The Cats are back at GMHBA Stadium this Saturday to take on the Blues at 7.40pm.

Geelong will enter the match full of confidence after an impressive Round 2 display against the Hawks.

This week they face a Carlton outfit that went down to the Dees by one-point last Saturday.

Geelong has won the previous three meetings between the two sides with an average winning margin of 54 points.

Last time we met: Round 23, 2019 – Cats 19.15 (129) defeated Blues 8.13 (61)

Patrick Dangerfield had a field day with four goals and 34 disposals. Gary Ablett Jnr put on a vintage display with 28 touches and kicked three goals, and Quinton Narkle had a career-high 27 touches and 12 score involvements.

For and Against: Played 220 games | Won: 101 | Drawn: 2 | Lost: 117

Who plays on Cripps?

Last time the two sides met Patrick Cripps recorded a game-high 35 disposals (20 contested) 13 clearances and a goal.

If he is not the best midfielder in the game, he has to be in the best handful.

Restricting his influence, particularly around the stoppages will go a long way towards victory on Saturday night.

Cam Guthrie appears the man set to get first crack after doing a good job on Tom Mitchell at various stages last round. Mark Blicavs shapes as the surprise packet for a potential tagging role with his ability to follow Cripps when he pushes into attack.

The Cats won the clearance count by 18 last start, but against Cripps and the Blues they face a far greater challenge this week.

Battle of the veterans

Gary Ablett Jnr has an excellent record against Carlton having kicked 27 goals and averaged 26 disposals in his 17 career games.

The little master has started the year superbly. After gathering 24 touches and eight score involvements in Round 1, Ablett backed up that performance with an impressive two-goal, 21 disposal game against the Hawks.

This week he could matchup against veteran Blue Kade Simpson. Both players may be towards the backend of their careers, but their performances on Saturday night could lay a foundation for victory.

The match will see Kade Simpson equal John Nicholls at third for games played at Carlton.

Former Blue and Cat to face off

Former Blue turned Cat Zach Tuohy could go head-to-head with former Cat now Blue Darcy Lang.

Tuohy has been an outstanding acquisition for the Cats since joining the club at the end of the 2016 season.

The Irishman was excellent last week against the Hawks, receiving three votes from the coaches.

This week a matchup against Lang could be on the cards. The 24-year-old knows GMHBA Stadium well and is one of a number of dangerous smalls the Cats will look to shut down on Saturday night.

Broadcast 

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Geelong has suffered a tough loss to Carlton on Saturday, going down by two points at GMHBA Stadium.

The Blues led by 42 points in the third term and looked set to comfortably run away with the game, but were nearly overrun by last year's preliminary finalists, who booted five goals to none in the last quarter to almost snatch the win.

Geelong had its chances late, too, with some fumbled efforts, Gryan Miers' decision to play on after a free kick and Gary Ablett's missed set shot proving costly in the 12.7 (79) to 11.11 (77) result.

Carlton set up its first win at the Cattery since 1996 with a brilliant opening quarter, as co-captain Patrick Cripps (24 disposals and two goals) and recruit Jack Martin dominated the midfield battle. Forwards Mitch McGovern and Levi Casboult also impressed as the Cats looked set to succumb to their overlapping run and inside grunt. 

Mitch Duncan was outstanding in the final term and finished with a team-high 24 disposals, while Tom Hawkins and Gary Rohan kicked two goals each. 

Carlton will be thankful for shorter quarters as they only just slipped over the line, and they now sit alongside the Cats as having one win from their first three games in this disrupted season. 

GEELONG                    1.2       4.6       6.7         11.7 (77)
CARLTON                     5.3       9.5       12.6         12.7 (79)

GOALS
Geelong: Hawkins 2, Rohan 2, Bews, Guthrie, Miers, Selwood, Stanley, Taylor
Carlton: Betts 2, Casboult 2, Cripps 2, McGovern 2, Murphy 2, Gibbons, McKay

BEST
Geelong: Duncan, Dangerfield, Tuohy, Narkle, Miers
Carlton: Cripps, Betts, Gibbons, Martin, Docherty

INJURIES
Geelong: Dahlhaus (concussion), Menegola (hip)
Carlton: Nil