GEELONG’S VFLW side secured their first victory of the 2026 season with a gritty, hard-fought 20-point win over Essendon at Windy Hill on Saturday. The Cats’ trademark defensive pressure ultimately wore down an inaccurate Bombers outfit, with the final scoreboard reading 4.8 (32) to 0.12 (12).

At the absolute core of Geelong’s midfield engine room was Mekah Morrissy. The former Geelong Falcons skipper and Melbourne AFLW injury-replacement player put on a clinic in contested football, clearance work, and relentless defensive pressure.

BACKGROUND:

Mekah Morrissy
Height: 158cm
DOB: 16/01/2006

Mekah Morrissy has long been regarded as one of the most competitive, team-first utility players coming out of the Geelong region. Standing at 158cm, she consistently punches above her weight division, combining an elite running capacity with a fierce appetite for physical contest.

Morrissy’s junior career was highly decorated. She captained the Geelong Falcons and co-captained the Vic Country Under-18 side, famously recording a massive 40-disposal, 11-tackle game in the wet during her draft year.

Though bypassed in the national draft, her relentless work rate earned her an AFLW lifeline as an injury-replacement player for Melbourne. Now back in the hoops as a core member of Geelong’s VFLW leadership group under head coach Taylah Hassett, Morrissy is playing some seriously consistent football.

Historically deployed as a hard-running winger, Morrissy has developed into a highly unique hybrid inside-outside midfielder, with the VFLW version of Morrissy starting at stoppages and often floating to the outside and being an option in transition. Her uniqueness was once summed up as “arguably the most contested ball-winning wing of all-time, Morrissy provides a hard edge to her outside football.”

That hard edge was on full display at Windy Hill.

PLAYER FOCUS:

Stats vs Essendon VFLW, Round 2: 23 disposals (16 kicks, 7 handballs), 15 contested possessions, 9 uncontested possessions, 4 marks, 6 clearances, 8 tackles, 7 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50, 1 behind.

QUARTER 1

Morrissy started the match on-ball, immediately throwing herself into the coalface. While she was tackled instantly upon her first possession in the middle, her elite running capacity was evident early as she covered immense ground. As Essendon looked to transition, Morrissy dropped back to half-back, executing a smart defensive play to force the ball out of bounds and halt the Bombers’ momentum.

As the quarter progressed, her outside game came to life. She clunked a strong mark on the wing, choosing to go inboard with a wobbly but effective kick down the line. Moments later, she laid a ferocious tackle on the wing, winning a holding-the-ball free kick and lowering her eyes to find a teammate short.

Her football IQ shone late in the term. After marking at half-forward, her initial short pass was intercepted; undeterred, Morrissy hunted the ball down, won it back via a handball receive, and released a teammate with quick hands. At the 17-minute mark, she intercepted an errant kick from Essendon’s El Chaston in the centre circle, played on instantly, and delivered a beautifully weighted pass inside 50. Her only blemish was a clean pickup in the middle where her subsequent handball was intercepted, but her work rate had already set a high standard.

QUARTER 2

Once again starting in the centre square, Morrissy tracked the initial bounce well. Although the ball took an awkward bounce over her head, she didn’t hesitate, laying a crunching tackle to lock it up. At the next ball-up, she was tackled immediately, but her persistence paid off at the third consecutive stoppage at centre half-back. Winning the hard ball, she quickly thumped it around her body, clearing the corridor and driving Geelong forward.

At the five-minute mark, Morrissy showcased her elite stoppage craft. Winning a clean clearance from a centre ball-up, she instantly gained territory, thumping the ball deep inside 50 to put the Bombers’ defence under immense pressure.

Throughout the second term, Morrissy played a highly disciplined structural role, holding a strict line on the edges of the 50-metre arcs at both ends of the ground. She showed immense courage by standing directly under a high-marking contest at half-back, and although she was bumped off the ball, her presence forced a stoppage. Under immense pressure in defensive 50, she gathered cleanly and fired off lightning-fast hands before being driven into the turf. To preserve her massive tank, she rested towards the latter half of the quarter.

QUARTER 3

Morrissy renewed her battle with Chaston at the start of the second half. Despite executing excellent bodywork, an unfavourable bounce saw Chaston recover the ball and bump Morrissy away. However, Morrissy’s ability to read the play was rewarded at the three-minute mark. She perfectly anticipated a marking contest in defence, swooped on the loose ball, and composed herself to handball to an overlapping teammate, sparking a brilliant end-to-end transition.

Her kicking depth became a major weapon in the third term. She marked on the wing and launched a long, direct kick to the hotspot 30 metres out from Geelong’s goal, resulting in a shot. Minutes later, she was streaming forward through the centre of the ground, delivering a lovely pass to a one-on-one contest that her teammate unfortunately dropped.

Her physical resilience was on full display when she sidestepped an opponent, absorbed a heavy tackle at half-forward, and still managed to release a clean handball. Under pressure on the defensive wing, she showed her bilateral utility by clearing the danger with a long kick on her non-preferred left foot. Later in the quarter, she rotated deep into defence, running incredibly hard off the wing to secure a mark in the back pocket from a kick-out. Showing great poise, she feigned a handball to draw her defender before clearing long to half-back. She finished the quarter with another bone-rattling tackle on the wing just before the three quarter time siren.

QUARTER 4

With the game on the line and Geelong holding a 15-point lead, Morrissy returned to the centre bounce to seal the four points. She started the final term with a powerful tackle in the middle, locking the ball up on the attacking side of the centre square. At the two-minute mark, she cleanly gathered a loose ball on the wing and kicked beautifully to half-forward.

Her athletic supremacy was highlighted moments later. Bursting forward from the midfield, Morrissy gathered at half-forward, took a bounce, and slammed a shot on the run that just drifted right for a behind. She followed this up with a brilliant read off the ruck tap, bursting away from the stoppage and launching another deep entry inside 50.

The defining moment of her match came at the 10-minute mark. Morrissy appeared to take a clear mark inside 50, but with the umpire deeming the kick under 15 metres, she was forced to play on. Showing absolute composure under immense physical pressure, she did not panic, instead firing a clever handball off to Steph O’Kane, who slotted a magnificent goal from close to the boundary line to seal the victory. For the remainder of the game, Morrissy remained active, holding her line at the top of the 50-metre arc and dropping deep into defensive 50 whenever the Bombers threatened.

SUMMARY

Morrissy’s performance was a masterclass in modern, high-pressure midfield play. While her 23 disposals and seven inside 50s provided the offensive spark, it was her 15 contested possessions and eight tackles that defined the afternoon. In a low-scoring, highly physical encounter, Morrissy’s ability to win her own ball, execute under extreme duress, and organise her teammates structurally was the difference between the two sides.

With performances of this calibre, Morrissy is not only cementing herself as one of the premier midfielders in the VFLW, but she is also sending a very clear message to AFLW recruiters.