After a long and gruelling pre-season, football is finally back. 

Geelong will commence their 2026 campaign this week as they head north on Friday night, set to take on the Gold Coast Suns in an Opening Round blockbuster at People First Stadium. 

It is shaping up to be a riveting contest between two premiership contenders, the Cats will be looking to extend their strong record against the Suns of 13 wins from 17 matches. 

That dominant record extended in the most recent matchup between the two teams, when Geelong hosted Gold Coast at GMHBA Stadium in Round 13 last year. 

Treacherous conditions awaited the Cats and Suns in an important mid-season battle, with rain a constant and strong winds producing a tightly contested match with scoring at a premium. 

On a day that seemed tailor made for tough on-ballers, Tom Atkins was the unlikely first goalscorer as his brilliant pressure inside 50 was rewarded. 

Geelong added a second major in the opening term through Lawson Humphries, holding the Suns goalless and taking a pivotal early lead into quarter time.

Master tactician, Chris Scott showed that he had some new tricks up his sleeve, rolling with a double Irish tag as he sent Mark O'Connor to Noah Anderson and Oisin Mullin to Touk Miller. 

As is generally the case when two of the competition's best go toe-to-toe, there are plenty of ebbs and flows within the contest and Gold Coast flipped the momentum early in the second quarter, kicking three of the first four goals to trim the margin. 

But Geelong steadied late off the boot of Tyson Stengle, who helped to re-establish a seven-point buffer for the Cats heading into the main break. 

Max Holmes and Gryan Miers were handling the conditions best and had a real influence in the opening half, as did Brad Close who thrived in the wet with his pressure inside forward 50. 

Gold Coast laid down the gauntlet once again after half time, kicking the opening goal of the third term to pull back within a solitary point. 

Just when it looked like the game was setting up for a grandstand finish, Geelong made their big move with a streak of four unanswered goals between the 18 minute mark of the third term and midway through the last quarter. 

Stengle proved to be the difference with his finishing in front of the big sticks, kicking four goals in a game where both teams only managed 14 majors between them. 

A three goal final term sealed the deal, as Geelong closed out a 24-point victory and asserted their dominance heading into an action packed back half of the regular season. 

Holmes was immense and finished with a career-high 40 disposals, winning 10 clearances and seven inside 50s to claim the three votes on Brownlow night. 

Atkins (23 disposals, eight clearances), Miers (26 disposals, one goal) and Tom Stewart (23 disposals, 14 marks) were all heavily influential in the result. 

Geelong will take on the Gold Coast once again this Friday night, as they look to start their 2026 season on a positive note. 

2025 AFL Season - Round 13

GEELONG CATS      2.2      4.4       6.7      9.7       (61) 
GOLD COAST          0.2      3.3       4.3      5.7       (37)

GOALS 
Geelong Cats: Stengle 4, Miers, Humphries, Dempsey, Close, Atkins 1
Gold Coast: Walter, Rowell, Long, King, Humphrey 1

BEST
Geelong: Holmes, Atkins, Stengle, Miers, Henry, O’Connor
Gold Coast: Jeffrey, Rowell, Powell, Humphrey, Fiorini 

CROWD: 29,502 @ GMHBA Stadium