The never say die attitude of the Geelong Football Club was in full effect on Saturday afternoon, as the Cats stormed home from a significant deficit to record their first win of the 2026 season. 

Trailing by as much as 35 points midway through the second quarter, Geelong slowly chipped away at Fremantle's lead throughout the afternoon and finished with a flurry in a scintillating second half, keeping the Dockers goalless in the final term to clinch a 10 point victory. 

Shannon Neale was sublime inside forward 50 and stamped his authority on the contest after half time, finishing with an equal career-high five goals while Jeremy Cameron made an impressive return with 23 disposals and three goals. 

Max Holmes (32 disposals) and Bailey Smith (30 disposals) reigned supreme through the middle of the ground, while Tom Stewart (28 disposals, eight intercepts) was terrific in defence to help stem Fremantle's momentum at pivotal stages of the match. 

A week after conceding a substantial score on the Gold Coast, Geelong looked shaky in defence early on Saturday as Fremantle found 12 scoring shots from 16 inside 50s in the opening term, leaving the Cats staring at a 33 point deficit at the first break. 

Tanner Bruhn picked up where he left off with 10 disposals in the first quarter, but the Cats were well beaten in clearances (-6) and contested possessions (-8) which had a telling influence on the contest early. 

Geelong needed a spark in the second quarter and it came in the form of Shaun Mannagh, who made his presence felt with some brilliant finishing around the big sticks, kicking three consecutive goals to drag his side back into the contest. 

Momentum shifted once again as Fremantle reestablished their buffer but another late Geelong flurry, this time off the boot of Jeremy Cameron, pulled the Cats back within a manageable 22 points at half time. 

Max Holmes was instrumental in Geelong's resurgence finishing the opening half with 20 disposals and four clearances, while Cameron (six score involvements, three goals) and Bailey Smith (17 disposals, two goal assists) started to rise to the occasion. 

The opening goal of the second half came from the most unlikely of sources, with Jack Henry sneaking forward and hitting the scoreboard for the first time since Round 17 of the 2023 season. 

Big players standing up in monumental moments had become the theme of the day and it continued in the third term, Shannon Neale started to make his presence felt with a pair of contested marks and three big goals in quick succession. 

Proceedings were certainly flowing back in Geelong's favour, as they trimmed what was a 35-point deficit back to just 10 points heading into three quarter time. 

Holmes continued to find plenty of the footy and amassed a game-high 488 metres gained in the opening three quarters, while Tom Stewart worked his way into the game brilliantly and started to have a big influence in defence.

Bailey Smith nailed a brilliant finish early in the last quarter and Jack Martin followed suit shortly after, putting Geelong in front for the first time in the game at the eight minute mark of the fourth term. 

Another goal to Shannon Neale equalled his career-high and a superb defensive effort held Fremantle goalless in the final term, as the Cats sealed a phenomenal 10 point victory over the Dockers. 

Geelong will now enjoy a week off to rest and recover, before returning to action in Round 3 against Adelaide. 

2026 AFL Season - Round 1

GEELONG          3.1     8.4    13.8     16.14   (110)  
FREMANTLE    8.4    11.8   14.12    14.16   (100) 

GOALS
Geelong: Neale 5, Mannagh, Cameron 3, Smith, Martin, Henry, Dangerfield, Clark 1
Fremantle: Dudley 3, Treacy, Bolton 2, Young, Serong, Reid, O'Driscoll, Jackson, Brayshaw, Amiss 1

BEST
Geelong: Holmes, Smith, Neale, Stewart, Cameron, Mannagh
Fremantle: Jackson, Serong, Clark, Dudley, Young

INJURIES
Geelong: Nil
Fremantle: Nil

CROWD: 27,815 @ GMHBA Stadium