There was no shortage of tense moments for Cats fans on Saturday afternoon, but Geelong has done enough to stave off a strong challenge from North Melbourne, prevailing in a 15-point victory at Marvel Stadium.  

Geelong spotted the home side an almighty lead early, conceding seven of the opening eight goals in the contest to trail by as much as 38 points, before storming back into the game with a nine-goal second term, then continuing to do enough to stay in front when it mattered. 

An inspired move to play Mark Blicavs in a more permanent ruck role paid dividends for the Cats, as the experienced utility gave his side a desperately needed spark around stoppages and even pushed forward to hit the scoreboard. 

Tanner Bruhn was among the key players to help Geelong turn the game on its head after quarter time, Bailey Smith found the footy with ease and had an impact at both ends of the ground, while Ollie Dempsey and Lawson Humphries were also instrumental with their run and carry. 

When the pressure was on early, Connor O'Sullivan and Tom Stewart were the key defensive pillars for the Cats who stemmed the tide, continually standing tall and helping to limit the damage with a plethora of intercept possessions. 

Playing under the roof at Marvel Stadium is a remarkably different proposition and Geelong certainly took some time to adapt, a sluggish opening stanza seeing North Melbourne pile on the pressure with seven of the opening eight goals, leaving the Cats with a mountain to climb early. 

A 22-3 clearance differential in favour of the Kangaroos was the catalyst for the start, and had it not been for a trio of intercept marks from Connor O'Sullivan and some outstanding defensive plays from Tom Stewart, the damage could have been even worse than the 38-point deficit on the scoreboard. 

Geelong certainly needed a lift to start the second term and it came from the biggest man on the ground, with Mitch Edwards drifting forward and hitting the scoreboard to kick the first goal of his young AFL career. 

It sparked a remarkable resurgence from the Cats, who after looking all at sea in the first quarter and struggling to find any avenue to goal, all of a sudden had all the momentum and reeled off six unanswered goals to drag themselves back into the contest. 

North Melbourne would briefly halt the flow with some scoreboard impact against the run of play, but it did nothing to deter the Cats and big Mitch Edwards proved that when it rains it pours, bookending the nine-goal quarter with his second major to Geelong a seven-point lead at half time. 

The orchestrators behind the withering comeback were none other than Tanner Bruhn (15 disposals), Humphries (14 disposals) and Ollie Dempsey, the trio collecting 26 disposals between them in the second quarter alone and providing plenty of run through the middle of the ground. 

Bailey Smith was also outstanding and finished the half with a game-high 20 disposals, also adding five score involvements and four intercept possessions to continue his sensational form. 

There was no shortage of entertainment in the third term as both teams continued to produce free-flowing football, but in another dramatic shift, North Melbourne would wrestle back the ascendancy as Geelong struggled to limit their potency inside forward 50. 

After the Cats kept their opponent at an arms length for a large portion of the quarter, the Kangaroos closed out the period with three unanswered goals and the lead changed hands once more, Geelong trailing by a solitary point at the final break. 

The importance of a fast start in the last quarter could not be understated and the Cats made a decisive move, starting with a third goal for Mark Blicavs which equalled his career-high, sparking a run of three unanswered goals to put Geelong back in control. 

But again, as had been the case all day, there was yet another twist in the tale as the Kangaroos arrested momentum and closed back within just a few points, setting up a grandstand finish in an electric atmosphere under the roof. 

When the Cats needed a hero, as is so often the case, it was Ollie Dempsey who got into a dangerous position at a crucial juncture in the match, taking a pivotal contested mark and kicking a goal to give his side some breathing room. 

Emerging star Jay Polkinghorne then put the nail in the coffin with his third major of the afternoon, before Mannagh capped off an enthralling contest with his third, closing out a 15-point victory. 

2026 AFL Season - Round 23

NORTH MELBOURNE    7.2    9.3    14.5    17.8   (110)  
GEELONG CATS              1.0   10.4   13.10   19.11   (125) 

GOALS
North Melbourne: Larkey 5, Darling 4, Trembath 3, Simpkin 2, Sheezel, Curtis, Banch 1
Geelong Cats: Blicavs, Polkinghorne, Mannagh 3, Edwards, Neale, Dangerfield 2, Humphries, O.Henry, Close, Dempsey 1

Crowd: TBC at the Marvel Stadium