FROM not playing each other in five seasons to playing each other twice in one, this afternoon’s AFLW semi-final two combatants are building up some history fast.

Today at 3:05pm
Ikon Park

How They Got Here

Melbourne come into this match off the back of a shock loss last week to North Melbourne, while the Cats progressed to the semi-finals with an impressive win over Essendon last week.

History

From going from having never played each other before 2023 to a second meeting in the space of one season, these two sure have a short and condensed history. The only previous meeting between the sides was earlier this season, which the Dees won by 49 points.

Key Stat Areas

Although both teams’ inside 50 tallies are pretty similar, Melbourne’s inside 50 efficiency is significantly better than Geelong’s.

Melbourne’s contested possession numbers are much better than Geelong’s, but Geelong’s uncontested possession numbers are significantly better than the Dees’.

Key Match Up/s

Tahlia Gillard vs Aishling Moloney

With a key cog missing in Geelong’s forward line this week, the Cats’ talls really need to step up and perform as well as they did last week. One of those is Moloney, but she is likely to have tough company all afternoon in Gillard, who is used to keeping the big names quiet.

Tyla Hanks vs Georgie Prespakis

The two in-and-under midfield bulls, these two young stars really have a big job to play today for their respective teams. They are the ones at the bottom of the pack, trying to clear the ball for their sides. As both are in fantastic form this season, expect a huge contest.

Tayla Harris vs Claudia Gunjaca

The Dees have plenty of dangerous weapons in their forwardline, so Geelong’s defence will once again have a busy afternoon. One new weapon the Cats’ have to worry about is Harris, who did not play the last time these two sides met, so how she fits into the puzzle alongside the rest of Melbourne’s forwards is a new problem for Geelong to solve.