At the centre of what is already shaping up to be a monumental afternoon for the Geelong Football Club, sits a crucial clash for the Cats against a resurgent North Melbourne team on Saturday. 

Geelong are firmly entrenched in the race for the top six and need two wins to close out the season, in order to give themselves the best chance of avoiding the Wildcard Round. 

But it will by no means be an easy challenge awaiting this weekend, taking on a North Melbourne team that is fresh off an impressive 23-point victory over the Western Bulldogs last week. 

It also marks Geelong's one and only trip to Marvel Stadium in the 2026 regular season, a venue that has only yielded one victory in the Cats' last four outings, but that win also came against the Kangaroos in Round 20 last year. 

Making the afternoon even more exciting is a historic double-header, with Geelong's AFLW team also commencing their season against the Kangaroos at 1.00pm AEST, prior to the AFL clash at 3.45pm. 

Take a look ahead to what is set to be a big day for the club, proudly presented by Lee Kum Kee. 

KEY DETAILS 

2026 AFL Season | Round 23
North Melbourne v Geelong Cats
Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Saturday 15 August, 3.45pm AEST

TEAM SELECTION

LAST TIME WE MET

A fascinating battle unfolded in the most recent clash between the two sides, when North Melbourne ventured down the highway to Kardinia Park in Round 8 this year. 

The Cats kicked away early but the Kangaroos held their own, only a point separating the sides at half time and the visitors actually holding a seven-point lead at the 20-minute mark of the third term. 

But from there, Geelong put the foot down with a clinical patch of football, kicking 14 goals in the final 47 minutes of the match to close out a 49-point victory. 

Max Holmes (29 disposals, two goals) was electric, Shaun Mannagh (18 disposals, four goals) was heavily influential in the forward half, while Zach Guthrie (22 disposals, one goal) was also impactful off half back. 

LEE KUM KEE - PIVOTAL MATCH-UP

Zach Guthrie v Paul Curtis

North Melbourne has developed a strong forward line in recent years with a number of threats, but none have the same X-Factor and scoring impact quite like Paul Curtis. 

The star forward has kicked 36 goals this year, just three behind Nick Larkey for the most at the club, following on from two strong seasons where he kicked 30 and 38 goals in 2024 and 2025. 

He has only been held goalless on one occasion this year, while also kicking 14 goals from his last five games, carrying some strong form into Saturday's match. 

A potential match-up for Curtis could be the ever-reliable Zach Guthrie, who is set to celebrate his 150th AFL game in Round 23. 

Guthrie is in the midst of another strong campaign, averaging close to 16 disposals per game and sitting in Geelong's top five players for intercept marks, intercept possessions and effective kicks. 

VFL

Geelong will head to Arden Street this weekend in what will be their final game of the home-and-away season, set to take on North Melbourne in their last tune-up before Finals. 

The Cats have had the minor premiership locked away for a number of weeks already, so in a sense the result this weekend will not change anything, but the Cats will also be looking to build momentum heading into the post-season. 

Last week, Geelong enjoyed a bye to freshen up after suffering their second defeat of the season at the hands of Collingwood, but they still hold a remarkable 15-2 record heading into the conclusion of the regular season. 

This weekend will see Geelong take on the Kangaroos from 12.05pm AEST on Sunday afternoon, with Cats fans able to catch all the action through the AFL app and AFL website. 

HOW TO GET TICKETS

Geelong head to Marvel Stadium for the first time this year in what is set to be a historic double-header, with the AFL and AFLW Cats both set to take on North Melbourne this Saturday.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster for the big day of football, follow the link below to secure your seat in what is set to be an exciting day for the club.

There are also still plenty of membership options available that you can make the most of, follow the link here to find the best option for you. 

WHERE TO WATCH 

Geelong's Round 23 clash with North Melbourne will be broadcast on Fox Footy and streamed through Kayo, with coverage starting from 3.30pm AEST ahead of the opening bounce at 3.45pm. 

Cats fans can also tune in via K rock from 1.00pm and catch the action from both the AFL and AFLW games. Listen via FM 95.5 across Geelong & the Surf Coast, delay-free via the K rock app, or the AFL app.

There was no shortage of tense moments for Cats fans on Saturday afternoon, but Geelong has done enough to stave off a strong challenge from North Melbourne, prevailing in a 15-point victory at Marvel Stadium.  

