Geelong is set for a blockbuster battle at the Gabba on Thursday night, making four changes as they prepare for a Grand Final rematch with the Brisbane Lions to kick off Sir Doug Nicholls Round. 

The Cats will be bolstered by the return of a premiership trio with Gryan Miers, Mark Blicavs and Jack Henry all selected to take on the Lions.

Miers will play his first AFL game since Geelong's Gather Round clash with West Coast, while Blicavs and Henry will feature for the first time since the Round 7 match against Port Adelaide. 

Rounding out the inclusions for Thursday night's game is emerging ruckman Mitch Edwards, who returns to the line-up after being managed last week. 

Jake Kolodjashnij and James Worpel will be managed this week and will miss the clash with the Lions, while Rhys Stanley and Jack Bowes have been omitted. 

It is a battle for a spot in the top four on Thursday night while also being a Grand Final rematch, as Geelong heads north to take on Brisbane at the Gabba. 

The teams currently sit in fourth and fifth spot on the ladder with a 6-3 record, only percentage separating the two sides heading into a blockbuster swing match. 

It will also mark the start of the AFL's Sir Doug Nicholls Round, with Geelong set to debut their 2026 First Nations Guernsey on Thursday which was specially designed by Meeza and Lawson Humphries. 

Thursday's match will be broadcast live and free on Channel 7 from 7.00pm AEST, while also being broadcast on Fox Footy and streamed through Kayo from the same time ahead of the game start at 7.30pm. 

For Cats fans in Queensland, tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster for the game, or tune into K rock from 6.00pm to listen to all the action via FM 95.5 across Geelong & the Surf Coast, the K rock app or the AFL app.