There is no time for Geelong to take its foot off the gas, with every game holding importance and only three rounds remaining until the end of the home-and-away season. 

This week's battle will see the Cats host Essendon at GMHBA Stadium, looking to make it a fourth consecutive win and a ninth straight victory over the Bombers dating back to 2019. 

With their strong form in recent weeks, Geelong have ascended to seventh on the ladder and are now firmly entrenched in a four-way battle for the top four, but they will need to keep winning and for some other results to fall their way over the coming weeks. 

Essendon have struggled this year and sit on the bottom of the ladder, but they recorded one of their wins only three weeks ago against GWS, while also pushing the Cats for three quarters in the corresponding match last year. 

Take a look through some of the key things to watch on Saturday as the Cats tackle the Bombers, proudly presented by Deakin University. 

2026 Ladder 

Geelong Cats: 7th (12-8)
Essendon: 18th (2-18)

Recent Games

2025, Round 22 - Geelong 15.19 (109) def. Essendon 10.5 (65)
2025, Round 14 - Essendon 8.8 (56) def. by Geelong 23.13 (151)
2024, Round 16 - Geelong 16.9 (105) def. Essendon 9.6 (60)

Deakin Performance Stat of the Week 

Collecting Ground Balls Inside Forward 50

One area that Essendon have been solid in this year is their ability to bring the ball to ground in defence, then repel back out of their back 50. 

So far in 2026, the Bombers rank third in the competition for defensive 50 ground-ball-gets with an average of 19.5 per game, only trailing GWS and Adelaide in that statistic. 

They sit sixth in the AFL for defensive pressure acts and seventh for rebound 50s, but their ability to use the football cleanly in the back half has also been a feature of their style. 

Essendon rank fourth in the league for disposal efficiency, fourth for kicking efficiency and they commit the least clangers of any team. 

For Geelong, the ability to apply pressure in their forward half has been a pivotal part of their game and has been a feature in their victories this year, making it a battle to watch on Saturday afternoon. 

Essendon's 2026 Stats

Nullifying Zach Merrett's Impact

He might be 13 seasons into his tenure at Essendon, but Zach Merrett is still the man to stop for the Bombers and he perhaps is not getting enough credit for how good his year has been. 

To this stage of 2026, Merrett ranks in the AFL's top 10 players for disposals, while also leading his club for score involvements, goal assists and tackles. 

Aside from two outlier games against Brisbane and North Melbourne, Merrett has been ultra-consistent this season, collecting 22 or more disposals in each of his other 18 appearances with a season-high tally of 36 possessions. 

Merrett impressed in the most recent clash between Geelong and Essendon, collecting 27 disposals, 10 tackles and six clearances last year, giving the Cats plenty to think about and providing a potential match-up for Oisin Mullin on Saturday. 

The Clearance Battle

While statistically stoppages have not been a strong suit for Essendon this year, it is an area that they can still be dangerous in and that has been the case in some of their better performances in the season. 

Three weeks ago, the Bombers triumphed over GWS at Marvel Stadium and their clearance work was instrumental in setting up the win, finishing with a +17 differential. 

They also finished with a +22 differential in another game and a +8 differential in their other victory over Melbourne, even beating teams like Fremantle and Brisbane in the stoppage count throughout the year. 

Geelong are coming off their best clearance differential in the last two years after a stellar performance against Collingwood, but they will need to continue that momentum this weekend.