Where and When: Geelong Cats at Box Hill City Oval, July 6th at 11:30am.
In the 2018 VFLW Grand Final, Hawthorn made history winning its first ever women’s football premiership. They defeated Geelong by 13 points at Etihad stadium, after keeping them to just one goal for the first three quarters of the match.
Now the two sides will meet again for the first time since that historic day for a Grand Final rematch at Box Hill City Oval on Saturday.
At the half way mark of the season, the reigning premiers have won three of their last four games and are sitting fourth on the ladder. Sitting seventh on the ladder, Geelong have been up and down so far this season, only recently hitting form with back-to-back wins against Casey and Carlton.
On Saturday, the Hawks will be facing a familiar face in Julia Crockett-Grills, who was a part of Hawthorn’s 2018 premiership winning side. Crockett-Grills is coming off her first AFLW season for the Cats, after a career best season with the Hawks in 2018, where she averaged 16 disposals. Having been named in the best for the last three rounds, the midfielder will be a huge threat for the Hawks to watch.
The Cats will need to prepare to match up against Georgia Bevan, who is a recent recruit for the Hawks, but is already cementing her spot in the side. Bevan had an impressive performance against the Bulldogs last week with 20 disposals and 12 tackles. The 26-year-old is a strong midfielder who makes her presence known at stoppages and uses the ball well.
Chantella Perera was recognised for a ‘best on ground’ performance in last year’s Grand Final. Winning the Lisa Hardeman Medal, she helped the back six keep the opposition goalless for two straight quarters. Last week, the 32-year-old had a season high eight tackles against the Bulldogs and the Cats will be getting ready to face the strong defender on Saturday.
In this much-anticipated Grand Final rematch, the Hawks will be looking for their fifth win for the season and Geelong will not only be looking for their third win in a row, but redemption for their premiership loss last year.
