Geelong has been defeated in a high-scoring contest at GMHBA Stadium, falling 22 points short against Brisbane on Thursday night. 

A wild first half saw the Cats trail by as much as 43 points late in the first quarter, before storming back to close within a point shortly after the main break but it was not enough, as the Lions continually found answers and made their decisive move near the end of the third term.

The loss leaves Geelong with a 9-7 record after their mid-season bye, now firmly entangled in a logjam in the middle of the ladder with seven games remaining in the home and away season. 

There was no Cat more impactful than the captain, Patrick Dangerfield, who pulled out every trick in the book in an attempt to inspire his side, finishing the night with five goals, 17 disposals and seven score involvements. 

Bailey Smith (31 disposals, nine score involvements) accumulated plenty of the footy, Tom Stewart (25 disposals, nine intercepts) was resolute across half back, while Tanner (seven score involvements, 10 intercepts) Bruhn also had a number of nice moments and competed strongly throughout the contest. 

Rain had fallen for nearly the entire day in Geelong and by some sheer miracle, or perhaps it was divine intervention, the skies cleared in time for the opening bounce. But it proved not to be a good omen as the Lions made a fast start, Charlie Cameron kicking two goals in as many minutes to open proceedings. 

It only continued to unravel from there as the Lions punched through the opening six goals in less than 14 minutes of play, leaving GMHBA Stadium in a stunned silence and Geelong searching for answers. 

The margin expanded beyond 40 points until Patrick Dangerfield intervened with the Cats' first goal right before the quarter time siren, the home side left with a mountain of work to do and staring at a 37-point deficit at the first break. 

Whenever Geelong has looked down and out, more often than not they find another gear and work their way back into the contest, it has been a trademark of the club for a long period of time and it proved to be the case once again on Thursday night. 

Shannon Neale and Dangerfield both struck twice, Jack Martin curled home another on his left foot and by the midway point of the second term, Geelong had a run of five unanswered goals and had significantly closed the gap on the scoreboard. 

But the Cats were not done there, continuing to press right up until half time and finding another two majors, cutting the margin to just seven points at the main break. 

In between the flurry of scores, Neale was the big mover for Geelong with three goals in the second term alone, with Bailey Smith and Ollie Dempsey also rising to the occasion with 10 disposals apiece in the quarter. 

Tanner Bruhn (12 disposals, six score involvements) provided a spark in the opening half, while the skipper started to will his side back into the contest with 10 disposals and two goals at the main break. 

While the first two quarters saw some of the most dramatic momentum shifts, the third quarter proved to be a far tighter contest but it did not limit the scoring ability of either side, with plenty of goals raining down in a remarkably high-scoring game considering the conditions. 

The brilliance of Dangerfield shone through for the Cats as he added another two majors, but Geelong could not solve their defensive conundrum as they conceded eight goals in the third term, the deficit creeping back out to 30 points at the final change. 

With most of the damage done, Geelong could not find a way back into the contest in the fourth quarter and the Lions closed the game out strongly, with the margin sitting at 22 points when the final siren sounded. 

2026 AFL Season - Round 17

GEELONG      1.5   7.11  11.14  14.17  (101)  
BRISBANE     8.0    9.6    17.8    19.9  (123) 

GOALS
Geelong: Dangerfield 5, Neale 3, Martin, Dempsey 2, Wiltshire, Mullin 1
Brisbane: Lohmann 5, Morris, Bailey 3, McKenna, Cameron 2, Rayner, Dunkley, L.Ashcroft, Fort 1

BEST
Geelong: Dangerfield, Holmes, Smith, Dempsey, Stewart
Brisbane: W.Ashcroft, Neale, Lohmann, Bailey, Draper, Dunkley 

Crowd: 26,757 at GMHBA Stadium