Geelong will be looking to regain control of their season as they prepare to take on St Kilda at GMHBA Stadium on Thursday night. 

After suffering defeats in five of their last six games, the Cats have slipped to ninth position on the ladder, but still have plenty of football ahead with six games to go in the home and away season. 

This week's challenge will be against a Saints side that has found form in recent weeks, recording back-to-back victories to move inside the top 10 and setting the stage for an important match on Thursday night. 

Take a look ahead to Geelong's crucial Round 19 clash at GMHBA Stadium, proudly presented by Lee Kum Kee. 

KEY DETAILS 

2026 AFL Season | Round 19
Geelong Cats v St Kilda
GMHBA Stadium, Geelong
Thursday 16 July, 7.30pm AEST

TEAM SELECTION

LAST TIME WE MET

In the corresponding round last year, Geelong hosted St Kilda at GMHBA Stadium and after a close-fought opening half, the Cats kicked away in the third term to secure a 31-point victory. 

Geelong started strong with a six-goal opening term before the Saints hit back in the second quarter, but the Cats steadied with another five goals in the third term to build an unassailable lead by the final break. 

Max Holmes was everywhere, finishing the day with 32 disposals and 809 metres gained, while Shaun Mannagh was also impactful with 24 disposals, 11 tackles and three goals. 

Jeremy Cameron led the way up forward with a five-goal haul, with Ollie Dempsey (25 disposals, one goal) and Tom Atkins (22 disposals, nine tackles) also among the best on ground. 

LEE KUM KEE - PIVOTAL MATCH-UP

Shannon Neale v Callum Wilkie

In the absence of Jeremy Cameron, the performance of Shannon Neale will become even more important on Thursday night but it is a tough challenge ahead, with Callum Wilkie firmly ranked as one of the top defenders in the competition. 

Neale has had a solid 2026 campaign, leading Geelong for contested marks and kicking 30 goals, while also ranking equal second among all key forwards for goal assists. 

He will be looking to bounce back, however, from a quiet outing against GWS last week, held goalless for just the fourth time in his last 24 games, but also spending more time in the ruck. 

Wilkie has been remarkable this year, ranking first in the AFL for intercept possessions and third for intercept marks, while also averaging nearly 24 disposals per game. 

With Neale set to become Geelong's number one target inside 50, this will be a crucial battle that will go a long way to influencing the final result on Thursday night. 

VFL

Geelong's VFL team will hit the road in Round 17 as they head to the other side of Melbourne, set to take on St Kilda at RSEA Park in Moorabbin. 

The Cats extended their winning streak to 10 games last weekend with another big victory, defeating Richmond by 82 points at GMHBA Stadium. 

With a 13-1 record, Geelong remain 10 points clear on top of the ladder and can officially secure a spot in the top four with a victory on Saturday afternoon. 

The Cats also sit four games clear of GWS in third but the Giants do have a game in hand, meaning a Geelong win and a GWS loss will also lock in a top two spot and a home Qualifying Final. 

Geelong will take on St Kilda from 12.05pm AEST on Saturday afternoon, with the game streamed on the AFL website and through the AFL app. 

HOW TO GET TICKETS

Tickets are available for Thursday's crucial clash with St Kilda, follow the link below to secure your seat through Ticketmaster. 

Get access to this game with a Flexi Membership! For just $44 you can get two General Admission tickets. By purchasing a membership you'll also go in the draw to win a Ford Everest! Link Here

Kids Footy Month

Footy is the place to be, even better - Kids Go Free! Kids aged 14 years and under can enjoy free entry* to this game! More information can be found here: Kids Footy Month | AFL.com.au

*Subject to capacity and availability. 

WHERE TO WATCH 

Geelong's Round 19 clash with St Kilda will be broadcast on Channel 7 from 7.00pm AEST, before the game commences at 7.30pm. 

The match will also be broadcast on Fox Footy and streamed through Kayo, with the coverage starting from 7.00pm.

Cats fans can also tune in via K rock from 6.00pm, listen via FM 95.5 across Geelong & the Surf Coast, delay-free via the K rock app, or the AFL app.

Geelong went into Thursday's game in search of a response, looking to regain momentum in their season and with the backing of the Cats faithful, they did just that in a strong 27-point win over St Kilda at GMHBA Stadium. 

