NO matter where Geelong ruck Aasta O’Connor has ventured in her football career, success has followed.
First with Logan in her native Queensland, followed by VFLW/VWFL powerhouse Darebin on her move to Victoria, and then with the Western Bulldogs in 2018.
Right now, the Cats sit anchored to the bottom of the AFLW ladder after three winless rounds. But, the 33-year-old is enjoying her footy as much as any other time in her career.
“You always play to get better,” O’Connor said following Friday night’s loss to her former club. “Premierships come as a result of that everyone coming together for a common goal, which is to simply improve week-on-week.
“That’s how premierships are – you just don’t pull them out of a hat. To know that I’m part of that here at Geelong, it’s such a great group here; I think people can see that when they watch us.
“We’re still developing our brand. But, for me, there’s so much energy that I get from our young people, and they’re teaching me things I didn’t know beforehand. So, I’m really glad I’m here.
“I live in Melbourne, but I jump in the car, and I can’t wait to drive to get here. I love this place.”
Geelong produced its most competitive performance of 2021 against the Dogs, trailing by one point at three-quarter time before being overrun to lose by 15 points.
“It feels good to have been in it for four quarters,” O’Connor said. “That’s growth for us week-on-week, coming into Round 3.
“We know that’s a challenge for our young group to concentrate across four quarters.
“There were a few little skill errors – we just need to take care of the ball a little bit better at times, particularly in dangerous parts of the ground.
“Hoody’s (coach Paul Hood) really big on that with us – taking care of the ball. We’ve just got to get to training and work harder on our skills, I think.”
How hard the Cats get to work this week remains up in the air due to Victoria’s COVID-19 restrictions.
O’Connor says her teammates are comfortable with the situation being ever-changing.
“I think they’re responding really well,” she said. “The way in which our staff are handling it as well; everyone’s calm. The information will come when it comes.
“To be fair, across the competition, we’re all in the same boat. No one’s got an advantage over the other or anything like that.
“One part that is a bit tricky and needs to be considered is girls work outside of footy.
“And that’s something that’s the nature of our game at the moment, and I know the AFL are doing everything they can to give us information as soon as possible.”
Twitter: @tom_king79
