LAST season was a massive step forward for Geelong. The Cats made it all the way to an AFLW Preliminary Final for the first time in the post-conference era, defeating reigning premiers Melbourne along the way, before falling one match short of the AFLW Grand Final at the hands of eventual premiers Brisbane.

With some serious height added to their list ahead of 2024, will this correlate to the Cats taking their season to new heights?

TEAM LIST

#1 Mikayla Bowen
#2 Bella Smith
#3 Amy McDonald
#4 Darcy Moloney
#5 Jacqueline Parry
#6 Julia Crockett-Grills
#7 Kate Surman
#8 Kate Darby
#9 Nina Morrison
#10 Georgie Rankin
#11 Meghan McDonald
#12 Kate Kenny
#13 Olivia Fuller*
#14 Chloe Scheer?
#15 Shelley Scott
#16 Chantel Emonson
#18 Anna-Rose Kennedy
#19 Brooke Plummer
#20 Zali Friswell
#21 Rebecca Webster
#22 Rachel Kearns
#23 Bryde O’Rourke
#24 Chantal Mason
#25 Caitlin Thorne
#26 Claudia Gunjaca
#29 Lilly Pearce
#32 Gabbi Featherston
#39 Abbey McDonald
#41 Georgie Prespakis
#44 Melissa Bragg
#45 Aishling Moloney

* Inactive

SQUAD CHANGES

In: Bella Smith, Kate Kenny, Bryde O’Rourke, Chantal Mason, Caitlin Thorne, Lilly Pearce

Out: Olivia Fuller (inactive). Annabel Johnson, Renee Garing, Samantha Gooden, Mia Skinner, Erin Hoare, Ingrid Houtsma

FIXTURE

Match 1: August 31 vs Melbourne at GMHBA Stadum
Match 2:  September 8 vs North Melbourne at Arden St Oval
Match 3: September 14 vs Carlton at Ikon Park
Match 4: September 21 cs Gold Coast at People First Stadium
Match 5: September 26 vs Hawthorn at GMHBA Stadium
Match 6: October 1 vs Fremantle at GMHBA Stadium
Match 7: October 6 vs Sydney at Henson Park
Match 8: October 12 vs Richmond at Swinburne Centre
Match 9: October 20 vs Brisbane at GMHBA Stadium
Match 10: October 26 vs West Coast at Mineral Resources Park
Match 11: TBC vs Adelaide at GMHBA Stadium

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Can they take that next step?

Perhaps unexpectedly, Geelong made it all the way to a Preliminary Final last season, which they have not been able to reach the equivalent of since their Semi Final in Adeliade, so to make it that far was huge. For a side coming into their seventh season now they really should be looking to bridge the gap to the pace setting sides, but can Geelong do it?

How is their forward line going to function?

Even before any off-season changes they made, the Cats’ forwardline was already littered with tall, solid marking types. Add players such as Chantal Mason and Bryde O’Rourke, in there and it will be fascinating to see how it functions in 2024.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Lilly Pearce

Pearce is one of a number of players this season that have been given a second chance at an AFLW career, so it will be interesting to see how much of a chance she gets at Geelong and what she does with that chance.

Unlike a lot of others in this situation, Pearce is in a really got spot to make the most of this chance. Replacing the retired Erin Hoare and coming off the back of some superb VFLW form, Pearce has a real shot to make a firm spot in this side for herself, even moving forward as Geelong’s ruck stocks are not plentiful.

PREDICTION

Last year was big for the Cats. They are a side that has been around for a while now but up until now have not been able to reach the heights of some of the sides that came into the comp at around the same time.

In 2024, it needs to be about proving that last season was not a once off. The top end of the bottom half of the eight is easily reachable for Geelong, but whether the Cats can take that next step and really compete with the competition heavyweights remains to be seen. But as they proved last year, get those heavyweights on a bad day and anything can happen.