The day has arrived, Geelong's September campaign begins tonight as the Cats head to the MCG to take on Brisbane in a Qualifying Final. 

The stakes are enormous from here onward, with the competition down to eight remaining teams, and one of those teams stand just four weeks away from Premiership glory. 

For the Cats, the first hurdle is one of the biggest tests in football, squaring off in a 2024 Preliminary Final rematch against the reigning premiers. 

Check out everything you need to know ahead of Friday night's massive clash at the MCG. 

KEY DETAILS  

2025 AFL Season - Qualifying Final

Geelong Cats v Brisbane Lions

MCG, Melbourne

Friday September 5th, 7.40pm (AEST)

TEAM SELECTION

KEY PLAYER TO WATCH

Oisin Mullin

He has done a stellar job of nullifying some of the competition's most dangerous players all season long, but who will Oisin Mullin go to on Friday night?

There are plenty of candidates including the likes of Hugh McCluggage and Lachie Neale through the midfield, or perhaps in a more traditional role on Charlie Cameron or Zac Bailey in Brisbane's forward half.

Is there also a chance that Mullin might be deployed on Dayne Zorko, to help limit his impact off half back?

Time will tell, but it will certainly be intriguing to see where Chris Scott thinks Mullin can be utilised best against the Lions on Friday. 

RECENT HISTORY - Geelong v Brisbane

Tonight's game will be the fourth time in six years that Geelong and Brisbane have met in a final, with the Cats holding a slender advantage with two wins from those three matches. 

But the Cats will also need to reverse the trend of the past 12 months, slipping to defeat in their three most recent clashes with the Lions. 

VENUE HISTORY - MCG

The Cats recorded a solid 4-1 record at the MCG during the home and away season, playing some of their best football at the venue with wins over Hawthorn and Collingwood. 

Typically a great indicator of where Geelong is at, their record at the MCG in premiership years is always brilliant with a 28-2 record in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2022 combined. 

Their last win at the MCG in September was the 2022 Grand Final, a record they will be looking to add to on Friday night. 

TICKETS

Limited tickets for Friday night's Qualifying Final are still available through Ticketek, follow the link below to secure your seat to support the Cats in September.  

Transaction Limit: 10
Ticket link to purchase: Ticketek
Accessible Bookings: Available online for Ticketek matches. Members can select tickets best suited to their needs online during the member pre-sale (subject to availability).

Join us as we March to the 'G on Friday night. 

Presented by Gatorade, Geelong's March to the 'G will depart Federation Square at 6.00pm AEST on Friday night, with a swarm of Cats supporters to descend on the MCG ahead of our blockbuster Qualifying Final against Brisbane. Led by the Cats marching band, Geelong fans will follow the Yarra River and arrive at the home of football in time for the game. 

The Cats Shop van will be at Federation Square from 1.00pm so you can stock up on blue and white merchandise for the big match, while Half Cat and Clawdia will also be in attendance from 4pm.

WHERE TO WATCH 

All matches in Week One of the 2025 Toyota AFL Finals Series will be broadcast live nationally on the Seven Network and Fox Footy, while also being streamed live on Kayo.

All coverages will start from 7.00pm AEST ahead of the opening bounce at 7.40pm. 

For those tuning into the action on the radio, K rock will be covering the all the action from 6.00pm. Listen live through 95.5FM, 88.0 at the MCG, krockfootball.live or via the AFL app.

Broadcast Details: 2025 AFL Broadcast Guide

There is something special about the Geelong Cats in 2025 and they certainly showed it on Friday night, defeating Brisbane by 38 points to advance to a home Preliminary Final in the penultimate week of the season. 

The Cats got on top early in the contest and never relinquished their stranglehold on the game, leading at every break and kicking away after half time to secure a big victory in front of 86,364 at the MCG.

One pleasing aspect to come from Friday night's victory was the array of scoring options with 13 different Geelong players kicking a goal, led by a sensational performance from Ollie Dempsey who finished with a team-high 25 disposals and three goals. 

