Geelong has a strong history of producing talented key forwards and they may have uncovered another gem, with Jay Polkinghorne in sublime form and firmly cementing himself as one of the most damaging players in the VFL this year.
The Penong product was at his brilliant best on Saturday afternoon as the Cats rolled to another big victory, booting five goals from eight scoring shots to help lead his side to a 10th consecutive victory.
His work in front of the big sticks was not the only thing that impressed, with Polkinghorne also showing off his remarkable aerial prowess as he pulled down 10 marks, which included a game-high four contested marks to continually test Richmond's defence.
Despite missing a chunk of the season through injury, the emerging talent has now kicked 20 goals from just six VFL games in 2026, backing up a remarkable debut campaign with the Cats in 2025 where he hit the scoreboard in 16 of his 17 matches.
After combining with Jesse Mellor to kick 11 of Geelong's 23 goals on Saturday, Polkinghorne told Cats Media that it has been pleasing to see the next generation starting to have an impact each and every week.
"Yeah I am getting better, pretty happy with today," Polkinghorne said.
"I am just trying to get a bit of continuity in my game now, same as Jesse [Mellor] as well.
"It is so good to see all the young boys putting in some really good effort I would say, we are getting the results and everyone has their importance to the team."
Since returning in the Round 11 victory over Sandringham, Polkinghorne has now kicked 16 goals over the last five weeks and continues to be the spearhead in Geelong's forward line.
His form has played a part in Geelong's wider success at VFL level this year, with the Cats chalking up their 10th consecutive victory on Saturday in an 82-point thumping of Richmond at GMHBA Stadium.
The game was not as one-sided as the scoreline might suggest, with the Tigers actually leading midway through the third term before Geelong finished with a flurry, kicking 16 goals in 48 minutes of play to pull away from the visitors.
With the victory, the Cats will now only need one more win in the final four games of the regular season to secure a top four position, which can also be clinched if Port Melbourne are defeated on Sunday afternoon.
Another victory will officially secure a top two spot and a home final, with the Cats searching for their first victory in the post-season since the 2013 season.
Polkinghorne said that while it was not necessarily smooth sailing on Saturday, it was pleasing that the team was able to wrestle back momentum and then kick away late.
"It was tough, it was a full game effort from Richmond. To their credit, they were very good," Polkinghorne said.
"It was our second half where we really brought our game. I think the midfielders stepped up in the second half, which got our forwards some good looks. We are pretty happy with it.
"I think it was just around the contest. We were pretty poor in the contest, pretty much everyone including us forwards.
"We had a few structural things to change, it didn't come straight away in the second half but I think we were able to grind away, it was a good result in the end."
