2026 Home & Away review

This is a follow up on my mid-season review found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/GeelongCats/s/XXnVqUirbn

Where we left off we had just lost to Carlton, a loss that stung at the time but was just the beginning of an astonishing awakening for the Navy Blues. I predicted that we would finish 4^th on the ladder with 17 wins, we lost a couple of games that were definitely gettable and we missed the top 4 by 1 game. There’s lots to discuss, so I’ll get stuck into it. The following matches are not written in order.

The Good:

We've been able to match with some of the top 10, but we're still inconsistent. Our backline and forwards are very solid and are able to restrict opposition and be damaging on the scoreboard respectively. At least the players stick around in games and outside of a couple of floggings have looked like they've fought till the end.

The Bad:

Once the overlap has hit us on the half forward line we are done. If our run and carry is blocked (watch Carlton rd 12 for what I mean) we are done. Our midfield ar eoften caught napping, usually because our inexperienced ruck. Mitch is doing a fine job but ruckmen take longer than any other position to develop. Give him 2 more years to be one of the premier rucks.

In the midseason review the following games were against top 10 (at the time of writing) teams:

Wins: 3 Losses: 3

Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval: A tight loss in a rainy Adelaide. It was a seesawing game with numerous lead changes, the worm danced all night. Adelaide got out to a game high 20 point lead during the 3^rd quarter. Despite clawing back and going into the final change down by a point the Crows were able to put on 3 goals in the last and lead by 19 points with 10 minutes to go. The Cats clawed back to be even with 4 minutes to go but alas a reviewed Crows goal put them up by a point and despite being deep inside 50 we just couldn’t get on the scoreboard.

ADELAIDE       3.2     6.3     8.6       11.9 (75)
GEELONG        2.6     4.9     7.10     10.14 (74)

Adelaide final position: 6^th

Gold Coast @GMHBA: Geelong hosted our Opening round opponents for the new annual tradition of white out. Gold Coast managed just 8 goals despite them giving us a flogging earlier in the season. Max Holmes and Bailey Smith dominated the game. The Mullifier added another scalp in Petracca to his belt in the first and squeezed him out for the remainder of the game.

GEELONG        4.1   8.3   10.11   15.15 (105)
GOLD COAST   3.1   3.5   5.9   8.12 (60)

Gold Coast final position: 13^th

Fremantle @ Optus Stadium: the trip over to Perth was always going to be a challenge but resting Bailey Smith and Tom Stewart would make the game a severe challenge. Connor O’sullivan stood up and played a great game but it wasn’t enough. The cats were unable to break the Freo winning streak.

FREMANTLE                      3.4   6.11   13.11   14.15 (99) 
GEELONG                            5.2   9.2   11.4   14.6 (90) 

Fremantle Final position: 1st

Brisbane @GMHBA: GMHBA in recent years has become a Lions fortress. Coming back from the bye the lions confirmed that once again. Geelong coughed up 8 goals to 1.5 in the first quarter to gift the Lions a head start. Despite an effort, led by Dangerfield, to get back into the game Geelong’s poor shooting for goal and bad decisions cost the game. Checking the post match thread, I wrote: that’s what happens when you play 1.5 quarters against the reigning premiers.

GEELONG   1.5   7.11   11.14   14.17 (101)
BRISBANE      8.0   9.6   17.8   19.9 (123)

Brisbane final position: 3^rd

GWS @ Engie Stadium: What looked promising early turned into almost a nightmare game. Going one player down by half time is bad enough but by the end of the game we had 3 players unavailable, Henry was the first down with a hit to the throat, Bruhn next at the start of the third with a case of whiplash, Cameron was brutally assaulted in the final stanza with a break to his collarbone. People who didn’t watch may have seen this game as a collapse but in the AFL 2 fewer rotations for a half and 3 fewer for a quarter is unsustainable. The Giants were always coming back after the first two injuries, let alone the third.

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY   2.2   3.6   5.10   12.14 (86)
GEELONG   5.2   7.7   10.7   11.7 (73)

GWS final position: 12^th

Melbourne @MCG: Our final game against a “top ten team at halfway” ended in a solid win against another finals contender. Despite the dees getting to an early lead Geelong fought back. Neale (5) and O.Henry (4) combined for 9 goals with Wiltshire (3) and Polkinghorne (2) adding an extra 5. Smith was once again impressive but I could notice a hole in our midfield especially with Gawn making it hard for our youngster in Edwards. Despite him doing okay, Edwards is being beaten by much more experienced ruckmen. To add to our injury woes, Danger pulled up lame with a groin injury, but with bottom 8 teams for the remainder of the season, resting wouldn’t go astray.

Melbourne final position
MELBOURNE     4.4      6.8       9.9     14.13     (97)
GEELONG           3.0     10.4    12.9     18.9     (117)

Melbourne final position: 7th

Games against the bottom 8 teams

Wins: 5

St Kilda @GMHBA: In a dominant display by the Cats we cruised to a 27 point victory. Polkinghorne debuted and immediately raised eyebrows of supporters with little knowledge of the VFL side. Jealousy ran wild throughout opposition supporters who wonder where we get all of these stars. Smith once again dominated around the ground, Bazlow anyone? The good win came at a cost, Mannagh pulled up lame with  hamstring awareness, Holmes however, had a shocking injury to the ankle in a tackle. In the past two rounds there have been 5 injuries with 2 carrying long term rehab (Cameron and Holmes).

