Facing Fremantle in Perth has never been an easy task, let alone when they are in the midst of a franchise-record winning streak, but Geelong gave it everything they had and pushed the ladder-leaders right until the final siren on Thursday night. 

Making the challenge even tougher was the absence of some key Cats, but rather than using that as an excuse, it presented an opportunity for some of the club's emerging talents to rise to the occasion and show what they are capable of. 

Geelong entered Thursday night's blockbuster clash with 11 players aged 25 years or younger, proving that the future is certainly bright at the Cattery with a number of them performing strongly under immense pressure in the west. 

The midfield duo of Max Holmes (27 disposals, three goal assists) and Tanner Bruhn (26 disposals, two goal assists) fought valiantly all night, giving Chris Scott and the coaches a different look around stoppages, while Lawson Humphries (24 disposals, 742 metres gained) continues to grow with every passing week. 

George Stevens was another who impressed in just his fourth AFL game, finishing the night with 18 disposals and an equal team-high five clearances, while also registering a team-high six score involvements to go with a goal in a very solid outing for the young midfielder. 

Connor O'Sullivan picked off six intercept marks and did a great job on Josh Treacy, Shannon Neale pulled down a game-high four contested marks, while Oli Wiltshire was another who influenced the contest with two goals in the first term. 

While it was ultimately a disappointing ending and the Cats will not return home with the four points, there are plenty of positives to take away with so much of the season still ahead, something that Lawson Humphries mirrored in his chat with Cats Media following the game. 

"Obviously we have had a few outs and everybody has been talking about the outs that we have, but I feel like it gives other guys an opportunity," Humphries said. 

"Our list is really deep and those guys that have been dominating in the VFL if that is where they have been, or others that have been playing more of a role in the AFL.

"The ability for George to get a bit of a better run at it now, and 'Sully' to get a bit of a better run at it now.

"Obviously we love 'Stewy,' Gryan and Bailey, we want them all back, but I think it gives a good opportunity for some of our younger guys to step up. I felt like we did a pretty good job of that."

Geelong head into their mid-season bye with a 9-6 record, Thursday night's defeat was their fourth by a margin of nine points or less, proving that the Cats' best can match it with any team in the competition. 

Following the bye, Geelong will return home for another Thursday night blockbuster against the Brisbane Lions, looking to bounce back and searching for momentum with Finals football starting to draw closer. 

Head coach Chris Scott said that he is confident about where his side is at, and remains bullish about what the Cats can achieve in 2026. 

"I always hesitate because in the immediate aftermath, it is hard not to feel what you feel and we had the chance to win the game," Scott said. 

"We gave ourselves enough chances to really put them under pressure, and just couldn't get it done in the end.

"But if you take a step back, which we will get the chance to do with the bye coming up, I suspect our takeaway will be that we feel like we are in a spot where we can have a crack at it.

"That is very easy to say and hard to do in this competition, Fremantle are clearly there, but there is an argument that it doesn't matter how easily you get to that point of contention, the thing that matters is do you get there.

"We think that we have got that opportunity in front of us. Besides not getting the four points, we come away at least with our confidence in our game intact."