Geelong will kick off the action in the third edition of the AFL's Gather Round, taking on the Adelaide Crows in a Thursday night blockbuster at the Adelaide Oval. 

The Cats will be looking to build on the momentum they gathered last week, taking down Melbourne by 39 points to record their second win of the 2025 season. 

But the challenge ahead of them is not a simple one, facing an Adelaide outfit that has won three of their four matches to open the year, coming into Gather Round as the highest scoring team in the competition. 

Check out everything you need to know ahead of Thursday night's game. 

KEY DETAILS  

2025 AFL Season - Gather Round
Adelaide Crows v Geelong Cats
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Thursday 10th April, 7.40pm (AEST)

TEAM SELECTION

LAST TIME WE MET

Geelong's last clash against Adelaide came in round 21 of the 2024 season, when the Crows visited GMHBA Stadium in a crucial match for the Cats top four hopes.  

Inspired by a stunning six-goal performance from superstar forward, Jeremy Cameron, Geelong were able to overcome a plucky Adelaide outfit to record an important five-point victory. 

The magic moment in a tense final quarter came from young gun Lawson Humphries, who curled through the first goal of his AFL career to snatch the lead back for the Cats late in the game. 

Cameron was awarded the three Brownlow votes for his stellar display, while Tom Stewart (28 disposals, five clearances) and Patrick Dangerfield (21 disposals, nine clearances) were both influential. 

RECENT HISTORY

VENUE HISTORY 

Despite being a notoriously tough venue to win at, Geelong have had a reasonably successful record at Adelaide Oval dating back to its opening in 2014. 

Across 21 matches at the ground, the Cats have won 12 times and only lost nine games, holding a perfect record in the first two editions of the AFL Gather Round. 

Recent history has also been positive for Geelong, winning five of their last six matches at Adelaide Oval dating back to 2022. 

KEY PLAYER TO WATCH

Tom Stewart

The Cats champion defender made a successful return in round four, collecting 24 disposals and 11 marks in the the win against Melbourne. 

Stewart also took 11 marks in the round one win over Fremantle, but his impact this weekend will be even more important against a dangerous Adelaide forward line. 

The Crows are the highest scoring team in the competition averaging 125 points per game so far, Stewart's intercepting abilities will be heavily influential to help nullify the Adelaide tall forwards. 

WHERE TO WATCH 

Geelong and Adelaide's Thursday night blockbuster will kick off the AFL's 2025 Gather Round, with the match set to be broadcast live and free on Channel 7. 

Coverage will start on Channel 7 from 7.30pm AEST ahead of the opening bounce at 7.40pm, with the match also broadcast on Fox Footy and streamed through Kayo from the same time. 

For those listening on the radio, K rock will be broadcasting Thursday night's match. Tune into 95.5FM, krockfootball.live or the AFL app from 6.00pm to catch all the pre-game build up. 

Cats fans looking to catch all the action at home this year can secure a 2025 Digital Plus Membership, which includes a 12 month subscription to Kayo Premium. Follow the link below for more details. 

Cats Membership: 2025 Digital Plus 

Broadcast Details: 2025 AFL Broadcast Guide

Geelong have stormed home with a scintillating second half to clinch victory in an incredible match, defeating the Crows by 19 points at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night. 

In further proof that you can never count the Cats out, Geelong fought back from a 30-point deficit in a fast paced, high-scoring affair booting nine goals after half time to claim an important four points. 

The win was spearheaded by extraordinary performances right across the ground, most notably the midfield trio of Bailey Smith (35 disposals, nine score involvements), Max Holmes (32 disposals, five clearances) and Tom Atkins (24 disposals, nine clearances). 

Up forward it was the brilliance of Patrick Dangerfield (16 disposals, four goals) and Jeremy Cameron (15 disposals, four goals) that lead the way, while a gutsy performance from Geelong's defensive unit held the Crows to just four goals after the main break. 

It was an electric start with the two teams trading blows in a high scoring opening term, Geelong kicking four goals from eight scoring shots but they narrowly trailed the Crows by five points at quarter time. 

Max Holmes and Bailey Smith were instrumental through the middle early, while Lawson Humphries (nine disposals, three score involvements) was important across half back. 

Geelong had to withstand immense pressure from Adelaide after the first break, falling as far as 30 points behind before four crucial goals late in the quarter kept the Cats within striking distance, heading into half time 12 points adrift. 

Bailey Smith (17 disposals, four clearances) continued to find plenty of the footy, as did Max Holmes (15 disposals, 377 metres gained) while Patrick Dangerfield (two goals) was heavily influential in the forward half. 

The Cats upped the ante after half time, kicking three unanswered goals to start the third quarter but ultimately only trimmed the margin to eight points at the final break. 

Despite Adelaide's firepower, Geelong had matched them in most major statistics through the first three quarters leading the clearance battle (+1), the tackle count (+2), while sitting even for inside 50 entries. 

Looking to build momentum, Jeremy Cameron got off to a blistering start booting the opening two goals of the final term to snatch the lead back for the Cats. 

The skipper then seized his big moment, Dangerfield kicking two more to take his tally to four for the night and extending Geelong's lead to 16 points. 

Cameron put the cherry on top with his fourth major, as the Cats closed out an incredible 19 point victory over the Crows. 

Geelong will have a chance to enjoy their triumph in the city of churches, with an 11 day break before they head to the MCG for another blockbuster clash on Easter Monday against Hawthorn.

2025 AFL Season - Gather Round

ADELAIDE      5.3     11.6     14.10     15.10    (100) 
GEELONG      4.4      9.6       13.8     18.11    (119)
 
GOALS 
Adelaide: Fogarty 4, Keays 3, Walker, Rankine 2, Curtin, Taylor, Draper, Thilthorpe 1
Geelong: Dangerfield, Cameron 4, Close, Dempsey 2, Guthrie, Henry, Neale, Bowes, Holmes, Smith 1

DISPOSALS
Adelaide: Crouch 28, Rankine, Hinge 25, Keane 24, Laird 23
Geelong: Smith 35, Holmes 32, Atkins 24, Miers, Dempsey 21

LATE CHANGES
Adelaide: Nil
Geelong: Tom Stewart (illness) replaced in the selected side by Ted Clohesy
 
SUBSTITUTES 
Adelaide: Zac Taylor (replaced Lachlan Sholl in the third quarter)
Geelong: Ted Clohesy (replaced Oisin Mullin in the fourth quarter)

Crowd: 50,073 @ Adelaide Oval