The season is perched in an intriguing spot heading into Round 18, as Geelong prepares to take on the GWS Giants at ENGIE Stadium on Saturday. 

With seven games remaining in the home and away season, the Cats sit in seventh spot on the ladder and after four defeats in their last five games, will be looking to reverse form and gather momentum heading into September. 

The Giants have found form of their own, however, and pose an interesting challenge this week, fresh off a dominant victory over the ladder-leading Fremantle Dockers last Saturday. 

They are also a team that has caused headaches for the Cats in recent years, with GWS winning the last four clashes and seven of the last nine between the two sides. 

In preparation for Saturday's important clash, take a look at everything you need to know as Geelong heads to ENGIE Stadium, proudly presented by Lee Kum Kee. 

KEY DETAILS 

2026 AFL Season | Round 18
GWS Giants v Geelong Cats
ENGIE Stadium, Sydney
Saturday 11 July, 4.15pm AEST

TEAM SELECTION

LEE KUM KEE - PIVOTAL MATCH-UP

Bailey Smith v Clayton Oliver

Two of the best midfielders in the competition will go head-to-head on Saturday, when Bailey Smith and Clayton Oliver represent their sides in an important on-ball battle. 

Smith has been brilliant once again in 2026, averaging the second-most disposals per game of any player in the AFL (32.2), while also ranking second for inside 50s, eighth for goal assists and 14th for contested possessions. 

The star Cat has been ultra consistent this year too, collecting 30 disposals or more in 12 of his 15 games, while also ranking fourth for metres gained and able to break games open with his running capacity. 

Oliver has also impressed in his first year at GWS, ranking third in the AFL for total disposals, second for clearances and first for contested possessions. He also collected 32 disposals and 10 clearances last week, playing a pivotal role in the Giants' big win over Fremantle. 

Winning the clearance battle will go a long way to controlling proceedings on Saturday afternoon, and there are no players more important to that than Smith and Oliver for either team. 

VFL

Geelong's VFL team continued their remarkable form last Friday night, kicking away late to register a strong 52-point win over Frankston at Kinetic Stadium. 

Incredibly, it was the Cats' 10th win by 44 points or more this season, maintaining their healthy percentage that currently sits at nearly 180 through 13 games. 

Not only is their percentage strong, but Geelong's 12-1 record has them 10 points clear on top of the ladder, two and a half wins ahead of Werribee in second position. 

With five games remaining in the home and away season, Geelong only need three more victories to officially secure top spot, while two wins will lock in a top four finish. 

The VFL Cats will return home this Saturday for the first time in three weeks, set to take on Richmond at GMHBA Stadium from 12.05pm AEST. 

HOW TO GET TICKETS

Tickets are available for Geelong fans heading to Saturday's game against the GWS Giants, follow the link here to secure your seat through Ticketmaster. 

WHERE TO WATCH 

Geelong's Round 18 clash with the GWS Giants will be broadcast on Fox Footy and streamed through Kayo, with the coverage starting from 4.00pm AEST ahead of the opening bounce at 4.15pm. 

Cats fans can also tune in via K rock from 3.00pm, listen via FM 95.5 across Geelong & the Surf Coast, delay-free via the K rock app, or the AFL app.

Geelong has slumped to a fifth defeat in six weeks, falling to a second half surge from the Giants in a 13-point loss at ENGIE Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

A strong first half had the Cats in full control and they powered away to a 39-point lead in the third quarter, but they had no answers as momentum swung violently in GWS' favour in the final term, the home side kicking nine of the last ten goals to seal the result. 

Still firmly entrenched in a tightly packed ladder, Geelong will now face an uphill battle with six games remaining in the home and away season, with a five-day break ahead before taking on St Kilda next Thursday night. 

Shaun Mannagh was among the best players on the ground, collecting a career-high 33 disposals and kicking four goals in a desperate attempt to will his team over the line. 

