A polished and classy Cats VFL outfit has reigned supreme in their season opening clash, defeating Essendon by 85 points on a picture perfect night under the lights at GMHBA Stadium.
After a relatively even start, Geelong flexed their muscle through the middle of the match and their experienced leaders rose to the occasion, kicking away with 14 unanswered goals to build an unassailable lead early in the last quarter.
There were plenty of notable performances with midfielders George Stevens (34 disposals, nine clearances) and Mitch Knevitt (31 disposals, nine clearances) controlling stoppages, their games were greatly aided the dominance of Rhys Stanley (15 disposals, 24 hit-outs) in the ruck.
Cats fans would also be ecstatic to see premiership defenders Jed Bews (34 disposals, 14 marks) and Jake Kolodjashnij (16 disposals, 10 intercepts) at full flight, with the pair certainly making their presence felt inside Geelong's back 50.
Jack Bowes (26 disposals, five score involvements) was ultra impressive in his first official game of the 2026 season, while Ollie Henry (five goals), Oli Wiltshire and Jay Polkinghorne (both four goals) led the way in attack.
The Cats made a blistering start to their 2026 campaign, some stars of the future making an immediate impact with three goals inside the opening five minutes of the match.
It set the tone for a free-flowing and highly entertaining quarter of football, the teams kicking 12 goals between them as the Cats opened up a 14 point buffer at quarter time.
Geelong's clearance dominance (+9) was heavily influential in the first term led by some of their more experienced players, with Rhys Stanley and Mitch Knevitt collecting seven clearances between them.
The scoring did not slow down in the second quarter but once again it was Geelong on the right side of the ledger, the Cats piling on five more goals to extend their lead to 30 points at half time.
An 80-point total in the first half for the Cats saw a spread of nine individual goal kickers, with Jay Polkinghorne, Ollie Henry and captain Dan Capiron leading the way with two goals apiece.
George Stevens (18 disposals, four clearances), Jed Bews (13 disposals) and Mitch Knevitt (14 disposals, six clearances) all found plenty of the football in the opening half, while Jack Bowes (13 disposals) and Jake Kolodjashnij (eight intercepts) looked a class above.
Geelong's dominance around the contest proved telling in the second half and it started to show on the scoreboard, with the Cats reeling off five unanswered goals after the main break to push the lead out to 63 points at the final break.
A pair of Ollies, Henry and Wiltshire, proved to be a dynamic duo inside forward 50 with both players kicking two goals in a scintillating quarter of football.
The Cats' dominance continued into the final term as their run of unanswered goals extended to 14, pushing the lead beyond 100 points before Essendon narrowed the gap to 85 points at the final siren.
Geelong will look to continue their momentum next week as they return to GMHBA Stadium for another big clash, taking on the Box Hill Hawks on Friday night.
2026 VFL Season - Round 1
GEELONG 7.2 12.8 17.13 24.19 (163)
ESSENDON 5.0 8.2 8.4 12.6 (78)
GOALS
Geelong: Henry 5, Polkinghorne, Wiltshire 4, Rantall, Capiron 2, Williams, White, Stevens, Pike, Mellor, Holmes, Bowes 1
Essendon: McMahon 2, Scott, Nyko, Jones, Farrow, Binns, Bella, O'Neill, Ferronato, Day-Wicks, Cox 1
DISPOSALS
Geelong: Stevens, Bews 34, Knevitt 31, Bowes 26, Rantall 21
Essendon: Farrow 31, O'Neill 28, Ferronato 24, Hately 22, Tsatas 21
