Geelong return to GMHBA Stadium for their AFLW home opener this weekend, kicking off a big double-header for the club against St Kilda on Saturday afternoon. 

It will be a chance for the Cats to bounce back after falling to North Melbourne in Round 1, looking to get on the winner's list in the 2026 season. 

Their opponent this weekend is a Saints team that also fell short in their season opener, but possess a number of different weapons that will present a tough challenge for the Cats. 

In a strange fixture quirk, it has been nearly four years since the two sides last met in the AFLW, with the most recent meeting coming in 2022 Season 7. 

Take a look through some of St Kilda's strengths ahead of Saturday's big clash at the Cattery. 

Round 1 Results

Geelong 3.9 (27) def. by North Melbourne 15.10 (100)

St Kilda 6.4 (40) def. by Carlton 9.12 (66)

Recent History - Geelong v St Kilda

Deakin Performance Stat of the Week: Locking the Ball Inside 50

One area that St Kilda excel in, and have done for a number of seasons, has been their ability to repel the ball out of their defensive 50 and turn that into a counterattack. 

Across the 2025 AFLW season, the Saints ranked first in the competition for Rebound 50s with an average of 32.4 per game, while also holding the third best rebound 50 rate of any team in the league. 

It continued on from the 2024 season, where they also ranked second in the AFLW for rebound 50s. 

The Saints also recorded the third most rebound 50s of any team in Round 1 of the 2026 season, using that to set up attacks off the back of that and impact the scoreboard regularly. 

Geelong allowed North Melbourne to rebound 89.2% of their inside 50 entries in the season opener, making this an area of the game they will need to improve on in Round 2. 

Saints Player to Watch - Tyanna Smith

The young Saints midfielder has developed into one of the competition's best stoppage players in recent years, with Smith posing a serious threat for opposition teams. 

In the 2025 season, Smith finished fourth in the AFLW for total clearances and ranked in the top six for both centre clearances and stoppage clearances, able to have a strong impact right across the field. 

She then started this year how she finished the last, collecting eight clearances in Round 1 which was the third most by any player in the competition. 

Geelong have their own weapons through the middle like Georgie Prespakis and Amy McDonald, which sets up a fascinating battle on Saturday evening. 

Where Geelong Can Improve - Gaining Meterage

The Cats had no problem getting their hands on the football in Round 1, but it was their ability to distribute it and move forward that proved to be an issue. 

Geelong finished with a -963 metres gained differential against the Kangaroos, the biggest discrepancy across any match in the opening week of the season. 

They also averaged only 13.4 metres gained per disposal, tied for the second lowest average across the competition in Round 1, while St Kilda recorded the second highest average of any team. 

The Cats were able to match North Melbourne in most major statistics, but this was one area of the ground that they will be looking to make significant improvements in heading into Round 2.