A five-day break hasn't deterred the Western Bulldogs as they continued their AFLW mid-season surge at home.
The Bulldogs were always in control of a wasteful Geelong to win 3.10 (28) to 2.4 (16) at Whitten Oval on Friday night.
Building on the one-point upset of flag favourite Adelaide on the road last weekend, the Dogs surged away after an even first term against a Cats unit that fell away badly up forward.
It took until early in the last quarter for Geelong to threaten on the scoreboard with goals from Chloe Scheer and Phoebe McWilliams providing hope of a late comeback.
But the home side steadied, despite the weariness of their fifth game in 21 days, grinding out back-to-back victories that keeps alive finals hopes.
The Bulldogs monopolised the midfield duels, with rucks Celine Moody and Alice Edmonds feeding dynamic midfield duo Ellie Blackburn, who had 22 possessions, and sidekick Kirsty Lamb, even more dominant with 26 disposals and seven clearances.
Geelong sent Julia Crockett-Grills to tag Blackburn in the second half and it was only when Scheer went into the midfield at the start of the last quarter that the Cats were able to win the vital clearances.
The Bulldogs largely wasted the first use of a steady breeze in the opening quarter by overusing the handball after dominating the inside forward 50 entries. And the Cats defended stoutly with pressure on the ball-carrier to force a quick kick or turnover.
But the Dogs were a transformed unit after a stern lecture from coach Nathan Burke at the quarter-time break. With tall Moody controlling the hit-outs, the home team looked more cohesive and dangerous against the breeze.
It seemed inevitable that the Bulldogs would snap the deadlock and key forward Bonnie Toogood marked on the lead and steered through the critical first goal of the tight contest.
Toogood helped extend the lead with a slick handpass that released Elisabeth Georgostathis to goal on the run to put the finishing touches on the Dogs' telling response to their tardy start.
That ability to hit the scoreboard when in range was a telling difference between the teams.
