While it was not a memorable outing on Saturday in Adelaide, Tom Stewart is confident that Geelong will learn from the contest and carry the experience into next week's clash with North Melbourne. 

After finding form and winning four of their last five matches, the Cats were well held by Port Adelaide on ANZAC Day and struggled to find effective avenues to goal, ultimately falling by 30 points at Adelaide Oval. 

Attention will quickly turn to Round 8 as Geelong return home to GMHBA Stadium, set to take on a North Melbourne team that has shown plenty of signs of growth early in the 2026 season. 

Stewart said that while the performance was obviously disappointing, it is still a long season ahead and the Cats will learn from the experience to better themselves for an important run of games. 

08:17

Highlights: Port Adelaide v Geelong

The Power and Cats clash in round seven of the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season

"It is obviously disappointing, but I think we are not too disheartened with where we are at," Stewart told Cats Media. 

"They played an exceptional game, obviously their best is proven like last week against Hawthorn and now against us.

"We have got plenty to learn from, but we will move on to North Melbourne next week back at home."

Stewart was firmly among Geelong's best on Saturday night, continually fighting hard against a flurry of Port Adelaide attacks and helping to limit the damage at times throughout the contest. 

The champion defender finished with 27 disposals and a game-high 637 metres gained, while also picking off eight intercept possessions in a well-rounded display. 

00:50

Post Game Rooms | Tom Stewart

Tom Stewart spoke to Cats Media after a disappointing loss against Port Adelaide in Round 7. Proudly Presented by Ford Australia.

While admitting that the Cats will need to improve before next week, Stewart also said there are plenty of similarities between the way that North Melbourne and Port Adelaide play. 

"They are probably very similar to Port, to be honest," Stewart said. 

"They are a young team that if you let them play their way, they are going to be very hard to beat.

"We will go away and unpack this one, and will take a lot of learnings out from it.

"It is a stark difference to be honest from the Bulldogs last week into this game tonight, it is just not good enough and we understand that and have plenty to work on."