A blockbuster battle between two of the strongest teams in the competition, the stage is set for an exciting contest when Geelong hosts the Western Bulldogs at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night. 

The Cats are looking to build momentum after a strong performance in Gather Round, moving into the top eight for the first time this year with three wins from five games. 

It will also be a special night for the club, with Mark Blicavs set to become just the eighth player to reach 300 games in the Hoops, while Jake Kolodjashnij will also reach his 200th career game. 

The task ahead however will be a genuine challenge, facing a Bulldogs outfit that won their opening four games of the season before stumbling in Gather Round, still sitting in the top four through the early portion of the season. 

In preparation for the big game, take a final look at everything you need to know with Geelong's match preview, proudly presented by Lee Kum Kee. 

KEY DETAILS 

2026 AFL Season | Round 6
Geelong Cats v Western Bulldogs
GMHBA Stadium, Geelong
Friday April 17, 7.20pm AEST

TEAM SELECTION

LAST TIME WE MET

One of the highest scoring games in the 2025 season, both teams flew past the 100-point mark when Geelong took on the Bulldogs at GMHBA Stadium in Round 11 last year. 

The Cats held the ascendancy for much of the evening but the Bulldogs made a charge in the second half, leaving scores level 20 minutes into the fourth quarter before Shannon Neale slammed the door shut, kicking two late goals to secure a 14-point win for Geelong. 

Neale equalled his career-high with a five-goal haul, only eclipsed by a six-goal haul from Jeremy Cameron, while Bailey Smith also ran amok in the first meeting with his former side. 

It was also the perfect celebration for a club legend, with Mitch Duncan reaching his 300th game after a sensational career in the blue and white Hoops. 

LEE KUM KEE - PIVOTAL MATCH-UP

Lawson Humphries v Joel Freijah

A battle between two rising stars of the competition, Lawson Humphries and Joel Freijah will both be important for their teams as the game unfolds on Friday night. 

Humphries has made a strong start to the 2026 season, averaging 18 disposals, six marks and three rebound 50s per game as he continues to build in his third season at Geelong. 

Freijah has quickly developed into an asset for the Bulldogs at just 20 years of age, averaging 21 disposals per game this year and sitting third at the club for score involvements and second for goal assists. He also showed he can hit the scoreboard himself, kicking three goals in their Round 2 victory over Adelaide. 

Both players will be pivotal for their teams on Friday night and could line up on each other at various stages throughout the night, so keep an eye on which young star can have a bigger impact for their side. 

KEY PLAYER TO WATCH

Patrick Dangerfield

He is back, the skipper makes his long-awaited return. 

Patrick Dangerfield is set to play his second game in the 2026 AFL season, his first appearance for the Cats since their Round 1 clash with Fremantle. 

The champion Cat made a well-publicised move to the forward 50 last year and it paid dividends, kicking 30 goals for the season and kicking two goals or more in 10 different games. 

He also holds a strong record against this week's opponent, averaging 23.4 disposals and more than a goal per game across 20 career outings against the Bulldogs. He has also received 23 Brownlow votes across those games, the most votes he has received against any opposition team. 

Forward duo Shannon Neale and Jeremy Cameron have been in solid form to start the year, but they will greatly benefit from the return of Dangerfield as the third target inside 50 on Friday night. 

HOW TO GET TICKETS

Tickets are selling fast for Friday night's blockbuster clash against the Western Bulldogs, follow the link here to secure your seat through Ticketmaster today. 

Secure your reserved seat and get a Mark Blicavs player face for $46! https://membership.geelongcats.com.au/package/blitz-bay-membership

WHERE TO WATCH 

Geelong's Round 6 clash will be broadcast live and free on Channel 7 from 7.00pm AEST, ahead of the opening bounce at 7.20pm. 

You can also catch the game on Fox Footy or stream it through Kayo from 7.00pm. 

Cats fans can also listen to all the action on K rock from 6.00pm AEST, tune in via FM 95.5 across Geelong & the Surf Coast, the K rock app or the AFL app.

The Cats have celebrated the milestones of two champions in the most fitting way possible on Friday night, by firing an ominous warning shot to the rest of the competition with a comprehensive 75-point victory over the Western Bulldogs at GMHBA Stadium. 

