Cats caught opponent napping, but Roos bounced back

This was certainly a game of two halves and for the first stanza, Geelong not only took their chances but left North Melbourne befuddled in the process.

The powerful Kangaroo midfield that had been so on song for the past month were unable to make anything of their possession chains forward of the centre and consistently gave away the ball to Cats defenders, chief among them Meg McDonald.

The Roos had most stats go their way, but there was no mistaking which side had the game on their terms for significant portions of the opening half. A curious 50 metre penalty notwithstanding, Geelong deserved their lead going into the main break and the ladder leaders looked decidedly out of sorts; Jas Garner going sight unseen being the real shocker.

In a rampaging third term that kicked on into the fourth, North flicked the switch as Garner, Mia & Emma King, Jenna Bruton and Ash Riddell made the Cats look second rate out of the contest as they hit targets with aplomb.

Goals came thick and fast and Geelong looked every bit a side that had no answers when the chips were down; to their credit they never shied away from attacking the footy or the player with it, but the marauding machine from Arden Street weren’t to be denied.