Max Holmes (23 disposals, eight inside 50s, one goal) provided his trademark run and carry to have a big impact on proceedings, Mark Blicavs (20 disposals, 27 hit-outs, nine score involvements) was brilliant after being thrust into the Cats' main ruck role, while Tom Stewart (22 disposals, 11 intercept possessions) was colossal down back. 

The Cats knew the importance of a strong start and it came in the form of the Coleman Medallist, Jeremy Cameron taking a pair of sensational contested marks, kicking his first goal of the night and dishing off another to Ollie Dempsey inside the opening seven minutes of the game. 

Cameron slotted his second major shortly after and one of the best moments in the year came later in the term, when Oisin Mullin kicked the first goal of his AFL career, helping the Cats take a healthy 12-point lead into quarter time.

There were not many players on the ground more influential in the opening term than Mark Blicavs, who was thrust into the starting ruck role and picked up seven disposals, seven hit-outs and four clearances in the first quarter alone. 

After a flurry of chances went astray to start the second quarter for the Cats, Shaun Mannagh produced a bit of magic with a pair of goal assists to Sam De Koning and Jack Bowes, Ollie Dempsey kicking his second moments later to extend Geelong's lead. 

Tom Stewart landed a long bomb from outside the paint on 50, Geelong had four goals in five minutes and in the blink of an eye, the Cats lead was out to a game high 27-points. 

But just as quickly as Geelong gained the momentum it was ripped away, a pair of controversial umpiring decisions handing Brisbane two goals and trimming the margin back to 15-points at the main break.

Ollie Dempsey continued his brilliant run of form at the MCG collecting 15 disposals and two goals in the opening half, Jeremy Cameron registered nine score involvements, while Tom Stewart and Jack Henry picked off 11 intercept possessions between them. 

Along with his incredible goal, Oisin Mullin also did a terrific job in his negating role on Hugh McCluggage, keeping the Lions star to seven disposals and one clearance in the first half. 

If there was ever a sign of the maturity and composure amongst this Cats team, it came in the third quarter as they bounced back from the adversity at the end of the second quarter and wrestled the game back onto their terms. 

Bailey Smith and Max Holmes set the MCG alight with a pair of long range goals on the run, while Ollie Dempsey brought the crowd to their feet with a pure half volley, his third goal of the night putting Geelong 31-points clear heading into the final term. 

The dynamic on-ball duo of Holmes and Smith did the damage in the third quarter collecting 18 disposals, five inside 50 entries and four clearances between them. 

Any concerns of a late comeback were quickly quashed in the final term, Shannon Neale putting the first nail in the coffin before Tom Atkins and Brad Close hit the scoreboard to seal the deal late. 

With a home Preliminary Final now secured, the Cats will await results from other games and will host either Adelaide, GWS or Hawthorn at the MCG in a fortnight. 

2025 AFL Season - Qualifying Final

GEELONG     4.6    8.11    13.12     16.16   (112)  
BRISBANE     3.0     7.2       9.5       11.8    (74)  

GOALS
Geelong: Dempsey 3, Cameron 2, Stewart, Smith, Neale, Mullin, Martin, Holmes, De Koning, Close, Bowes, Blicavs, Atkins 1
Brisbane: Rayner 3, Lohmann 2, Morris, Fletcher, Dunkley, Cameron, Berry, Bailey 1

BEST
Geelong: Dempsey, Holmes, Blicavs, Cameron, Stewart, Bowes, Miers
Brisbane: Dunkley, W.Ashcroft, Neale, Zorko, Rayner 

INJURIES
Geelong: Nil
Brisbane: Neale (calf)

SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Jhye Clark (replaced Jack Martin in the fourth quarter)
Brisbane: Sam Marshall (replaced Levi Ashcroft at three quarter time)

CROWD: 86,364 @ MCG