An important game looms large this weekend as the Cats prepare to host North Melbourne on Saturday afternoon, with the winner set to solidify their spot in the top eight through the opening two months of the season. 

The Kangaroos are a vastly different outfit to the one Geelong faced late in the 2025 season, winning four of their first seven games and currently sitting just above the Cats on the ladder. 

They boast a number of strengths and have a very distinct style, accumulating a number of disposals and relying on being clean on transition, which allows them to find targets inside 50 and hit the scoreboard with greater ease. 

North Melbourne's biggest strength however is their midfield, rated as one of the top on-ball divisions in the competition with the likes of Tristan Xerri, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Harry Sheezel able to break a game open in an instant. 

With Geelong looking to bounce back this weekend as they return home to GMHBA Stadium, take a look at some things you need to keep an eye on with the Cats' Opposition Analysis, proudly presented by Deakin University. 

2026 Ladder 

North Melbourne: 6th (4-3)
Geelong Cats: 9th (4-3)

Recent Games

2025, Round 20 - North Melbourne 7.7 (49) def. by Geelong 22.18 (150)
2024, Round 20 - North Melbourne 10.6 (66) def. by Geelong 16.10 (106)
2024, Round 5 - Geelong 21.13 (139) def North Melbourne 10.4 (64)

Deakin Performance Stat of the Week 

Forcing Turnovers and Applying Pressure

The Kangaroos play a very high-possession, efficient brand of football and it has been a big catalyst behind their resurgence in 2026. 

Through the opening seven games of the season, North Melbourne rank first in the competition for disposal efficiency and second for kick efficiency, able to pick through opponents' defensive structures and get good looks at goal. 

They commit the least turnovers of any team and sit first in the AFL for disposal retention rate, able to launch scores from their defensive half and access the corridor. 

This is an important stat not only because the Kangaroos excel in it, but also because Geelong were exposed in this area last week with Port Adelaide accumulating 81 more uncontested possessions, while committing nine fewer turnovers which ultimately resulted in +23 more inside 50 entries for the Power. 

2026 Team Stats

Solving the Midfield Conundrum

Another area of the ground that Port Adelaide got a hold of the Cats in last week was the midfield, which also happens to be perhaps the greatest strength of North Melbourne's game. 

The Kangaroos rank third in the AFL for clearances and are also able to capitalise on this prowess, sitting second in the competition for scores from stoppages so far this year. 

This is led by Luke Davies-Uniacke who ranks 5th in the AFL for centre clearances, Harry Sheezel who is sixth for stoppages clearances and ruckman Tristan Xerri, who missed three games but has the third highest clearance average of any player in the league. 

Geelong made a strong start around stoppages against Port Adelaide but were comfortably beaten after quarter time, with the Power winning the clearance battle 41-14 after the first break.

How do you Stop Tristan Xerri?

There very well could be an argument made that he is the best ruckman in the competition, but Tristan Xerri is an absolute force of nature around stoppages and is one the Cats will need to put some time into on Saturday afternoon. 

Xerri missed three games through suspension but his per-game statistics are incredible, averaging 21 disposals per game which is the second most of any ruckman behind Max Gawn. 

He leads the AFL for average contested possessions per game, ranks sixth for average clearances which includes a top three rank for stoppage clearances and centre clearances respectively, while also sitting sixth for score launches. 

Xerri's follow up work is also exceptional, currently holding the second highest average for tackles per game out of any player in the league, even sitting narrowly in front of Tom Atkins in that statistic.  

Mitch Edwards has made a great start to his AFL career in 2026, but Xerri presents a whole new challenge and Geelong will need to find an answer heading into Saturday's clash. 

Xerri's Average Stats