It was sheer dominance at the Cattery right from the outset, as Geelong piled on 12 goals to three by the main break on the back of a seven-goal haul in the opening half from Jeremy Cameron, setting the tone with their ability to create turnovers in the forward half. 

The Cats' spearhead forward was the standout with an incredible ten-goal haul, but the night belonged to Mark Blicavs (13 disposals, nine tackles) in game 300 and Jake Kolodjashnij (14 disposals, one goal) in his 200th, as the club celebrated their premiership heroes in style. 

Bailey Smith (33 disposals, 11 clearances) did pretty much as he pleased in his second meeting with his former side, Max Holmes (28 disposals) provided his trademark run and carry, while Jack Martin (18 disposals, 12 score involvements) played one of his best games in the Hoops and had a strong impact up forward. 

Chris Scott and the coaching staff certainly did their homework as an inspired move to send Oisin Mullin to Marcus Bontempelli paid dividends, the Irishman limiting the star Dog to just 14 disposals and two clearances in another brilliant negating role. 

Eager to make a strong start, Geelong were buoyed by a pair of inclusions as Jack Martin and Patrick Dangerfield combined with a brilliant play, leading to the Cats skipper kicking the opening goal in just his second game of the season. 

It sparked an electric quarter of football from the Cats as they controlled general play, comfortably leading the inside 50 count (19-6) and capitalising on the scoreboard with five unanswered goals to end the term, taking a healthy 32-point lead into quarter time. 

Geelong's ability to force turnovers as the Bulldogs exited their defensive 50 was telling, but it was Oisin Mullin's role on Marcus Bontempelli that helped the Cats control the middle of the ground, holding the star midfielder to just three disposals in the first term. 

After kicking two goals in the first quarter, Jeremy Cameron stamped his authority on the contest with another two goals in the opening six minutes of the second term, reaching a season-high four-goal haul with still nearly three quarters of football left to be played. 

If four goals in a half was not enough, the reigning Coleman Medallist added a fifth, a sixth and a seventh for good measure in a remarkable period of football, leaving the Bulldogs defence scratching their heads as Geelong extended their lead to a whopping 57 points at the main break. 

The Cats registered 18 scoring shots from 34 inside 50 entries and dominated most facets of the game, taking plenty more uncontested marks (+19) and laying seven more tackles to dictate proceedings in a scintillating first half. 

Cameron was the standout but he was well supported by some brilliant performances further up the field, with Bailey Smith (17 disposals, five clearances) and Ollie Dempsey (16 disposals, six score involvements) continually testing the opposition with their run and carry, while Jack Martin and Patrick Dangerfield (both six score involvements) hardly wasted a possession in the forward half. 

After a blistering opening half, Geelong's stranglehold on the contest loosened ever so slightly with the Bulldogs kicking four goals to one, but the Cats lead remained at 42 points heading into the final term. 

Dangerfield raced to a staggering nine score involvements by three quarter time, Smith had a game-high seven centre clearances, while Blicavs was pivotal in his milestone match with eight tackles and 19 hit-outs. 

Any concerns that the Bulldogs were closing the gap were quickly quashed as Cameron curled home his eighth major early in the last term, making sure the crowd got their fill of 'The Gambler' by Kenny Rogers. 

'Jezza' added his ninth before Jake Kolodjashnij brought the house down in his 200th game, launching home a brilliant goal from the paint of 50, just the fifth goal of his AFL career. 

Smith then capped off his dominant night with a goal against his old side, before Cameron curled home his 10th goal of the night, the second time he has reached double digits in a single game across the last 12 months. 

Ultimately it resulted in a thumping 75-point victory for Geelong as they improve to four wins from their first six games of the season. 

2026 AFL Season - Round 6

GEELONG CATS                 6.4   12.6   13.11  19.17   (131)  
WESTERN BULLDOGS     1.2    3.3     7.5     8.8     (56) 

GOALS
Geelong Cats: Cameron 10, Dangerfield 2, Neale, Martin, Kolodjashnij, Humphries, Henry, Dempsey, Smith 1
Western Bulldogs: Naughton 3, Croft, Baker 2, Lewis 1

BEST  
Geelong: Cameron, Smith, Holmes, Dempsey, Edwards, Martin
Western Bulldogs: Richards, Baker, Kennedy, Naughton

CROWD: 33,200 @ GMHBA Stadium