After booting the opening four goals of the game, the Cats never trailed in the contest and despite a number of momentum shifts and surges from St Kilda throughout the night, it remained a relatively even four-quarter performance from the home side. 

With seven changes made at team selection, there was plenty of attention on Geelong's inclusions which included debutant Jay Polkinghorne, who impressed in his AFL debut and looked lively up forward, despite being matched up against Saints star Callum Wilkie for the entire night. 

Gryan Miers was also sensational in his return, adding some polish in the front half and setting up opportunities for his teammates, while also having a scoreboard presence of his own with three goals. 

As is the case every week, Bailey Smith was able to find plenty of the footy and was damaging with ball in hand, Jack Henry was impenetrable in Geelong's defensive 50, while Tom Atkins and Jhye Clark also impressed with their hunger and toughness in the contest. 

Credit can also go to Oisin Mullin, who had the big job on Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and did a commendable job on the Saints star, limiting him to fewer than 30 disposals for the first time in his last eight appearances. 

Not for the first time this year, the Cats got away to a hot start with Shaun Mannagh getting himself into the right place at the right time, running into an open goal to kick the first major of the night. 

Tom Atkins followed suit shortly after with a brilliant snap and then came the big moment for the debutant, with Jay Polkinghorne flying high to take an exceptional mark and nailing the set shot, his first career goal earning a rapturous ovation from the Cats faithful. 

Geelong had 13 of the first 14 inside 50s and kicked four goals before the Saints even registered a score, but the visitors were able to steady late in the term and trimmed the Cats' advantage to 14 points at quarter time. 

On his return to the AFL side, Jhye Clark brought plenty of energy in the defensive half early and had a number of nice moments, picking off four intercept possessions and recording two score involvements in the first quarter alone. 

A number of Geelong's inclusions for the match started to have an impact on the contest, spearheaded by Gryan Miers who kicked the Cats' opening two goals in the second quarter to extend their lead. 

The home side continued to generate plenty of chances throughout the term but started to squander opportunities in front of the big sticks, the margin increasing to 27 points by the main break, but perhaps not painting the full picture of Geelong's control on the match. 

Looking to ratchet up the pressure, nobody did that better than Tom Atkins as he finished the first half with 11 disposals, seven tackles and a goal, while Bailey Smith led the way with 17 possessions and six marks. 

Clark picked off a game-high seven intercept possessions up to half time, Miers registered six score involvements, while James Worpel also impressed with 16 disposals and seven inside 50s to go with his goal. 

Shannon Neale gave the Cats the perfect start in the second half with his first goal of the night, but then had to weather a storm as St Kilda responded with three consecutive goals to significantly cut into the margin. 

But when Geelong needed an answer, the skipper stood tall with Dangerfield hitting the scoreboard to help stem the tide, before Ollie Dempsey added another shortly after to give the Cats some breathing room. 

Miers capitalised on a quick opportunity off a turnover to curl through his third goal of the night, reestablishing Geelong's buffer and pushing the lead out to 29 points heading into the final break.   

Looking to assert their dominance and solidify their lead early in the final term, the ball fell into the hands of Bailey Smith and the superstar Cat made the most of his chance, launching one home from right on the 50 metre arc. 

Two Ollie's, Henry and Dempsey, then punched home a goal of their own, giving Geelong an unassailable lead midway through the final term. 

The debutant then capped off a sensational first outing in the Hoops with his second major, the Cats professionally closing out the game to secure a 27-point victory over the Saints. 

2026 AFL Season - Round 19

GEELONG    4.2   7.8   11.11  15.12   (102)  
ST KILDA     2.0   3.5    7.6     11.9    (75) 

GOALS
Geelong: Miers 3, O.Henry, Dempsey, Polkinghorne 2, Worpel, Smith, Neale, Mannagh, Dangerfield, Atkins 1
St Kilda: Marshall, Hall, Ryan 2, Silvagni, Lake, Higgins, Garcia, Wanganeen-Milera 1

BEST
Geelong: Smith, Miers, Humphries, Clark, Polkinghorne
St Kilda: Marshall, Garcia, Wilson, Silvagni, Phillipou

Crowd: 23,737 at GMHBA Stadium