Geelong head to ENGIE Stadium this week and will be looking for a strong response on a number of fronts, as they face an in-form GWS team on their home deck.
The Cats have dropped four of their last five games and there is not much room for error remaining, particularly against a Giants team that they have lost four consecutive matches against.
GWS snapped Fremantle's 14-game winning streak last week, showing just how dangerous they can be despite sitting in 13th position on the ladder.
In a strange quirk, this will be only Geelong's sixth appearance at ENGIE Stadium and their third visit since 2017, with their last victory at the venue coming back in 2014.
Take a look at some of the strengths of the Giants' game heading into Saturday's match, proudly presented by Deakin University.
2026 Ladder
Geelong: 7th (9-7)
GWS Giants: 13th (7-9)
Recent Games
2025, Round 18 - GWS Giants 17.9 (111) def. Geelong 13.7 (85)
2025, Round 9 - Geelong 14.17 (101) def. by GWS Giants 16.9 (105)
2024, Round 11 - Geelong 11.8 (74) def. by GWS Giants 11.12 (78)
Deakin Performance Stat of the Week
Stopping the Orange Tsunami
Most footy fans would have heard the term, but the Orange Tsunami is real and describes the Giants' fast-paced surge from one end of the ground to the other.
The stats back up the notion, with GWS ranked third in the AFL for scores from their defensive half this year, and they also sit second for transitions from defensive 50 to forward 50.
They rank first in the competition for scores that originate in their defensive half, able to access the corridor and get dangerous by both hand and foot before launching into attack.
In the first clash between Geelong and GWS last year, the Giants remarkably recorded 49 more points from their defensive half than the Cats, tied for their biggest differential in the last three seasons.
The Cats will need to find a way to combat this on Saturday, particularly after GWS looked ultra damaging through the middle of the ground in last week's victory over Fremantle.
GWS Giants' 2026 Team Stats
| Statistic | Average | AFL Rank |
| Transition - Defensive 50 to Score | 12.8 | 1st |
| Defensive 50 to Forward 50 | 27.2 | 2nd |
| Scores from Defensive Half | 38.1 | 3rd |
| Handball Metres Gained | 472.2 | 4th |
Restricting Clayton Oliver's Impact
GWS are rock solid through the middle of the ground, ranked third in the AFL for contested possessions and fifth for stoppage clearances, with plenty of that generated by the remarkable form of Clayton Oliver.
In his first season at ENGIE Stadium, Oliver is averaging over 31 disposals and close to eight clearances per game, a sensational resurgence after departing Melbourne at the end of 2025.
He currently ranks third in the AFL for total disposals, second for clearances and first for contested possessions, while also leading the Giants for tackles and pressure acts.
Throughout his career, Oliver has created plenty of headaches for Geelong with an average of 32.2 disposals per game across 12 matches, his highest average against any opposition team in the competition.
The All-Important Ruck Battle
The contest around stoppages has never been more important in the AFL, and after discussing the impact of Clayton Oliver, it is also part of a wider dominance through the middle of the ground for GWS this season.
They are able to get first use through their impressive form in the ruck, currently holding the highest hit-out to advantage percentage (33.7) of any team in the competition this year.
It is led by Kieren Briggs, who ranks fourth in the AFL for average hit-outs to advantage per game, with the Giants big man also sitting 12th for average hit-outs per game in 2026.
Despite how impressive Mitch Edwards has been this year, the Cats have only won the hit-out count in four of their 16 matches this year and if they want to control the clearances on Saturday, this will be an area of the ground that they need to put some time into.
