Two of the hottest teams in the competition are set for an epic clash, as the Cats prepare to host Sydney at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

Celebrating the second week of Sir Doug Nicholls Round, Geelong will be looking to continue their momentum after recording three strong consecutive wins by an average of 48 points. 

Sitting in third on the ladder entering the round, the Cats can solidify their spot in the top four with a win this week as the ladder starts to take shape nearing the midway point of the season. 

The challenge awaiting however is one of the most formidable tests in the competition currently, facing the ladder-leading Sydney Swans who have won nine of their opening 10 games and possess one of the strongest attacks in the AFL. 

With a VFL curtain-raiser, plenty of great activations and a monumental clash to look forward to, take a look ahead to a massive Saturday afternoon at the Cattery, proudly presented by Lee Kum Kee. 

KEY DETAILS 

2026 AFL Season | Round 11
Geelong Cats v Sydney Swans
GMHBA Stadium, Geelong
Saturday 23 May, 4.15pm AEST

TEAM SELECTION

LAST TIME WE MET

The two teams squared off in Round 23 last year and after an even start to the contest, Geelong blitzed the Swans with a brilliant second half to clinch a 43-point victory. 

Shannon Neale played a pivotal role in the first half with four goals before the main break, before Shaun Mannagh and Tyson Stengle took over with three goals apiece to steer the Cats to an important win. 

Bailey Smith was at his usual best, Ollie Dempsey and Tom Atkins were both heavily influential while Jack Henry, Tom Stewart and Sam De Koning all stood tall in defence to nullify the Swans' dangerous attack. 

LEE KUM KEE - PIVOTAL MATCH-UP

Mitch Edwards v Brodie Grundy

In the opening eight games of his AFL career, Mitch Edwards has already faced the likes of Luke Jackson and Tristan Xerri, so it is saying something that this weekend might be his biggest test yet against Brodie Grundy. 

Edwards has impressed so far in 2026, averaging 20 hit-outs per game and giving the Cats a different look with his athleticism and size, helping Geelong to get on top of teams around stoppages. 

Grundy, however, might just be the best ruckman in the competition. He ranks first in the AFL for hit-outs and hit-outs to advantage, while sitting third in the competition for stoppage clearances, fifth for score involvements and fourth for contested possessions. 

The clearance battle will go a long way towards deciding a winner on Saturday afternoon, so keep an eye on this area of the ground as the match unfolds. 

KEY PLAYER TO WATCH

Mark Blicavs

Geelong's star utility made a successful return from injury last week, collecting 10 disposals against Brisbane in his first game since the Round 7 clash with Port Adelaide. 

Blicavs has been a weapon for the Cats right throughout his career, with his ability to play in several different positions as required and still have an impact on the match. 

That will likely be important this weekend against a Sydney team stacked with talent, that do not have any obvious weaknesses across any line. 

Blicavs rolled back into defence at times last week against the Lions, while still spending time through the midfield, in the ruck and on the wing, so it will be intriguing to see where Chris Scott deploys him against the Swans. 

SIR DOUG NICHOLLS ROUND

Rounds 10 and 11 of the AFL season will be Sir Doug Nicholls Round, recognising and celebrating the impact of First Nations people on our great game. 

For the second week, the Cats will wear a special guernsey designed by Meeza and Lawson Humphries titled 'Saltwater Stories Volume 2.' 

There are two iterations of the guernsey, a white version which Geelong wore last week and a blue edition, which will be worn during Saturday's clash with Sydney. 

Click here to find out more information on the guernsey.

VFL CURTAIN-RAISER

There will be another battle between first and third on the ladder taking place at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday, with Geelong's VFL team set to take on Sydney in a curtain-raiser prior to the AFL match. 

The VFL Cats have been in scintillating form, sitting a game clear on top of the ladder with six wins from their first seven games of the season, coming off another dominant victory over Brisbane last week. 

Plenty of Geelong's next generation have made a brilliant start to the campaign, such as George Stevens who sits tied on top of the VFL Coaches MVP award leaderboard. 

Sydney have also made a strong start to the season with five wins, setting the stage for a blockbuster curtain-raiser on Saturday afternoon, with the game set to commence at 12.05pm AEST. 

Cats fans with tickets to the AFL game will also gain entry to the VFL match, with Gate 13 at GMHBA Stadium open from 11.35am. Seating will be in the Brownlow Stand A28-A31. Following the VFL match, patrons will need to move to their allocated seat for the AFL game.

HOW TO GET TICKETS

Tickets are selling quickly for Saturday's blockbuster clash with the ladder-leading Swans, follow the link below to head to Ticketmaster and secure your seat today. 

Fans with a ticket to the AFL match will also gain entry to Geelong's VFL curtain-raiser from 12.05pm.