GEELONG        4.2    7.8    11.11    15.12 (102)
ST KILDA    2.0    3.5    7.6    11.9 (75)

St Kilda final position 11^th

Collingwood @MCG: With a change to the pre-game that I never hope to see again the Cats came out firing slotting 5 in the first stanza. Whilst keeping in touch all game the boys  were able to put the pies away in the last. The mullifier added another scalp to his belt in Daicos, who was completely mullified in the first half. This game locked in our finals but it would take a some upsets for us to make top 4 from here.

COLLINGWOOD     1.2    4.4    7.6      10.12 (72)
GEELONG               5.2    9.3    10.5    15.7 (97

Collingwood final position 9^th

Essendon @GMHBA: A wet and dreary night with the game sealed in the first quarter. Dempsey impressed and the case for the Bazlow continues to grow. Dempsey and O.Henry each had a bag of 4, the former solidifying his chase for a debut AA call up.

GEELONG      4.5     10.9     13.11     17.15 (117)
ESSENDON       0.4     2.4     6.7     7.8 (50)

Essendon final position 18^th

North Melbourne @ Docklands: After a worrying first quarter Geelong stormed back in the second quarter. The rest of the game was a competitive scuffle for the second half with Polkinghorne, Mannagh and Blicavs all collecting 3 goals each. Have I mentioned Bazlow yet? Edwards finally kicked his first goal(s) but a concern is that he got trucked by Xerri. O’Sullivan was also a vital cog in defence, he was frequently last man back and even though his opponent scored a few he saved even more certain goals.

NORTH MELBOURNE       7.2     9.3      14.5      17.8 (110)
GEELONG                        1.0    10.4     13.10    19.11 (125)

North Melbourne final position 14^th

Richmond @ GMHBA: After getting 8 goals up in the second the cue went into the rack and self-preservation became the name of the game.  Did somebody say Bazlow? BOG with 3 goals please. Danger came back, as did Cameron both were serviceable but it was obvious that whenever Cameron was up forward the structure fell apart. J.Henry went down with an ankle injury but did not appear on the injury list midweek. On to the finals.

GEELONG      6.4   12.6   15.11   20.13 (133)
RICHMOND      3.2   4.5   7.6   11.10 (76)

Richmond final position 17^th

Synopsis:

Wins against final top 10: 8

Losses against final top 10: 5

Wins against final bottom 8: 7

Losses against final bottom 8: 3

A few shocking losses in there but our wins against other top 8 sides have shown promise. Our middle of the season saw us walk over shaky ground, especially as injuries mounted. The wheels nearly fell off between round 12 and round 18 with just 1 win (GC) from 6 games. Could this be from the standard “heavy training patch” that normally occurs around round 14? Potentially, but that rough patch was where the opportunity for top 4 was lost albeit against tough opponents.

The Players:

Bailey Smith: This guy has put the work in during this season, he's pleasantly stayed out of the media limelight and has focussed on his footy. I'm hoping his finals performance matches his phenomanal season.

Oisin Mullin: Still an integral player. The bloke has improved so much since his first game and not only has been able to remove damaging players from the game he's been able to put his own stamp on the game. Keep it up you bloody beauty.

Shannon Neale: I am a huge fan of Scratcher, I think he's got a great kick on him. He's a team player and sacrifices his game for others. He's grown a lot in the past two seasons, this is his time to control a final.

Max Holmes: Could we be able to last in the finals until his return? The potential is there. We've definitely had gaps in our midfield that Max could have filled. I'm hopefull the recovery is more on the 1 side of the 1-3 week timeline we've been given last Tuesday.

Who needed improvement?

Patrick Dangerfield: I'm a believer that his best is still amongst the best in the competition. He has had limited time in the midfield this season and has spen time toiling away in the forward line. I do think he's improved, I'm just hopeful his body holds up in the big games coming up.

Who needs improvement now?

Mitch Edwards: I feel bad writing about Mitch, he's done such a great job for a first year. He will get better with more experience but he's up against the best in the sport in the next month. He's shown that he's adaptable and around the ground he's fantastic, the centre ball ups are a different story. I love him though, can't wait to see what he can do! Go Mitch!

Finals:

Moving to Friday’s elimination final we meet a formidable Carlton side who are on quite the tear. A slow start will be unacceptable and even giving the blues a sniff will be enough for Cripps to drag them over the line. Go check out the pre-match mega thread to chat about the upcoming final. Of the remaining finalists I believe the biggest premiership chances lie with Brisbane or Fremantle, outside of Geelong of course. Brisbane are the best team in the competition at the moment and I don’t see anyone beating them unless they have a terrible day in the office, and I hope they have some terrible days.

The path to the premiership:

Elimination final: Geelong VS Carlton (Home)

Semi Final: Geelong VS loser of Fremantle vs Hawthorn (Away)

2^nd Preliminary Final: Geelong VS winner of Sydney Vs Brisbane (Away)

Grand Final: Geelong VS winner of 1^st Preliminary Final

What do you think? I can’t talk about all players, my memory isn’t that good and I don’t have time to watch all of the replays again so if I missed something, please add it in. Did I mention Bazlow? Have you thought about Bazlow? It’ll be tough to pick up votes in some games but, Bazlow?

Finally, Go Cats!