Geelong will welcome Melbourne to GMHBA Stadium for a Thursday Night blockbuster, as the Cats look forward to a tough challenge against one of the top teams in the competition.

The clash with the Demons will mark the first of six remaining games at GMHBA Stadium, as Geelong look to gather momentum in the back half of the season.

Cats forward, Jeremy Cameron said the team is excited about the prospect of Thursday night football at home.

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Atkins and Cameron Press Conference | Round 15

Tom Atkins and Jeremy Cameron spoke to the media ahead of Retro Round and taking on the Dees. Proudly Presented by Ford Australia.

“It’s been a little different playing a couple of Thursday night games in a row,” Cameron said.

“It’s going to be good for Geelong, it’ll be great to be back home and hopefully we see a full stadium. It’s shaping up to be a good game and we are really excited for it.”

Geelong’s midfield unit will face one of the biggest tests in football, squaring off with one of the strongest on-ball divisions in the AFL boasting the likes of Max Gawn and Christian Petracca.

Geelong tough nut, Tom Atkins said the midfield group is looking forward to the challenge ahead of them on Thursday night.

“They’re obviously going really well, Viney and Petracca and the likes,” Atkins said.

“We are looking forward to it, we really enjoy coming up against the best midfields. Our change in personnel this year has opened up opportunities for guys like Tanner Bruhn and Max Holmes, it’s been super impressive to see how they have gone.

"It will be another great challenge for us this week, we can’t wait to bounce back.”  

The last meeting with Melbourne came in round 17 last season at home, where the Cats ran out 28-point winners in a game that cemented themselves as premiership fancies.  

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In the corresponding game last year, Atkins was one of Geelong’s best picking up 21-disposals and laying nine-tackles in the win.

Atkins said the Cats will look to get back to what they do best on Thursday night.

“It’s about going back to your strengths as an individual player,” Atkins said.

“I think sometimes when things are going wrong like Thursday, you can try and do too much. I know personally, you can try to do everything but really you need to back to the things you are good at.

Hopefully we can get a chance to show how good a midfield group we are. We’ve got new guys in there this year and they have really stepped up, so it will be good to see that this Thursday.”

The Thursday night game will also mark retro round for the Cats, who will celebrate the club’s 1963 premiership on the night.