Geelong spotted the home side an almighty lead early, conceding seven of the opening eight goals in the contest to trail by as much as 38 points, before storming back into the game with a nine-goal second term, then continuing to do enough to stay in front when it mattered. 

An inspired move to play Mark Blicavs in a more permanent ruck role paid dividends for the Cats, as the experienced utility gave his side a desperately needed spark around stoppages and even pushed forward to hit the scoreboard. 

Tanner Bruhn was among the key players to help Geelong turn the game on its head after quarter time, Bailey Smith found the footy with ease and had an impact at both ends of the ground, while Ollie Dempsey and Lawson Humphries were also instrumental with their run and carry. 

When the pressure was on early, Connor O'Sullivan and Tom Stewart were the key defensive pillars for the Cats who stemmed the tide, continually standing tall and helping to limit the damage with a plethora of intercept possessions. 

Playing under the roof at Marvel Stadium is a remarkably different proposition and Geelong certainly took some time to adapt, a sluggish opening stanza seeing North Melbourne pile on the pressure with seven of the opening eight goals, leaving the Cats with a mountain to climb early. 

A 22-3 clearance differential in favour of the Kangaroos was the catalyst for the start, and had it not been for a trio of intercept marks from Connor O'Sullivan and some outstanding defensive plays from Tom Stewart, the damage could have been even worse than the 38-point deficit on the scoreboard. 

Geelong certainly needed a lift to start the second term and it came from the biggest man on the ground, with Mitch Edwards drifting forward and hitting the scoreboard to kick the first goal of his young AFL career. 

It sparked a remarkable resurgence from the Cats, who after looking all at sea in the first quarter and struggling to find any avenue to goal, all of a sudden had all the momentum and reeled off six unanswered goals to drag themselves back into the contest. 

North Melbourne would briefly halt the flow with some scoreboard impact against the run of play, but it did nothing to deter the Cats and big Mitch Edwards proved that when it rains it pours, bookending the nine-goal quarter with his second major to Geelong a seven-point lead at half time. 

The orchestrators behind the withering comeback were none other than Tanner Bruhn (15 disposals), Humphries (14 disposals) and Ollie Dempsey, the trio collecting 26 disposals between them in the second quarter alone and providing plenty of run through the middle of the ground. 

Bailey Smith was also outstanding and finished the half with a game-high 20 disposals, also adding five score involvements and four intercept possessions to continue his sensational form. 

There was no shortage of entertainment in the third term as both teams continued to produce free-flowing football, but in another dramatic shift, North Melbourne would wrestle back the ascendancy as Geelong struggled to limit their potency inside forward 50. 

After the Cats kept their opponent at an arms length for a large portion of the quarter, the Kangaroos closed out the period with three unanswered goals and the lead changed hands once more, Geelong trailing by a solitary point at the final break. 

The importance of a fast start in the last quarter could not be understated and the Cats made a decisive move, starting with a third goal for Mark Blicavs which equalled his career-high, sparking a run of three unanswered goals to put Geelong back in control. 

But again, as had been the case all day, there was yet another twist in the tale as the Kangaroos arrested momentum and closed back within just a few points, setting up a grandstand finish in an electric atmosphere under the roof. 

When the Cats needed a hero, as is so often the case, it was Ollie Dempsey who got into a dangerous position at a crucial juncture in the match, taking a pivotal contested mark and kicking a goal to give his side some breathing room. 

Emerging star Jay Polkinghorne then put the nail in the coffin with his third major of the afternoon, before Mannagh capped off an enthralling contest with his third, closing out a 15-point victory. 

2026 AFL Season - Round 23

NORTH MELBOURNE    7.2    9.3    14.5    17.8   (110)  
GEELONG CATS              1.0   10.4   13.10   19.11   (125) 

GOALS
North Melbourne: Larkey 5, Darling 4, Trembath 3, Simpkin 2, Sheezel, Curtis, Banch 1
Geelong Cats: Blicavs, Polkinghorne, Mannagh 3, Edwards, Neale, Dangerfield 2, Humphries, O.Henry, Close, Dempsey 1

BEST
North Melbourne: Simpkin, O'Sullivan, Larkey, Xerri, Darling, Trembath
Geelong: Bruhn, Smith, Blicavs, Dempsey, Humphries, Stewart

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Sheezel (cheekbone)
Geelong: Worpel (leg, TBC), Wiltshire (TBC)

Crowd: 35,529 at Marvel Stadium