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Remarkably, Geelong would beat Collingwood by a solitary point. In a team brimming with home-grown talent, it was fitting that Nina Morrison kicked the winning score. Morrison captained Geelong Grammar School captain and grew up barracking for the Cats. The model student and star athlete, the first player selected in the 2018 NAB AFLW Draft, lit up the stadium, her 22 disposals and feverish display winning her a NAB AFLW Rising Star Award nomination.

Geelong would beat Collingwood by a solitary point. Share via Facebook

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Gallery of 5 The Cats pose for a team photo during the 2019 NAB AFLW Round 1 match between Geelong and Collingwood

The Cats line up for the national anthem during the 2019 NAB AFLW Round 1 match between Geelong and Collingwood

Nina Morrison of the Cats is tackled by Emma Grant of the Magpies during the 2019 NAB AFLW Round 1 match

Nina Morrison and Denby Taylor of the Cats sing the team song following their inaugural match win

Aasta O'Connor of the Cats thanks fans following their inaugural match win

Geelong had a new footy hero, a local girl at that.

But the elation was short-lived. At training the following Thursday, Morrison ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee. It was devastating news, not only for Morrison, but for her teammates, her new fans, and for the wider AFLW community.

Coach Paul Hood understood the impact, but remained pragmatic and optimistic. "Nina is a resilient young woman and will tackle her recovery from this injury as she does everything, with a determination and the precision to ensure she is back at 100 per cent for next season," he said.

Morrison's captain Melissa Hickey knows the long road to recovery after major knee surgery. She's injured both ACLs over the course of her impressive career. Rehabilitation on her second knee injury (sustained late in 2018 AFLW season while she was playing for Melbourne) took longer than Hickey had hoped and led to a hip complaint in the lead-up to round one of 2019.

It was a hard pill to swallow for the club’s marquee player and inaugural captain. Share via Facebook

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The setback denied her the chance to lead Geelong in its first AFLW match. It was a hard pill to swallow for the club's marquee player and inaugural captain. She would eventually make her debut, in round three, in a loss to Adelaide. She tasted victory as a Cat for the first time, against Carlton in a home game a week later, where the locals welcomed a new addition to the club's Hickey dynasty. The Geelong skipper is related to club legend Reg Hickey; her grandfather was his cousin. Reg Hickey looms so large in Cats folklore that a grandstand is named after him.