 4.2 5.3 (33)
Goals
Williams, Cunningham
Best
Tegan Cunningham, Dom Carbone, Nicole Garner, Jaide Anthony
