The Cats storm past the Lions to keep their final hopes alive

AARP

Geelong kept its slim AFLW grand finals hopes alive with a 10-point demolition of Brisbane, ending the reigning premiers’ seven-match winning streak in the process.

Nina Morrison and Georgie Prespakis starred as the Cats scored the first three goals in an early blitz to cruise to a comfortable 7.5 (47) to 5.7 (37) win at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday.

It was the first home win of the season for Dan Lowther’s side, but they had to pay the price when Gabby Featherston picked up a hamstring injury.

Geelong takes six points from the top eight with two rounds to go and travels to the interstates to play fellow West Coast finals contenders in week nine.

Morrison (24 clearances) and Prespakis (20 touches, 10 tackles, 10 clearances) shone against Brisbane, while Anna-Rose Kennedy (18 touches) and Julia Crockett-Grylls (20) also made an impact.

Ashling Moloney and Shelley Scott scored two goals each.

Irish forward Moloney took his tally for the season to 15, just one behind Brisbane league leader Taylor Smith, who was considered nil by Kennedy.

“We currently have little chance of reaching the final, but for us to win today meant our pride as a football club would be on the line,” Moloney told Seven.

“It means so much to this group because the last few weeks have been tough, but we stuck together and finally got the win.”

Lowther led Geelong to the preliminary final last season and is now hoping to secure another top-eight finish.

“We need something to go well and clearly above us while other teams are winning and losing,” he said.

“But let’s just see where this goes.”

The result was a huge blow to Brisbane’s best two chances as key forward Dakota Davidson was sidelined with concussion.

Davidson, who has had such problems in the past, scored the Lions’ opening goal but was injured when she hit her head on the turf in the second quarter and did not play again in the match.

She will miss the decider against Sydney in week nine.

“She’s just upset that this is happening to her,” Brisbane coach Craig Starcevic said.

“This is her second or third concussion in about two years, so we have to be careful.

“She doesn’t like to let the team down… even if it’s out of her control.”

Goals from Moloney, Scott and Jacqueline Parry in the opening nine minutes gave Geelong the lead after a torrid start.

Davidson was sent off early in the second term as Mikayla Bowen scored a freakish but clever goal to lift the Cats to the top of their game.

Bowen marked and pushed off the wrong way before realizing her mistake and turning forward to take a long shot on the move.

This helped Geelong take a 5.1 to 3.4 lead at the main break.

Moloney’s stopwatch extended the margin to 23 points early in the final term before Brisbane mounted one final challenge.

Two goals within a minute from Orla O’Dwyer and Evie Long had the visitors sniffing with three and a half minutes left, but the Cats held on.

Star midfielder Ellie Anderson (21 disposals) and Charlotte Mullins (18) were Brisbane’s big winners, with O’Dwyer finishing with two goals.

Startsevich felt his “passive” team had succumbed to Geelong pressure and simply did not play well enough.

“We didn’t get into the game fast enough,” he said.

“Geelong played like a desperate team wanting to save their season.

“We played like a team that was happy to just tread water for a bit and play football without ever asserting ourselves.

“It may be good in the end that we found something to at least challenge, but most of the damage was done very early on.”