3 and 5 Game Reserved Seat Memberships are still available for this game! $175 for 3 Games or $290 for 5 Games https://membership.geelongcats.com.au/packages

WHERE TO WATCH 

Geelong's Round 11 clash with Sydney will be broadcast on Fox Footy and streamed through Kayo from 4.00pm AEST, ahead of the game starting at 4.15pm. 

Cats fans can also listen to all the action on K rock from 3.00pm AEST, tune in via FM 95.5 across Geelong & the Surf Coast, the K rock app or the AFL app.

Make sure to follow @GeelongCats social media channels for updates pre, during and post game.

It was a contest worthy of two premiership contenders and not for the first time this year, Geelong were up for the challenge as they staved off a strong Sydney outfit to clinch a 27-point victory at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

After an even start to the match, the Cats took full control with a brilliant period through the middle of the game, fending off a 15-minute burst from the Swans at the end of the third quarter before sealing the result with a strong finish to record their fourth consecutive win. 

When the heat was on, there was no player more calm and composed than Lawson Humphries, the young star influential across a brilliant four-quarter performance and finishing with 33 disposals, nine intercept possessions and a goal. 

Once again, the duo of Max Holmes (35 disposals, eight clearances) and Bailey Smith (32 disposals, seven clearances) found the footy with ease and broke the contest open with their running capacity, Smith in particular turning the game on its head with 18 disposals and a goal in the third quarter alone. 

Sharing the ruck duties for most of the afternoon, Mitch Edwards (12 disposals, 22 hit-outs) and Sam De Koning (16 disposals, nine score involvements) were both outstanding and helped to give the Cats first-use through the middle of the ground, while also nullifying the impact of Brodie Grundy for a large portion of the game. 

For the second consecutive week, Jack Henry started deep inside Geelong's forward 50 and immediately made an impact, taking a strong contested mark and feeding Jeremy Cameron for the Cats' first goal of the afternoon. 

Not wanting to be outdone in the family battle, Ollie Henry struck early with two goals of his own but the Cats also had no answer for Joel Amartey, the Swans key forward kicking three of his own and putting the visitors four points ahead at quarter time. 

Max Holmes made a bright start with 11 disposals and four clearances in the first term, while Lawson Humphries was instrumental with nine possessions and three score involvements of his own. 

The Cats generated plenty of chances to start the second quarter but the radar seemed to be slightly off, until Humphries slid home a pearler from long range to continue his hot start and get the ball rolling. 

Cameron followed suit shortly after, Brad Close crafted a brilliant finish and Tom Atkins curled home his first major of the season, all of a sudden Geelong had all the momentum and a handy buffer midway through the second term. 

Mannagh put through another and the Cats dominance started to show, recording 18 scoring shots to eight in the first half and registering 19 more inside 50 entries (39-20), taking a healthy 20-point lead into half time. 

Wearing the guernsey he designed with his sister, Humphries was electric collecting 15 disposals, five intercepts and four score involvements in the first half alone, while Cameron's work rate was also immense as he continually rolled back to help out defensively, finishing the half with 13 disposals, two goals and 352 metres gained. 

Jack Martin kickstarted the second half with a beautiful left foot snap, before Connor O'Sullivan produced one of the highlights of the season as he snuck inside forward 50 and pounced on the loose footy, punching through the first goal of his AFL career in his 37th game.  

Another scintillating passage of play led to a Jack Henry goal and a game-high 38-point lead, the Cats seemingly in full control and starting to extend the gap. 

But Sydney were on top of the ladder for a reason and they showed why with a monumental momentum shift, kicking five of the last six goals in the third term and cutting the margin back to just 14 points at the final break. 

Geelong needed a response in the fourth quarter to stem the bleeding and they went to their trump card, Jeremy Cameron and the reigning Coleman Medallist did not let his side down, nailing an outstanding set-shot from long range for his third goal of the night. 

Not wanting to miss out on the action, the skipper then chimed in with an equally impressive set-shot from the opposite pocket, helping the Cats to re-establish their buffer. 

Another goal to Brad Close as the icing on the cake, as Geelong closed out a strong 27-point victory to solidify their spot in the top four, taking their record to 8-3 with Carlton awaiting at the MCG next Friday night. 

2026 AFL Season - Round 11

GEELONG    3.4   8.10  12.13  15.17  (107)  
SYDNEY      4.2    6.2    11.5    12.8   (80) 

GOALS
Geelong: Cameron 3, O.Henry, Close 2, Smith, O'Sullivan, Martin, Mannagh, Humphries, J.Henry, Dangerfield, Atkins 1
Sydney: Amartey 4, McDonald, Curnow 2, McInerney, Heeney, Hanily, Cleary 1

BEST
Geelong: Humphries, Smith, Edwards, Cameron, Holmes
Sydney: Amarty, Bice, Serong, Heeney, Mills

LATE CHANGES
Geelong: Tanner Bruhn (managed) replaced by Jake Kolodjashnij
Sydney: Nil

CROWD: 35,869 @ GMHBA Stadium