The VFL Cats have suffered their fifth consecutive defeat on Friday night, falling to the Footscray Bulldogs by 23 points in difficult conditions at Mission Whitten Oval.
All eyes were on a pair of experienced Cats as they made their return from injury, with Cam Guthrie and Jack Martin taking the field for the first time in 2025, both players featuring in the first half of the match and producing a number of impressive moments.
Martin played a role across half back and finished the opening half with a game high 17 disposals and seven marks, Guthrie collected 11 disposals at 91% efficiency while also kicking a brilliant goal late in the second term.
Mitch Knevitt (nine disposals, five tackles) entered the game after half time and impressed on his return from injury, while Ted Clohesy (22 disposals, eight tackles, five clearances) fought valiantly after featuring as the substitute for Geelong's AFL team on Thursday.
Tobyn Murray was also brilliant on a tough night for the Cats, collecting a team high 23 disposals and booting two goals.
Difficult conditions made scoring hard to come by in the opening term, the Cats held to a solitary behind as they found themselves trailing by 15 points at the first break.
Jack Martin wasted no time adapting to life in the Hoops, accumulating a game high 11 disposals and four marks in the first quarter while playing a role across half back, Cam Guthrie also impressed as he collected seven disposals at 100% efficiency.
The Cats struggled to find an avenue to goal early in the second term, Patrick Retschko breaking the drought with Geelong's first major at the 17 minute mark, which all of a sudden broke the game wide open for the Cats.
A quick goal to Patrick Kelly, a classy finish from Cam Guthrie and an opportunistic major from Charlie McCartin followed soon after, Geelong trimming the margin from 34 points back to 18 points at the main break.
Martin continued to find plenty of the footy finishing the first half with a game high 17 disposals and seven marks, Ted Clohesy worked his way into the game with 15 disposals and five clearances, while Cam Guthrie collected 11 possessions to go with his goal.
Geelong could not continue their momentum as the scoring dried up once again in the third term, booting their only goal at the 29 minute mark as the Cats faced a 36 point deficit heading into the final term.
Mitch Knevitt entered the game after half time and made his presence felt right away, collecting six disposals and two clearances in the third quarter.
The Cats fought hard in the final term and found some reward on the scoreboard kicking six goals, but ultimately the deficit was too big to overcome as they fell by 23 points.
Geelong's VFL team will head to DSV Stadium next Sunday for a clash with Williamstown at 2.05pm AEST.
2025 VFL Season - Round 9
FOOTSCRAY 2.4 6.7 10.9 14.10 (94)
GEELONG CATS 0.1 4.1 5.3 11.5 (71)
GOALS
Footscray: Valpied 3, Scott, Poulter, Lewis, Dolan 2, Smith, Hargraves, Spicer 1
Geelong Cats: Kreuger, Murray 2, Guthrie, Retschko, Kelly, McCartin, Ballantyne, De Grandi, Wiltshire 1
DISPOSALS
Footscray: Busslinger 26, Hynes 25, Crofts 24, Jaques 22, Scott 21, Poulter, Coffield 20
Geelong Cats: Murray 23, Clohesy 22, Retschko 20, Stevens, Herbert 19, Martin 17
@ Mission Whitten Oval, Footscray
