What a match-up this is shaping up to be.

A genuine heavyweight battle at GMHBA Stadium between two of the highest scoring teams in the competition, with a spot in the top four awaiting the winner. 

Gold Coast have been in strong form this year winning eight of their 11 matches, currently the fourth highest scoring team in the league with talented players on every line.

But the Suns will be heading to a venue that they have never tasted success at, losing all eight clashes at GMHBA Stadium by an average of 72 points dating back to their inaugural season in 2011.

Ladder 

Geelong: 5th (8-4)

Gold Coast: 4th (8-3)

Points For 

Geelong: 1214

Gold Coast: 1077

Points Against 

Geelong: 973

Gold Coast: 843

Deakin Performance Stat of the Week 

The Epic Midfield Battle

Gold Coast's scoring prowess starts at the source, their strong midfield often dominating games and providing their forward line plenty of opportunities to score. 

It begins in the ruck through Jarrod Witts, who currently ranks first in the AFL for hit-outs (41.2 per game) in 2025 while also ranking third for hit-outs to advantage, giving his on-ballers first look around stoppages. 

This is then supported by Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell, who rank fourth and fifth in the competition for total clearances this year, an impressive feat considering they have played a game less than most other teams. 

Gold Coast are currently ranked as the fifth highest team for total clearances (40.5 per game) this year, but have only been beaten by their opponent on two occasions this season in the clearance battle. 

The Suns on-ballers are also dominant when the ball is in dispute, ranked second for contested possessions (137.4 per game) lead by Anderson (9th in the AFL), Rowell (22nd) and Touk Miller (31st). 

Gold Coast's 2025 Team Statistics

Stopping Noah Anderson

Speaking of the midfield battle, there is one Gold Coast on-baller in particular that stands out above the rest and that is the Suns captain, Noah Anderson.

To this point in the 2025 season, Anderson ranks in the AFL's top 10 players for disposals (7th), clearances (4th), inside 50's (8th), contested possessions (9th) and goal assists (9th). 

The Suns skipper was also dominant in the last meeting with Geelong, accumulating 42 disposals, six inside 50's and kicking two goals to ultimately receive two votes on Brownlow night. 

Set to square off against Geelong's brilliant on-ballers like Bailey Smith, Max Holmes and Tom Atkins, this will be a fascinating battle to watch on Saturday afternoon. 

Nullifying the Forward Presence

Averaging 97.9 points per game as a team, Gold Coast are currently the fourth highest scoring side in the AFL this year. 

This is predominantly lead by their spearhead forward, Ben King who sits third on the Coleman Medal leaderboard with 32 goals for the year, while also sitting second in the competition for Marks Inside 50. 

A somewhat surprising revelation has been the emergence of Ben Long, who sits 12th in the Coleman Medal with 23 goals, while also ranking eighth in the competition for Marks Inside 50 and 10th for Marks on the Lead.