Finals-bound and set for another September tilt, Geelong took care of business on Saturday night to secure at least a spot in the top six at the end of the home-and-away season, defeating Richmond by 57 points at GMHBA Stadium. 

It marks a sixth consecutive victory for Geelong and officially means they will avoid the Wildcard Weekend, with the Cats to either finish in fourth or fifth position on the ladder depending on the result from tomorrow's clash between West Coast and Hawthorn. 

Geelong were challenged early in the first quarter but swiftly set about putting the result out of reach, piling on 10 unanswered goals through to the dying moments of the opening half to build an unassailable lead, before comfortably putting the game away after the main break.

A big revelation for the Cats in recent weeks has been the deployment of Shaun Mannagh as a more permanent midfielder, and it paid dividends with another pleasing result on Saturday as the superstar produced a remarkable outing, kicking three goals and collecting over 30 disposals. 

Bailey Smith found plenty of the footy to cap off a brilliant regular season, Lawson Humphries was outstanding off half back, while Geelong will also be buoyed by the performance of Patrick Dangerfield, who broke tackles at will and looked dangerous around goal. 

Geelong were kept honest early with Richmond looking dangerous in attack and snagging three goals in the opening 10 minutes, but the Cats were able to settle into the contest and get the game on their terms. 

Shaun Mannagh opened the account with a brilliant snap, Ollie Dempsey curled home his 30th major of the year, before the key pillars of Jay Polkinghorne and Shannon Neale hit the scoreboard to give the Cats a far better start than the week prior. 

A second major to go with 13 disposals capped off a sensational first term for Mannagh, helping Geelong to build a strong 20-point advantage by quarter time. 

Mannagh continued on his merry way in the second quarter, curling home his third goal of the contest inside the opening two minutes, the crafty Cat looking in prime form heading into September. 

It would spark a remarkable run for Geelong who started to look unstoppable, slamming home 10 unanswered goals to completely shake off the early challenge from the Tigers, taking a 49-point lead into the main break. 

The Cats controlled nearly every facet of the game in the opening half and plenty of that was led by Mannagh, who amassed an incredible stat line that included 22 disposals, three goals and five clearances, comfortably among the top handful of players on the ground. 

Bailey Smith collected 19 disposals to continue his sensational form, Patrick Dangerfield looked back near his best with a pair of goals to go with 13 possessions, while Lawson Humphries and Tom Stewart had the half back line under control and ignited plenty of Geelong's ball movement. 

With the game all but locked away, Geelong eased into the second half and did what they needed to do, Smith and Polkinghorne both kicking their second goals of the night before Humphries snuck forward to hit the scoreboard, the lead creeping out to 53 points at three quarter time. 

The sting had been taken out of the contest and the Cats all but put the cue in the rack in the final term, Mitch Edwards producing a dazzling highlight with his third career goal, as Geelong did enough to secure a 57-point victory. 

2026 AFL Season - Round 24

GEELONG CATS    6.4   12.6  15.11   20.13   (133)  
RICHMOND             3.2    4.5    7.6    11.10     (76) 

GOALS
Geelong Cats: Neale 4, Mannagh, Dangerfield, Smith 3, Polkinghorne, O.Henry 2, Humphries, Edwards, Dempsey 1
Richmond: Lynch 3, Ryan, Green 2, Taranto, Ralphsmith, Lefau, Campbell 1

Crowd: 29,194 at GMHBA Stadium