AFLW Tigers go down to Cats in practice matchBy Richmond Media
19 December 2021Richmond AFLW has fallen to Geelong in a practice match on Saturday afternoon at the Swinburne Centre, going down 3.7 (25) to 6.12 (48).
In hot, blustery conditions, the Cats led for the entirety of the game in what was both teams' final tune-up before Round 1.
While the Tigers narrowed the margin to just one point in the early stages of the third term, the Cats booted the subsequent three goals to claim a 23-point win.
Assistant coach Andrew Browne said the hit-out would be a valuable learning experience for the group.
"It was a really good hit-out, in periods we had some really good pressure, we fought pretty hard, and we were able to stay in the game for the most part," Browne said.
"Unfortunately we lost Jess Hosking halfway through the second quarter which made it hard numbers-wise on what was a pretty hot day.
"It was a great learning curve, the challenging thing is only having one practice match which doesn't make things easy, but we fought it out pretty well."
The Tigers were without a number of key players for the practice match, including the likes of Ellie McKenzie, Maddie Shevlin and Sarah Hosking.
Mature-age draftee Meagan Kiely found plenty of the ball in her first appearance in the Yellow and Black, looking right at home at AFLW level.
"She was awesome. She's a credit to herself in the way she goes about it, her preparation is first class and she sets the standard among the group, so much so that a lot of our other players are now bouncing off her professionalism," Browne said.
"We gave her a role in the third quarter on Webster and I think she did a pretty good job which was really promising. So, just another dimension for us in the midfield.
"We're looking forward to seeing what she brings (in 2022)."
Kiely booted one of the Tigers' goals of the afternoon, with key forward Courtney Wakefield slotting the other two.
Fellow draftee Stella Reid was another Tiger who looked comfortable at the higher standard, impressing with her aerial presence and clean hands.
"She was good, she seems to just be getting better every week," Browne said.
"She's shown why she was our early pick. She's got good footy nous, sees the game really well, and she's really clean when she gets an opportunity.
"The upside for Stella is huge, she's only going to keep getting better. And I think she's made a real impact early."
The squad will now take a week's break before returning to Punt Road on December 27, ahead of the season opener against St Kilda at SkyBus Stadium on Friday, January 7.
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1042332/aflw-tigers-go-down-to-cats-in-practice-match
