Geelong enter Round 12 in a rich vein of form but they will be put to the test on Friday night, set to face a resurgent Carlton outfit under the bright lights at the MCG.
There is a fair gap between the two sides in terms of ladder position, but the Blues have recorded back-to-back victories over the past fortnight and will be carrying some momentum of their own into the match.
The Cats are on a four-game winning streak and have solidified their position in the top four for the time being, but they can not afford to take their foot off the pedal with a tough month upcoming.
Carlton have also proved to be a difficult opponent for Geelong in recent years, with the Blues winning three of the last four clashes between the sides which included an 18-point win in last year's match.
Take a look at some of Carlton's strengths ahead of Friday night's game, proudly presented by Deakin University.
2026 Ladder
Geelong: 3rd (8-3)
Carlton: 15th (3-8)
Recent Games
2025, Round 7 - Carlton 14.10 (94) def Geelong 12.4 (76)
2024, Round 15 - Carlton 21.12 (138) def Geelong 11.9 (75)
2024, Round 7 - Geelong 18.10 (118) def Carlton 15.15 (105)
Deakin Performance Stat of the Week
Taking Ground by Foot
The ability to move the football in transition has never been more important in the AFL, with Geelong and the Blues a prime case study of that notion so far in 2026.
Carlton had only gained more meterage in one of their first nine games this year, which led to a 1-8 record as opponents were able to nullify their entries into the forward half and then hurt them going the other way.
But over the last two weeks, the Blues have registered two strong wins and the common denominator in both was their ability to move the football, comfortably amassing more metres gained than the Bulldogs and Port Adelaide en route to a pair of victories.
In the last two weeks, Carlton have a +1176 differential in metres gained compared to the first nine games of the season, where they had a -3,276 differential.
It has also been an important statistic for Geelong, who have recorded more metres gained than their opponents in all eight of their wins thus far, while being beaten in that category in all three losses.
If the Cats can find ways to control the territory battle on Friday night, it will go a long way towards achieving a positive result
Carlton's Metres Gained - 2026
| Round | Opponent | Differential |
| 11 | Port Adelaide | +502 |
| 10 | Western Bulldogs | +692 |
| 9 | Brisbane | +37 |
| 8 | St Kilda | -415 |
| 7 | Fremantle | -286 |
Limiting Patrick Cripps' Influence
He has been the shining light in Carlton's team for a long period of time and 2026 is proving no different, with Patrick Cripps still the man to stop on Friday night.
The star on-baller has maintained his extraordinary presence around stoppages, ranking fourth in the AFL for total clearances, second for centre clearances and second for contested possessions.
Cripps is still able to find the ball with ease, averaging 25.9 disposals per game while also sitting second at Carlton for score involvements and leading the club for tackles.
One area that the Cats will also have to keep an eye on is Cripps' ability to push inside 50, kicking a goal in each of the Blues' last five games.
The Carlton star averages 27.3 disposals and nearly eight clearances per game across 11 career appearances against Geelong.
Scoring from Stoppages
Cripps is clearly the leader of the midfield, but Carlton's on-ball division tend to hold their keys to their success each week, specifically looking at how they can impact the scoreboard and turn stoppage wins into scores.
Prior to the past fortnight, the Blues were one of the lowest ranking teams in the competition in this statistic but they have turned a corner, scoring 31 more points from stoppage than Port Adelaide last week and 19 more than the Bulldogs the week prior.
Carlton now rank as the sixth best team in the AFL for scores from stoppage, with an average of 38.5 points per game from that source.
Geelong rank third in the league in scores from stoppages (42.5) this year and have hit their stride in that area, recording 24 more points from stoppage than Collingwood in Round 9 and 31 more than Brisbane in Round 10.
