The VFL Cats continued their sparkling 2026 campaign with another brilliant performance on Saturday, defeating Richmond by 82 points at GMHBA Stadium. 

The game was in the balance for much of the afternoon with Geelong actually trailing midway through the third term, but they put the foot down late and finished with a flurry to seal another big result. 

With 15 AFL-listed players featuring in the game for the Cats, there was a healthy mix of experience and youth that combined perfectly to produce some scintillating footy, helping to extend their advantage on top of the VFL ladder. 

Take a look through some of the standout performances from Saturday afternoon at the Cattery. 

Jesse Mellor

15 Disposals, Six Goals, Four Marks

When the game was in the balance on Saturday afternoon, Jesse Mellor was the key man who stood tall and helped to turn the tide in favour of the Cats. 

After kicking one goal in the opening half, Mellor started the run for Geelong with back-to-back goals midway through the third term, snatching the lead back for the home side. 

He went on to add another goal before three quarter time and finished with a game-high six goals, which is also a career-high for the emerging forward. 

Mellor has been brilliant in his inaugural season on Geelong's AFL list, kicking 28 goals from 13 games and constantly looking lively inside forward 50, adding his name to a growing list of players who look capable of making the leap to the elite level. 

Gryan Miers

24 Disposals, 10 Tackles, Three Goals

The class of a player like Gryan Miers certainly shines through at VFL level, and it was no different against the Tigers as the clever Cat pieced together a phenomenal performance at GMHBA Stadium. 

Miers collected 24 disposals and barely wasted a possession, going at 80% disposal efficiency while also registering a number of score involvements and four inside 50s. 

After uncharacteristically struggling to impact the scoreboard in 2026, the 27 year old had no troubles splitting the big sticks on Saturday, kicking three goals after half time. 

Another pleasing aspect was his ability to apply pressure, with Miers laying 10 tackles which included three inside 50, capping off a performance that Cats fans are used to seeing from the brilliant forward.  

Jay Polkinghorne

18 Disposals, 10 Marks, Five Goals

There was plenty of chatter and hype about this young star during the week, and he backed it up with another dominant outing as Polkinghorne piled on five goals against the Tigers. 

With another big haul, the emerging forward has now kicked 20 goals from just six games at VFL level this year, consistently looking a threat and creating plenty of headaches for opposition defenders. 

Chris Scott mentioned in his press conference during the week that Polkinghorne is a different kind of forward to what Geelong already has, perhaps referring to his spectacular aerial ability, as he pulled down 10 marks, including four contested marks. 

Similarly to Miers, he was also able to apply plenty of pressure and finished with a game-high four tackles inside 50, and it may not be long before Polkinghorne earns an opportunity at the top level if he continues to perform as strongly as he did on Saturday. 

Joe Pike

19 Disposals, 32 Hit-Outs, Seven Clearances

He perhaps has not garnered as much attention as some other players in Geelong's VFL team this year, but make no mistake, Joe Pike is in the midst of a terrific campaign and produced possibly his best performance of the season in Round 18. 

Pike was able to find plenty of the ball and finished with 19 disposals, but it was his profound impact around stoppages that proved telling, winning 32 hit-outs and seven clearances. 

Despite being a ruckman, his teammates clearly were not afraid to give him the ball in general play and it paid dividends, with Pike recording a game-high 10 score involvements to go with his five inside 50 entries. 

Pike's influence on the contest became particularly important when Rhys Stanley was ruled out early in the game, but he certainly rose to the occasion and played a pivotal role in Geelong's big victory. 

Hunter Holmes 

31 Disposals, Seven Clearances, One Goal

Another Cat who might have produced his best performance of the season on Saturday, Hunter Holmes is continuing to show the immense potential he has at his disposal in an exciting sign for Geelong fans. 

Holmes collected a career-high 31 disposals against the Tigers, while also spending increased time through the midfield and winning seven clearances. 

With his incredible running capacity, Holmes was able to register eight inside 50s and seven score involvements, but also worked back to pick off six intercept possessions. 

He also added a goal for good measure, continuing his sensational 2026 campaign with another well-rounded outing in Round 18.