Ollie Dempsey (22 disposals, three goals) impressed throughout the afternoon, Max Holmes (34 disposals) provided plenty of run and carry, while Tom Stewart (18 disposals, eight intercepts) fought valiantly across half back. 

Even the most diehard Geelong supporters could not believe their eyes when Jeremy Cameron strolled into the Cats' defensive 50 to commence Saturday's match, but it was a move that paid dividends early as he matched his disposal tally from last week inside the opening four minutes, while also helping to set up the opening goal of the game. 

Ollie Dempsey unfurled his Superman cape early as he kicked three goals, while also taking an outstanding mark late in the term. Shaun Mannagh was keen to match the star winger's output with two majors of his own, and it resulted in the Cats taking a healthy 18-point lead into quarter time. 

In general play, Geelong were simply dominant as they recorded 14 more inside 50s than their opponent in the opening term, but it was the ever-reliable Tom Stewart who was perhaps having the biggest impact with five intercept possessions in the quarter alone. 

The Cats continued to generate chances in the second term but goals became harder to come by, with Ollie Henry and Oli Wiltshire netting the only two majors of the quarter, but Geelong also tightened up defensively, limiting the Giants' run and increasing their lead to 25 points by half time. 

Remarkably, the Cats recorded nearly double the inside 50s by the main break and nobody provided more forward run than Dempsey, who finished the half with 14 disposals and three clearances to go with his three goals. 

Bailey Smith and Max Holmes continued to find the footy with ease collecting 33 disposals between them, Jake Kolodjashnij did a sensational job in keeping Jake Stringer to just two disposals a week on from his seven-goal outing against Fremantle, while Oisin Mullin also restricted Finn Callaghan to just nine possessions in the first half. 

It took less than 20 seconds for the Cats to get rolling in the third quarter, with a dangerous forward surge cleanly handled by Ollie Henry who fed the ball through to Smith, and the superstar made no mistake on the run to extend the margin. 

Even having his shorts nearly ripped clean off was not enough to slow Mannagh down, as the crafty forward curled home a humorous goal of the year contender and his third of the contest, kicking the Cats to a game-high 39-point lead with time winding down in the third term. 

But just when it looked like Geelong were in full command, the Giants struck back with two late majors of their own to close the gap to 27 points at three quarter time, igniting the contest and adding some intrigue heading into the final term. 

The tension in the Geelong camp was not eased as the fourth quarter commenced, with GWS adding three more goals in under four minutes, cutting the lead even further with an abundance of time still on the clock. 

With still 13 minutes remaining, the Giants added a sixth consecutive goal and with momentum completely flowing the way of the home side, Geelong's buffer was trimmed to just two points. 

Shaun Mannagh produced another bit of magic with a phenomenal finish on the run, his fourth goal providing Geelong a brief moment of respite in a brutal quarter of football. 

But it was not to be, as GWS responded with three more goals to seal the deal at ENGIE Stadium. 

2026 AFL Season - Round 18

GWS GIANTS        2.2   3.6   5.10   12.14   (86)  
GEELONG CATS     5.2   7.7   10.7    11.7   (73) 

GOALS
GWS: Brown 3, Hamilton, Bedford 2, Stringer, Himmelberg, Cadman, Briggs, Callaghan 1
Geelong: Mannagh 4, Dempsey 3, Wiltshire, Smith, Knevitt, O.Henry 1

BEST
Greater Western Sydney: Oliver, Taylor, Briggs, Ash, Greene, Brown
Geelong: Smith, Mannagh, Holmes, Dempsey, Cameron

INJURIES
Greater Western Sydney: Gothard (shoulder)
Geelong: J.Henry (throat), Bruhn (TBC), Cameron (shoulder/collarbone)

LATE CHANGES
Greater Western Sydney: Nil
Geelong: Mark O'Connor (injured), replaced in the selected side by Mitch Knevitt

Crowd: TBC at ENGIE Stadium